Old Highway 49

Whether you live in California or not, a good road trip to take is old Highway 49. It is the road in which the miners used to "strike gold". It runs in Central California to the border of Oregon. Many parts of the road are windy and hilly, but it is beautiful.

Places such as Sutter's Creek keep the nostalgia as it was. Sutter's Creek is spectacular. They have wineries in which I did some wine tasting and bought some of the local area wines. I thought the local wines were very good. Downtown Sutter's Creek is quaint with many bed and breakfasts to choose from.

That evening, my husband and I dined at a very nice local restaurant in downtown Sutter's Creek. I had halibut and my husband had prime rib.

Sutter's Creek also has a mine that you can go into. You must wear a helmet and ride in a car that looks similar to the Indiana Jones car ride at Disneyland. We went to the mine, but unfortunately we weren't able to go that day due to buses of kids on a field trip. My husband and I were disappointed and hope to go back someday and take that tour.

We headed about 15 miles or so, east to a cavern that was outside a town called Volcano. The road was gorgeous and we saw wild turkeys and deer. When we arrived at the town there was nostalgia all over. There were probably 25 houses if that in the town. Poulation 103. The sign showed 100 with the last 0 crossed out and a number 3 over it.

We then headed to the cavern. It was a small cavern. I have been in many. I really was kind of scared in there. It had tight quarters. Nothing like Carlsbad Caverns where there is room and you can walk. We were confined to a bridge in the air helf by rusty cables. I felt a little uncomfortable about it. So in all due respect, I was in a hurry to end the cavern trip.

We drove further up the highway, passing cities such as Auburn and Grass Valley. The road always seemed to change. Nature's glory was always on the road no matter where it took you. There are so many things to see and do. You can learn and see California's mining history in the museums, along the roads. Many places have mines, not just Sutter's Creek. There are many bed and breakfasts along the way as well as wineries. The scenic road is something I would recommend to anyone who loves nature, history, beauty and more. Old Highway 49 has a lot to offer! It would make a great family trip or even a romantic road trip.

We actually skipped over to Tahoe for the night. Had a great time there. In the morning, we got back onto highway 49 and proceeded north. On our way home, we skipped over to Sacramento to see the state capital. My husband and I are both natives to California and he had never seen the capital.

It is easy to get off highway 49 and see other places of interests. I went on line and was able to get information on highway 49. I also went to AAA and got some maps of the area. The information is there. I say, check it out!