California Gold and Nevada Silver Country

A spring driving tour of Gold Rush and Comstock Lode sites
  1. The rain turned into snow as we wound our way down CA-41 from Yosemite Valley to Mariposa Grove. All wheel drive came in handy.
  2. A storm moved in as I took this photo of Yosemite Valley from Tunnel View.
  3. Yosemite Falls was full in late May.
  4. A delicious breakfast buffet at the Gunn House made the stay all the better.
  5. The foo-fooy feminine touches in our comfortable room were a big hit with the Mrs.
  6. My wife accepts long drives as long as the meals and lodging are decent. The Gunn House is a historic motor hotel in Sonora with comfortable rooms.
  7. The main street in Columbia State Historic Park is only open to pedestrian and equestrian traffic.
  8. Railtown 1897 State Historic Park offers rides on historic trains that have appeared in over 250 movies and TV programs.
  9. CA-49 has a number of beautiful Gold Rush era towns like this one (Sonora).
  10. CA-88 over the Sonora Pass was open on May 21, but snow two days later threatened to close it.
  11. C Street (the main street through town) is deserted before 9:00 AM.
  12. Virginia City, Nevada is a ghost town and history enthusiast's dream!
  13. I-80 slows to a crawl near the Nevada border.
  14. The Empire Mine in Grass Valley produced more gold than any other hard-rock gold mine in California.
  15. Nevada City, California was named before part of the Utah Territory became the State of Nevada.
  16. A replica of Sutter's Mill stands at Marshall Gold Discovery State Historic Park in Coloma.
  17. Old Sacramento shows us how things used to look in the mid 19th century.
  18. Great visibility and straight lanes means it's easy to cruise at high speed.
  19. Pea Soup Andersen's is a long-time fixture on I-5 in Santa Nella (near Gustine).
  20. There's a whole lot of nothing to see in long stretches of I-5 through California's Central Valley.
Showing photos 1 to 20 of 20