Ventura Sites & Sights: Our trip to Ventura, California was a fun “Vegan Vacay” – we dined our way through some fabulous restaurants! (For our vegan eatery itinerary, check out Part 1 of this story!) And of course there are plenty of sights to see and things to do in Ventura, as well. Here are […]
Vegan Ventura Vacay – Part 1
Ventura, California. It’s been called the “most under-rated beach town in America.” And frankly, that’s why we love it. Tucked between the L.A. bustle and Santa Barbara glitz, Ventura’s undiscovered energy makes this coastal burg even more special. It’s pedestrian-friendly, temperate year-round, and right on the ocean. Despite recent growth, it’s kept the small-town feel. […]
Take a Ride on History: The Amador Central Railroad!
Our tickets called it a “Speeder Excursion.” And a delightful (if not exactly speedy) ride into history it was, bumping along on the 114-year-old rails of the Amador Central Railroad — one of the oldest continuously-running railroad lines in the country! We gathered at Lane’s Station — a dirt pull-out on Highway 104, about 1.5 […]
Yank’s Station
Old Yank’s Station has a cool anniversary coming up on Sunday, April 28th — 159 years, to be exact! On April 28th, 1860, exactly 159 years ago, a young Pony Express rider named Warren Upson came flying in to change ponies, stopping for the very first time for his mount change at Yank’s. The new road over […]
The Legacy of Lewis Chalmers
Today, few people know his name. But back in the 1870-1880s, everyone in Alpine County and most of nearby Carson Valley knew mining promoter Lewis Chalmers. And whether they loved him or hated him, everyone had an opinion. Son of a wealthy Scottish family, Chalmers was raised among the movers and shakers of Fraserburgh. His father and grandfather had each […]
Markleeville: A Bit of Haunted History
There’s more than one “tale of the unexplained” floating around the old buildings in Markleeville! Perhaps it just seems like there should be a ghost in places that have seen so much life pass through their rooms. But stories about ghosts at Markleeville’s Cutthroat Saloon (Wolf Creek Restaurant) have been swirling for years: One waitress will swear to […]
Summit Lake Mysteries (in Alpine County, CA) . . .
Photographer John Calvin Scripture captured this haunting image of a mysterious lake about 1874. The hand-lettered caption calls it “Summit Lake,” and confirms the location as Alpine County, California. So where was this 140+ year-old picture taken? There is, of course, a “Summit Lake” in Alpine County not far from today’s tiny airport, and another (on some maps, at least) […]
Earl Lessley: The Flying Cowboy
He died over half a century ago. But tales live on about Earl Lessley, the “flying cowboy”! Earl Lessley was born in 1889 in Drytown, California. His parents, Mary and Samuel Lessley, had crossed the plains from Missouri by covered wagon. Even after they arrived in California, the family evidently moved around a bit; a second […]
The Story of Lame Tom: Finding Gifts Among Tragedy
The true “pioneers” of Alpine County were the native Washoe. But little was written about them in the early days. So it was a real treat to stumble across a 1927 Record-Courier article detailing the life of Markleeville resident “Lame Tom.” In the early 1900s, Lame Tom (his real name was Assu) lived in a wickiup […]
How a Fire Saved the Fiske Hotel
Just how often do you get to walk inside a piece of history? Built in 1863, this hotel is a slice of life from Alpine County’s version of the Comstock days. And the building still exists — thanks to a fire. Yes, a fire is what saved this historic building. Two fires, actually. Here’s how it happened: […]
Why You’ll Actually Want to See The Inside of THIS Jail Cell. . .
. . . the historic jail at the Alpine County Museum, that is! Built in 1867, these heavy iron cells were created for a new jail in the mining boomtown of Silver Mountain City. Silver Mountain was Alpine County’s original county seat and a quintessential mining town, back in the days of the Comstock Lode. […]
Gold Country Roses
Visit a historic old graveyard in Mother Lode Country to see the — roses?!? You bet! Plymouth Pioneer Cemetery off Highway 49 is a cool place to visit, all by itself. But it turns out that this pioneer cemetery’s roses are so special they even have their own Facebook page! (Just type “Plymouth Pioneer Cemetery Heritage Roses” […]