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Fun in Sierra County
If you are seeking mountain adventure this winter for skiing, snow play, snowshoeing, back country with matchless lake scenery, Downieville is the center of all-season activity. It is the center where the North Yuba meets the Downie River along the roadside and town center, wending its way for miles along State Highway 49. Downieville Museum, allows visitors a close look at the 1849-1850 era, when the town was filling in with miners rushing to the first strikes. The Foundry building in Downieville is from 1855, where machinery was manufactured for mining gold.

Sierra County, home to unlimited natural resources, is divided by the Pacific Crest at the midpoint of the county. Many small communities have settled throughout the surrounding mountains. There is still a famous mining operation still exploring the deep tunnel system below the ground, the Sixteen-To-One Mine, Alleghany.

Loyalton, the county's only incorporated city, has about a thousand residents. It recently celebrated its centennial in 2001. Awaiting seekers of antiques, good food and an excellent adventure to quiet, lesser traveled roads, this is a part of the high country worth the drive.

Sierra County, due east of Lake Tahoe, is 60 miles from Reno another winter paradise. Accommodations are available throughout the year. Winter stops, including the Little Truckee Summit area located between Sierraville and Truckee on Highway 89 provides six winter trails, restrooms and plenty of parking. From here, groomed trails up to the Gold Lakes Recreation Area are available. There is also excellent skiing on Henness Pass Road east of Highway 89.

The Treasure Mountain Loop in the Little Truckee Summit area provides groomed trails for both snowmobilers and cross-country skiers. Other groomed trails in this area include the Pass Creek Loop, which leads to Jackson Meadows and the Prosser Creek Connection Trail, which travel from the Summit along Prosser Creek downhill into Nevada County.

Gold Panning at Bridgeport near Grass Valley Call 916/432-2546 for info.
Take Hwy 20 south from Hwy 49 about 10 miles to Pleasant Valley Rd., turn left, travel another 8 miles to Bridgeport Covered Historic Bridge, the longest covered suspension bridge in the world.

Approximately 30 pans are available for loan at the park. This wonderful location on the South Yuba River has traditionally attracted many tourists for swimming, wildflower hunting and recreation. Choose a location along the river within the park to pan, or ask about panning demonstrations.

Here are some simple steps to help develop the right panning techniques:

1. Fill the pan by scooping water and dirt trying to get at the lowest layers below the surface level. Work along the river at the water level or below.

2. Locate a comfortable place to sit or crouch down near the river and fill the pan with water. Using your hands, pull any plant material or rocks out of the pan and discard. Pour off the muddy water and refill the pan, continuing to remove rocks until mostly clear water and fine grained gravel/sand remains.

3. Agitate the water/sand mixture without spilling. You are trying to wash gold flakes/powder loose from the rest of the mixture allowing the gold to settle. The gold along with the "black sand" are heavy and go to the bottom of the pan.

4. After about 10-15 seconds of agitation, reduce movement while you begin to tilt the pan filling and pouring off more water. The gold and black sands will settle into the bottom curve of the pan and allow you to pour off some of the gravel and all of the water. The more you pour off the faster you will get to the black sand and gold, but you may also be loosing gold flakes that have not yet settled.

5. Inspect any dull or bright gold-like nuggets first and remove, then with a plastic bottle, one may remove smaller flakes.

Empire Mine State Historic Park is the site of one of the oldest, largest, deepest, longest and richest gold mines in California. The park is in Grass Valley at 10791 East Empire Street. In existence for more than 100 years, the mine produced 5.6 million ounces of gold before it closed in 1956. (5.6 million ounces of gold is equivalent to a box seven feet long, seven feet high, and seven feet deep filled with gold.) The park contains many of the mine's buildings, the owner's home and restored gardens, as well as the entrance to 367 miles of abandoned and flooded mine shafts. The park consists of 805 acres, including forested backcountry and eight miles of trails including easy hikes (for hiking, mountain biking and horseback riding) - in the park.Guided Tours and Living History Presentations

Guided tours and audio-visual presentations are offered throughout the day at various times.

The Secret Room
To keep track of the mine's 367 underground workings, a place called The Secret Roomwas named for its blacked-out windows. In it, the entire room was filled with a scale model of the mine's below the surface workings. Few people knew the room existed while the mine was in operation. Today, visitors to the park can see it in the Visitor Center. The model represents five square miles of underground workings. When the visitors go down the actual shaft in the park, they have journeyed only one inch on the model. Anything past two inches on the model is underwater in the actual mine.

Location-Directions
24 miles north of Auburn, CA on Highway 49 to Empire Street exit in Grass Valley. The park is located in Grass Valley at 10791 East Empire Street.
Recommended Clothing: Summer and spring are warm; fall and winter can be cool. Layered clothing is advised.

Nevada City Bike Classic
by Jamie Bate

Suffering is part of racing the annual Nevada City Bicycle Classic, but visiting the historic town during the annual Father's Day event is always a pleasure.

Pack hundreds of single-minded Pro-Am bicycle racers, 50+mile-an-hour descents and harrowing hairpin turns into the narrow streets of a historic Gold Rush town and you get the granddaddy of American bicycle racing: The 45th annual Nevada City Classic.

Greg LeMond and Lance Armstrong honed their skills and legs on the hilly streets of Nevada City before they conquered the Tour De France. Along with the dynamic duo of American cycling the pedigree of the race is enough to cause any self-respecting bike fan's pulse to quicken. Tyler Hamilton, Levi Leipheimer, Bob Roll, Chris Carmichael, Andy Hampsten, Alexi Grewal, Eric Heiden, Tony Cruz, Scott Moninger and other cycling luminaries all have agonized on the Classic's unforgiving circuit.

But even star power has a hard time competing in the event, festivities? and the charm of Nevada City, a California Gold Rush town known as the Queen of the of the Northern Mines.
The Classic is one of the oldest Pro/Am bicycle races in the nation. At 154 years, Nevada City is a historic, funky town filled with Victorian homes, eclectic shops, antique stores, superb restaurants and a positive cycling vibe. The two together make for a great event to race or just grab a cold glass of beer or wine and find a shady spot to holler encouragement?along with the thousands of other spectators-as the racers pump up hills and fly down Broad St. fast, and very-fast.
Along with the race's cycling expo showcasing dozens of cycling manufacturers and a giant inflatable jumping arena for the kids, Nevada City has plenty to offer those adults who may not be as gung-ho about cycling as their significant others. For directions and event or lodging information check out nevadacityclassic.com, or the Nevada?City Chamber of Commerce site at nevadacitychamber.com, or call 800/655-6569 or 530/265-2692.

Highway 49's Nevada City/Grass Valley are an hour's drive from Sacramento or Lake Tahoe. Towns along the Golden Chain invite visitors to take a step back to the days of discovery and California's 1849 gold rush?

Exploring Grass Valley and Nevada City
The calendar may say 2005, but all around the Northern Sierra Gold Rush towns of Nevada City and Grass Valley it looks, feels and even sounds like the 1850s.

A trend in historical tourism is bringing more visitors to scenic and history-rich Nevada County on the western slope of the Sierra Nevada, between Sacramento and Lake Tahoe. The peaceful towns of Nevada City and Grass Valley are located just five miles apart, far from the busy interstate highway system, along the northern reaches of Highway 49, the state's Golden Chain Highway.

Here, amid deep green forests at the 2500-foot elevation, visitors can explore quaint villages with fine examples of restored Victorian architecture, museums filled with gold mining, railroad and Donner Party memorabilia, and living history demonstrations where costumed characters step from the past.

Through the years artists and musicians have been drawn to the area and Grass Valley and Nevada City have evolved into a Sierra foothills entertainment center. Arts and culture abound and live music can be found just about every evening. Concerts, festivals, parades, even the second oldest bicycle race in America can be found here every summer.

The area boasts several hotels, including the Holbrooke and National -- two of the state's oldest -- more than a dozen historic bed and breakfast inns and a number of quality restaurants.

Downtown Historic Districts
Preserved and restored Gold Rush buildings with unique specialty shops and restaurants fill the robust and lively historic districts of each town. Downtown Nevada City, with 93 buildings, is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. Horsedrawn carriage rides and railroad tours are available in Nevada City. Three wine tasting rooms are offered in each of the towns.

Historical Sites and Activities
Once California's richest gold mine, the Empire Mine produced an estimated 5.8 million ounces of gold in more than 100 years of operation and is now an 800-acre state park at the edge of Grass Valley. Tours are offered daily with living history days on most weekends. For information, call 530/273-8522. Minutes from the downtown historic districts, visitors will find bounteous opportunities for outdoor recreation, including camping, fishing, golf, hiking and mountain biking.

South Yuba River State Park. The state's first river corridor park is headquartered at Bridgeport, site of the west's longest single-span covered bridge. Visitors may take part in tours, bird walks, wildflower walks and living history days with wagon rides, gold panning and demonstrations of Native American crafts. 530/432-2546

Malakoff Diggins State Historic Park operated into the mid-1880s. The hydraulic miners at Malakoff Diggins blew away entire hillsides with highly-pressurized water in their quest for gold, leading to erosion and silt in Northern California rivers and the state's first environmental law. Visitors can tour the diggins, see the 1800s town of North Bloomfield and take part in campfire programs, historic walks and gold panning. 530/265-2740.

The North Star Mining Museum in Grass Valley offers a complete look at hard rock, underground mining history. The Firehouse Museum in Nevada City focuses on several subjects including the Donner Party. The area's newest museum, the Nevada County Narrow Gauge Railroad and Transportation Museum, features local and regional railroad history. On Donner Summit, a scenic 40-minute drive to the east, the Western SkiSport Museum is one of America's foremost skiing museums.

Grass Valley and Nevada City are located in the Sierra foothills, a one-hour drive northeast of Sacramento via Interstate 80 and State Highway 49.

Time Capsules
Grass Valley's first settlers arrived in 1848 via the Emigrant Trail over Donner Pass and lingered in a grassy valley along Wolf Creek. By 1867, gold-laden Grass Valley had grown into the fifth largest town in California, with a population of 12,000. Today, it is home to about 10,000.
In more than a century of gold mining, Grass Valley became the richest and most important gold mining center in California. The Empire Mine alone produced some $960 million in gold during its 107 years of operation. Today, the Empire Mine is the site of an 800-acre state park.
Grass Valley itself remains a true slice of Americana where mining tradition lives on and hometown merchants do business with a smile and handshake.

Where The Past is Always Present
Nevada City was first incorporated in 1850 and known in its early years as Nevada (Spanish for snow-covered). The city was added after the State of Nevada joined the union in 1864. Delightfully picturesque with its white church steeples, Victorian homes and brick storefronts, Nevada City is among California's best-preserved towns. It is the county seat of Nevada County, California.

Explore the narrow streets and visit with friendly shopkeepers. Dine in award-winning restaurants, many with outdoor and creekside settings. Enjoy live music at local nightspots and live theatre on three stages.

Rough & Ready
The tiny village of Rough & Ready, seven miles west of Grass Valley, is a state historic landmark that once seceded from the United States. Local folks rebelled against a government-imposed mining tax and on Apr. 7, 1850 voted to form their own constitutional republic. However, The Great Republic of Rough & Ready lasted only until the Fourth of July when Old Glory went up the flagpole and the whole episode became history. But it was not forgotten. Each year on the last Sunday in June, Rough & Ready hosts a unique and fun-filled Secession Day Celebration.

Penn Valley
Penn Valley began as a stage and freight wagon stop on the route between Sacramento and the northern gold country and silver mines of Nevada. The area remains rural, with cattle ranches and vineyards dotting the landscape.
Western Gateway Regional Park and Lake Wildwood, with its lake and championship golf, are nearby. The fire department hosts the Penn Valley Rodeo every April.

Bridgeport
This is the site of what is believed to be the longest single-span covered bridge in the U.S. The 253-foot-long wooden structure was built in 1862 to carry wagons across the South Yuba River. Today the bridge is a centerpiece of a river recreation area operated by the California Department of Parks and Recreation.
Popular for swimming and sunning in the summer, the area offers a network of year-around hiking trails and features some of the Sierra foothills' best wildflowers in the spring. Bridgeport is reached from Grass Valley via westbound Highway 20 and northbound Pleasant Valley Road. It's a 14-mile drive.

Treasures of the Gold Country
January 24, 1848, marked James Wilson Marshall's discovery of gold at a sawmill in Coloma California, sparking the greatest migration in human history. One month after Washington's official recognition of Marshall's discovery, in which President Polk acknowledged significant gold finds in California, 8,000 prospectors had flooded the area, determined to seek their fortunes. Before the Gold Rush was over, about a decade later, it is estimated that more than 80,000 intrepid adventurers had arrived from every corner of the world.

During the Gold Rush, Amador produced more gold than any other county in the Mother Lode, and was home to 8 mining camps, most of which ran roughly north to south on what we now know as Highway 49. In the twelve miles between Middlebar and Plymouth, more than 45 mines operated at one time or another, including the famous Kennedy and Argonaut mines which produced more than half the gold mined in the Mother Lode.

With significant wealth flowing through the area, what had been mining camps soon evolved into bustling communities which today are well-preserved historic towns much visited by tourists. Probably the most picturesque of these is Sutter Creek, located in the middle of the county on Highway 49, just north of the Highway 88 interchange and described by Sunset magazine in a January 2004 article as the best place in California to live.

Amador County maintains its connections to the mining industry that gave it life with three very different locations that are well worth visiting to obtain a rounded view of the history of the area; the Amador County Museum, the Kennedy Gold Mine, and Sutter Gold Mine.

Located at 225 Church Street in Jackson, the Amador County museum is located in a building which was built as a residence in 1853 by one of the town's earliest settlers. Besides housing displays on the gold history of the county, the 15-room museum contains collections on early fashions, Chinese Americans and Native Americans. Open 10 am - 4 pm Wednesdays through Sundays, the museum can be reached at 209-223-6386 for group reservations.

Continuously run from 1886 until its closure (due to WWII) in 1942, the Kennedy Mine in Jackson produced approximately $34,280,000.00 worth of gold, and was one of the deepest mines in the world. 1-1/2 hour surface tours of this fascinating, historic mine are given March through October, weekends and holidays. More information can be obtained from their web site at www.kennedygoldmine.com, by calling 209-223-9542 or emailing info@kennedymine.com.

Sutter Gold Mine is a modern hard rock mine located on historic Highway 49 just north of Sutter Creek at the site of several historic mines. These include the Lincoln Mine from which Leland Stanford made his fortune enabling him to found Stanford University and to partner in financing the Central Pacific Railroad. Sutter Gold Mine, although originally developed for gold extraction in the late 1980s is now open exclusively for one hour underground tours for the general public. Visitors board an open topped mine vehicle called a Boss Buggy Shuttle and journey over 1800 feet underground past displays of current and historic mining equipment. Disembarking to traverse through the excavated quartz vein structure of the Mother Lode, visitors learn about gold mining through the ages, the geology of the Gold Country and the uses of gold, from their informative and entertaining guides. Tours are available every day, year round from 9 am to 5 pm daily May through August, and from 10 am to 4 pm daily from September - April. Above ground activities include gold panning, gemstone mining, browsing the Gold Store and watching movies on the history of the Gold Rush in the Gold Theatre. More information can be obtained at www.suttergold.com or by calling 209-736-2708 or toll free 866-762-2837. Group tours and specialized school tours are available by reservation in advance.
For more information on California's Gold Rush visit:
www.goldrushchronicles.com or www.historichwy49.com

Fish Camp & Yosemite

An exciting 4-mile railroad excursion at Yosemite Park's south gate on State Highway 41. Ride into history where powerful locomotives once hauled massive log trains through the Sierra mountains. The mighty lumberjacks felled the timber and flumes carried lumber to the distant valley below. The Sierra National Forest's majestic woods provide the backdrop for the narrow gauge journey back in time. Sounds and scenes from the era of steam powered railroad logging come to life at the Yosemite Mountain Sugar Pine Railroad south of Yosemite National Park. From 1899 to 1931, the Madera Sugar Pine Lumber Company operated miles of narrow gauge railroad track. During that time, nearly one and a half billion board feet of lumber were harvested from the forests. Five wood burning Shay locomotives hauled massive log trains to the mill over the extensive rail network.

Today, the Yosemite Mountain Sugar Pine Railroad is a restoration of the old narrow gauge Madera Sugar Pine Lumber Company Railroad. A section of the original railbed has been reconstructed using the same techniques used at the turn of the century. Two vintage Shay steam locomotives have been brought in from the Westside Lumber company and restored to provide authentic motive power for the trains.

Shay Number 15 was built in 1913 and weighs 60 tons. Number 10, built in 1928 weighs 83 tons and is the heavest operating narrow guage Shay locomotive today. Railcars once used to provide transportation for logging and track repair crews have been refurbished and are now operated for passenger excursion. Visit Yosemite Mountain Sugar Pine Railroad in Fish Camp, CA, or call: 559/683-7273.

ADVENTURE DATING - THE ULTIMATE BLIND DATE
Take the now popular concept of speed dating and combine it with a thrilling underground caving expedition complete with 165-foot rope rappel, and you get Sierra Nevada Recreation Corporation (SNRC's) new Adventure Dating experience, the high adrenalin antidote to the Same Old Singles Scene.

We put this program together to resolve some common problems with traditional blind dating scenarios, and to make it really fun, says Lisa Boulton, SNRC's marketing director: With Adventure Dating, you know that everyone who signed up has at least several things in common with you: love of the outdoors, an adventurous spirit, and availability. Also, you get to see potential mates really up close and personal in the challenging Adventure Trip part of the evening. Who's a team player? Who likes to be the center of attention? Who's the prankster? Additionally, in the two speed dating parts of the evening, you get to meet EVERYONE of the opposite sex, not just the people with the confidence to walk up and introduce themselves at a party, not just the people who are initially attracted to you. This broadens the field and allows equal opportunity to impress and be impressed. Finally, at the end of the evening, we discreetly provide each participant with the names and phone numbers of people who had a reciprocal interest in them. That way, there's no guessing - and that's valuable information. The cost is $150 per person and includes 2 speed dating sessions, a professionally guided, highly charged 3-hour caving expedition with the rappel at Moaning Cavern, or the challenging 5-hour Middle Earth Expedition at California Cavern and dinner under the stars. Call 209-736-2708 or toll free 866-762-2837 for more information, or check out www.caverntours.com/AdventureDating.htm for details and pictures. The first Adventure Dating session will take place on June 26, 2004 at Moaning Cavern, and will then be offered about once a month at one of the two loctions.
Applicants must be over age 21, in good health and have no claustrophobia or fear of heights. No experience of caving/rappelling is necessary. Apply via e-mail at: caverns@caverntours.com; provide full name, age, gender, sexual preference, complete contact information and availability for future dates. SNRC has been conducting its popular Adventure Trips in Moaning Cavern since 1984.

Black Chasm Volcano
Volcano is the name of a little Amador County village nestled in the foothills of California's Gold Country. Once it was a bustling gold mining community with a population of thousands including 24-year old Indiana native, John Doble, who arrived in town on Sunday, June 27, 1852. His journal & correspondence from 1851-1865 are published as John Doble's Journal & Letters from the Mines by Volcano Press www.volcanopress.com. A fascinating, informal look at everyday life in the rough and ready times of early California, the book is delightful and informative. It tells us of Volcano in its earliest days when scuffles at the saloon could be deadly; when working mining claims was tedious and equipment was overpriced and hard to come by.

Volcano has mellowed over time, becoming incredibly picturesque. Nestled in a valley circled by undulating hills covered in oaks and pines, the two remaining hotels offer charming accommodation, gourmet dining and cheerful, friendly bars.

One of those hotels is run by husband and wife team Laurie and Mathew Hedger. Originally housing quarters for 11 miners, the 1880 Volcano Union Inn now offers four delightful, themed rooms to visitors, a full service restaurant, street side bistro, and the Village Tavern specializing in local wines and international beers. Amador County native, Laurie, describes the Hedgers' purchase of the inn as a serendipitous moment: Last year, on the day of my retirement from 31 years in the resort business, I was driving through Volcano, which had always been one of my favorite places, when I noticed that the Volcano Union Inn was for sale. On April Fool's Day we made an offer. Escrow closed on June 8th, and we were open for business in less than a month. You can contact them by phone at 209-296-7711.

A mile or two outside Volcano, Black Chasm Cavern, National Natural Landmark makes an excellent outing. Originally discovered by Gold Rush miners who made a hair-raising descent into the cave, documented by a local journalist, Black Chasm was little visited until it was purchased by Sierra Nevada Recreation Corporation and opened for public tours.

The cave was named a National Natural Landmark in 1976 by the National Park Service for its outstanding geological significance. Particularly noteworthy are the masses of helictite crystals in areas of the Landmark Room. Unlike stalactites and stalagmites, these formations are not created by dripping water leaving calcite deposits, but by water under pressure pushing through tiny holes in the rock walls. Delicate, 6-sided calcite crystals deposit haphazardly, twisting out from the walls, seemingly defying gravity, looking much like cooked spaghetti growing sideways out of the walls. These formations are very rare and those on display at Black Chasm are incredible.

The cave has only been open to the public since 2001, when Sierra Nevada Recreation and president Steve Fairchild, completed the first phase of their daring engineering feat to build platforms, stairs and walkways suspended 70 feet from the bottom of the Colossal Chamber, while preserving the natural beauty of the cave. Last year, Fairchild saw the completion of his beautiful design for a large visitor center, fulfilling his dreams for this cavern he had long wanted to own and protect. Possible future plans for this site include a climbing wall at the visitor center, and a forest canopy walk, adding to the already popular gemstone mining and nature hike. 45-minute guided tours are offered daily, year round. More information can be obtained from www.caverntours.com or by calling toll free 866-762-2837.

Nearby in Sutter Creek is Sutter Gold Mine, also run by Sierra Nevada Recreation - a modern gold mine in which visitors can spend an hour learning about gold mining and the geology of the Mother Lode. Wearing required hardhats, participants are driven over 1800 feet into the mine in an open topped vehicle called a Boss Buggy Shuttle. The tour continues with a walk through the Comet Zone drift where gold bearing quartz has been excavated and mining equipment is displayed and explained. Above ground visitors can enjoy gemstone mining and gold panning outside, and free movies in the Gold Theatre.

One hour tours at Sutter Gold Mine are available daily, year round. For more information visit their website at www.suttergold.com or call toll free 888-818-7462.

Mercer Caverns, world famous for the rare Aragonite flos ferri, celebrated its one hundredth year of discovery and operation on September 1, 1985. It is the longest continually operating commercial caverns tour in the state of California. The owners have guest books signed by paying customers - dating back to September of 1885 to present - indicating that visitors were welcome at Mercer Caverns every year since its discovery.

Thousands and thousands (the first of whom descended on ropes) have enjoyed and marveled at this three million year old cave - including royalty and a president. Mercer Caverns has up-dated the stairs, walkways and lighting though always cognizant of its responsibility to present this living limestone cave in its original beauty. The management has carefully protected and preserved these ancient formations and presented this gift of nature in such a historical manner that the significance of its value makes a lasting impression upon all who visit.

The cave was originally used by a prehistoric Indian Tribe called the Yokuts as a mortuary cave. They would bring bodies to the opening and let them roll down inside. Because such a site was sacred, no one was allowed to enter. The Yokuts were hunters and when the game was gone they moved camp. Slowly over the years, the entrance filled with dirt, leaves and rocks and was completely lost until the year of 1885.

Mercer Caverns is State Historic Landmark 004, preserved for travelers to enjoy when visiting the Gold Country. When traveling via Highway 49, follow Highway 4 to the quaint town of Murphys, which offers lodging and wineries to visit. From Highway 4 take the Murphys Business District Exit through to town, right on Sheep Ranch Road.