DAY EIGHT - Friday 22 APRIL 2011: Sacramento to Sonora

Breakfast on the steamer - a very nice, if loud, young lady serving told us about Fashion Street in LA - you can buy anything you like at half price apparently! One to check out.

Car packed yet again and off to the mountains. We had to keep stopping the car to get out and have a look at the wonderful scenery, although I have to say most of the time I was leaning into the car as the drops from the side of the road were sheer and nothing to stop a car from careering down there - fences, walls - not to be seen anywhere! Don't ask me why I lean into the car, as if that's going to make it safer! 


Neal jumping up and down on a little outcrop over a very steep drop! I couldn't go anywhere near it.



You can't really capture the depth of the drop and the 'bigness' of this river

Stopped in Weaverville to have a look around and bought a t-shirt and a pair of socks. Talking to the owner of the shop was interesting. She's a mountain runner and trains daily with what she called her runner - turned out to be a very sweet dog who apparently chases off the black bears and mountain lions.  Not a soft sport this mountain running!

From the Weaverville website:
Legend has it that Weaverville was part of the inspiration for James Hilton's Lost Horizon, Weaverville being the example of the mythical Shangri-La.   On the National Register of Historic Places, Weaverville's Historic District has also recently been designated a Preserve America Community. 

Founded in 1850, Weaverville is an historic California Gold Rush town. Nestled at the foot of the current day Trinity Alps Wilderness Area, Weaverville was once home to approximately 2,000 Chinese gold miners, and had its very own Chinatown.

It's a serious business!



Weaverville was a gold mining town from around 1850

All around this area there was evidence of forest fires - blackened trees for miles and miles. During a large scale fire in 2006 the town was evacuated for two days but I don't think there were any fatalities among the town people but some firefighters lost their lives.

Anyway, after that break, off we went again. The roads were 'challenging' and I was hiding under the map for most of the way but we eventually arrived in Sonora via Red Bluff, Elk Grove and various other small places with a population of approximately 10.

We booked into the Inns of California - a 'proper' motel with a pool next to the main road and an ice machine in the corridor. I've always wanted to get ice from a machine like that and so I did!  Little pleasures like that are pleasing to the mature woman... and we managed to wash some clothes in the community laundry room. 

Sonora - another gold rush community - is a lovely little town with lots of cafes, bars and shops.  As you can imagine, we sampled a drink or two and had a lovely meal in Talulah's - served by about four different people, including a gay, recovering alcoholic, who liked to stand by our table talking whimsically about his life.  Food was glorious though!  Crostini with maple syrup - who would have thought it?  And cranberries in the salad.  Warm brie... need I go on?