The seminal event in California history lasted just a few years, but in Calaveras County, the Gold Rush never quite died.
Never mind that today's "gold" is tourism, or that wine grapes and golf courses have sprouted on hillsides once scoured by pickax- wielding miners with get-rich-quick dreams. Nineteenth-century buildings by the score still evoke a grittier era while recreational and cultural opportunities draw weekend warriors from crowded urban areas just two or three hours away.
Highway 4 – 120 miles of rural, two-lane road between Highway 99 in the San Joaquin Valley and the 8,731-foot summit of Ebbetts Pass – is the main artery through this scenic slice of the Mother Lode. It defines a year-round recreational corridor that shares many of the same attributes as the Tahoe basin, but with a deliciously off-the-beaten-track feel.
Come along for the ride as we escape the Sacramento heat and head up to the high country. This week's package follows the scenic byway from Copperopolis to Murphys. Next Sunday, we travel from Arnold to Ebbetts Pass (and home again).
