Gold Country – Angels Camp and Jackson (145-146)

In late May we visited the Gold Country again, first to Angels Camp and then to Jackson.

We missed the Calaveras County Fair & Jumping Frog Jubilee at Angels Camp, but we’ll have to come back sometime for that. The laundry hanging across the street is for a competition played during that week.

We spent a lot of time in Murphy’s, about 6 miles away, because of the great atmosphere and good restaurants. We like Grounds for lunch and Gold Coast Roasters for afternoon coffee.

Up from Murphy’s is Calaveras Big Trees State Park. Explorers first discovered the Giant Sequoias here! Unfortunately, when word got out about the giant trees, it was also the site where the first Sequoia was cut down. The base of this tree served as a dance floor for a time, as people came from all over to be amazed.

The Forrest service was completing a controlled burn the day we were there. We followed the signs away from the area of the burn, but they were misplaced and we surprised a ranger as we hiked into a closed area by mistake. They quickly fixed the signage!

Even though we couldn’t hike to the vista as planned, we enjoyed the beautiful meadow nearby.

We also brought lunch and had a picnic.

We stayed at the Angels Camp Resort and enjoyed the quiet park during our stay. It was a good place to see the lunar eclipse that occurred during our stay. I wish I had a good photo of the blood red moon.

In Jackson, we stayed at Jackson Rancheria RV Resort, a beautifully manicured park.

We like to spend time in Sutter Creek while here. It’s a great place to enjoy a meal at Cavana’s or Hotel Sutter,

chillax with a chai tea latte at Chocolatte, a local coffee shop.

or a pizza at Gold Dust Pizza on their patio by the river.

We enjoyed a hike to a nearby fire lookout. It was a moderate hike up a hill to the tower and nice views of the surrounding area.

While there we actually spotted a fire…but it turned out to be a controlled burn. We were also greeted on the trail by a giant poodle, a very friendly dog, followed a few minutes later by a not too friendly owner chasing after the dog. 🙂

We also visited the Kennedy Tailing Wheels Park. This is how the mine moved the tailings (waste) from the mining area over a hill. It’s a good bit of engineering for the time.

They also have an historic little church on the grounds. While we were there, some volunteers were working on the amphitheater to get it ready to open. Great to see things coming back to life.

We always enjoy a trip to the gold country! However, the next trip will take us back to the ocean once again.

Al & Deb