Golf and Gold

Thursday was one of those days we knew we would have when we weren’t tied to such a time schedule. We woke to yet another sunny day and decided to play golf. We made breakfast, which is a treat, (unless you count the cooking and cleaning up!) because breakfast is usually a banana/breakfast bar/yogurt while driving somewhere. We drove 20 minutes to Phoenix Lake Golf Club and played 9 holes. It wasn’t Pebble Beach, or Torrey Pines, or Riviera, but hey, it was golf. . . in California. (This is how you can tell Mike is on vacation with me – we played nine holes. Golf with the guys is 18 holes or it’s not golf.)

Boy did it take a few swings for the muscles to loosen up. We are not posting any scores; suffice it to say, we enjoyed exercising our arms instead of our legs for a change. (but, if either of us had a career round, you would hear about it. Darn tooting’!) And with no one behind us and no group in front of us until the last 2 holes, it was a really enjoyable round of golf.

We got back and decided to ride our bikes the short distance into Columbia. This calls for a little explanation. We pick campgrounds solely on the basis of proximity to what we want to see and do. In this case, Yosemite. We chose Columbia strictly because it was a reasonably priced, big-rig friendly (according to our RV books and iPad RV app) campground near Yosemite. Little did we know that for most people, Columbia IS their destination. Why? There’s gold in them there hills! Columbia is actually a State Park because it is considered to be one of the best-preserved gold mining towns in all of California. Who knew? Certainly not us! But there were clues that we missed on our drive here last Tuesday. After our 7-hour drive to get here, we must have been too tired to notice. But there are signs advertising businesses called “Mother Lode Auto Body Repairs” and “Mother Lode Mini-Storage” and “Mother Lode Answering Service”.

All of the brick buildings are original, dating back to 1850 when gold was discovered here. (March 27, 1850, to be exact). Between 1850 and 1930 over $87,000,000 was taken out of the mines. And that is using 1850 gold pricing! The town is a several block area of things like a general store, mining supply store (you can pan for gold. We didn’t as I had done that in Alaska), bank (Mike refused to let me take his picture in front of it, his #2 rule of life coming into play), Wells Fargo Express, drug store, ice cream parlor, candle and soap making shop, and several saloons. All these are housed in the original buildings or re-created wooden ones. Another claim to “the oldest”: Columbia has the oldest 2-story brick schoolhouse in California. When we left to play golf, there were 6 school buses in the visitor parking lot, making Columbia a favorite spot for school field trips. No vehicles, except the horse-drawn stagecoach, are allowed on the streets. By the time we got to town, the school kids were gone. (you have to be thankful for the little things. . . )

We bellied up to the bar in one of the saloons and I got me an ice-cold sarsaparilla. Delicious! I’ll let you guess what Mike ordered. Remember, this is a working saloon.

Columbia was another one of those unexpected gems God has blessed us with.

Today we are driving 4 hours to Napa Valley where we have a spot reserved for a week. We are anticipating several day trips from there and also some relaxing down time. Wine country . . .where is Patsy or Matt when we need them? Red or white?

I’m typing as we are driving and we are passing lots of farms with lots of different things growing. The only ones I recognize are strawberry fields and it must be the season for them because there are roadside stands everywhere. The one thing I don’t see growing is corn. That I would recognize. Knee high by the Fourth, and all that.

I’m waiting for one of our boys to start a “Just how many clichés is Mom going to use on this trip” pool. Probably Matt, who does the family March Madness pool every year. So don’t be surprised if you get an email giving you the odds or the over and under or whatever the wagering terms are!

And for the sake of honest reporting (or in this case, blogging), and because I just plain hate to be wrong, I gave you some misinformation about Yosemite. Besides, Mike said somebody will read that and say, “I don’t think that is right. . .”

(we just had to pay a $20 toll – didn’t even know we were on a toll road!)

I said Yosemite is in the foothills of the Sierra Nevada range. Columbia is in the foothills. Yosemite is smack in the middle of the High Sierras! While in the park we were at an elevation at one point of over 6,000ft. (There, I feel better).

Pictures today are: the golfers; my sarsaparilla; the inside of the saloon, and images of Columbia.

PS – Nix the staying here for a week. We just checked in and got set up. Probably only staying until Tuesday. We are packed in here like sardines and no RV washing, which I can’t believe I’m saying this, but we really need to do. Will be OK for doing day trips but not a place we want to stay to relax.