Old Building in Ione. Obviously the Coke sign was there before the window.
We’re off on another trip to the Gold Country, this time to the El Dorado wine region. Originally we were planning a day trip but as El Dorado is further than our normal destination in the Gold Country, we decided to make a weekend of it and booked overnight accommodation at a bed and breakfast.
After our recent trip to Murphys and Mokelumne Hill, we had a comment from Jolaine Collins extolling the El Dorado area in and around Placerville and Fair Play. I have been through Placerville several times quite a few years ago but never realized it was also a wine area. Fair Play neither Tom nor I had ever heard of. The place name itself intrigued me but when I searched for more information I could not discover too much about it apart from the fact that there were several wineries situated there.
Jolaine sent us a link to the El Dorado Wine Country which gave me a list of wineries and their opening times along with a down loadable map of the area. We pored over the map and consulted the wineries list and decided to leave early in the morning on Saturday going first to the Pleasant Valley are where all four of the wineries opened at 10 am instead of the usual 11 am. We wrote to Jolaine and told her our plans, including stopping for breakfast on the way, and she kindly sent back lots of useful information along with the name of a place to go for breakfast.
An hour into our journey at 6.45 in the morning we were on I-205 and approaching Tracy. It’s going to be a nice day. The sun, which 15 minutes ago had popped up over the Altamont as a bright orange ball, is now shining into our eyes. Sunglasses on and visors down. Ahead we spot a small plane fly low over the freeway, bank steeply and fly back. It was a crop duster. By the time we reached the point of his crossing, he was back again seemingly inches above the roof of the car. It was definitely a ‘wooh’ moment.
I-5 was as monotonous as usual. Lots of SUVs and trucks pulling small boats, jet skies and trailers, probably on their way to one of the many lakes dotted around. On Highway 88, just outside Stockton, we stopped at a Starbucks for coffee. Tom had a muffin as well. He was getting hungry and it is over an hour to where we plan to stop for breakfast. Unlike the last time, when we stopped in Copperopolis looking for somewhere to eat and failing miserably, we knew exactly where we are going today – Zachary Jacques in Pleasant Valley.
Highway 88 is a two lane road through the Central Valley. We were heading towards Jackson (the same Jackson as Nancy Sinatra sang about I wonder?) on Highway 49. Our route takes us through orchards and Tom remarked on the fact that although the trees were all the same, some of them were tall and some were short. It looks like the tall trees had not been cut back but the short ones obviously had. We wondered why. Oleander bushes were in full bloom and lined both sides of the road at one point. Just before the Harney Road intersection I spotted a peahen standing motionless at the side of the road.
Along Highway 88 grapes, apples, and a host of other fruits and vegetables grow profusely. Fruit stands are abundent, selling strawberries, corn, applies, cherries, blackberries, apricots and blueberries – all grown locally. As we drove through Lockeford, I noticed that the Lockeford Meat Service (good sausages) in the center of town was not open yet. Just north of Clements we bear left, still on Highway 88, and for me this is new territory.
Suddenly we are no longer on the valley floor but steadily ascending towards the foothills of the Sierra Nevada range of mountains. The land has become more open and hilly. the orchards and vineyards are no more to be seen.
I see a sign advertising the Black Chasm just outside Volcano. My daughter Ginnie and I visited this cave a few years back and it was great fun. Near the Black Chasm is Indian Grinding Rock State Historic Park which Tom and I visited once. Both places are worth a visit.
According to the map, the Camanche Reservoir was off to our right but I see no sign of it. I see a road sign pointing towards it with the brown symbols showing that fishing and boating can be enjoyed there.
We enter the town of Ione. How is that pronounced – I-one, I-on or I-own – I wonder? Tom says it is I-own so I’ll bow to his superior knowledge. The town looked interesting so we decided to stop and stretch our legs. The main street is wide with lots of parking places. There is a wide covered sidewalk on one side of the road and the buildings are all evocotive of the heady gold rush days.
Right behind the Ione City Hall, which was originally a hotel built in 1864, an old railway steam locomotive stands under cover and behind a high barred fence which is difficult to look through, Tom couldn’t even take a photo of the train. A sign to the right of it proclaims it to be ‘Iron Van’ which was ‘the last steam locomotive to operate over the Amador Central Railroad between Ione and Martell. …….The last trip………was made in 1956.’
It is just 8.30 in the morning and there were very few people around and certainly nothing was open. We took a stroll up one side and down the other to see what there was to see.
In the C&P Tax Service window were some old typewriters and adding machines. One was an Underwood, which looked just like the one my Dad used back in the 1960’s and on which I learned to type. Memories, memories.
Old gas station in Pleasant Valley on the way to breakfast. The pumps still showed gas at $.40 a gallon
The library is housed in the Ione Parlor No 33 N.S.G.W. building which was built in 1854. This builidng is two stories hight with a balcony on the second floor.
On one corner of Main Street is an old brick building with a faded Coca Cola sign painted on the side. A door and a window have been built into the wall which partialy obliterate the sign. On the wall of the building opposite are some large , bright paintings of annual events in Ione – the Soapbox Derby, Fireworks in Howard Park, Pumpkin Patch at Winterport Farm and Home Town Christmas.
A sign on the front of 18 Main Street declares the building to be the Daniel Co Store built in 1856. this was the first brick building erected in the Ione Valley. The sign goes on to say that Ione was once known as “Bed-bug” and “Freeze-out”. That conjures up a pretty picture doesn’t it?
Time to move on. We are both more than ready for breakfast but we still have some way to go. We left town on Highway 124, which is the Plymouth Highway, and the road climbed upwards. The brown hills on either side became higher but we had occasional views to the even higher hills ahead of us. No sign yet of the majestic peaks of the high Sierra, which will grace the skyline shortly.
At 9 am we reach Highway 49, the scienic route through the Gold Country and the historic gold rush towns from Oakhurst in the south to Vinton on Highway 70 to the north.
When we reached those higher hills, the road began to twist and turn and there were steep drop offs to my right. Our ears started to pop. A convoy of motor bikes passed us, heading south. And there, to the left of us, we caught sight of those high mountain peaks.
Just south of Diamond Springs we drive through the small town of El Dorado. This little hamlet must be the county seat of El Dorado county. I checked a map of the counties of California and was surprised to see that this county is bigger than I though it would be. It stretches all the way to the stateline with Nevada.
At 9.30 we finally reach Zachary Jacques and at last we get to eat.
August 14 2009 | Special Places | 1 Comment »
Zachary Jacques in Pleasant Valley (Placerville), California
Mollie, our GPS, let us down at the last minute. Normally she gives us due warning that our destination is coming up, but not this time. We were right on top of Zachary Jacques when she said ‘destination on the left’ and we sailed right past. For the next mile we searched in vain for somewhere to turn around and eventually found a suitable place.
The restaurant is set a little back from the road with parking on a steep incline at the road side. A couple of tall pine trees stand in front. The exterior of the restaurant looks pleasing and rustic with a large metal rooster to the left of the font door. The chef owner is John Evans
The interior is fairly dark with low light. They also serve lunch and dinner here so I’m guessing it will be quite romantic later on in the day. We waited a few moments to be seated and were shown to our table by the window. It is a nice, comfortable place with a long, low padded seat to the left. The tables are made of a dark varnished wood and the chairs have padded seats. Draped net curtains adorn the sides of the windows and hanging lacy curtains cover the top half of the windows. Enya plays softly in the background – my favorite type of music but not Tom’s cup of tea.
Our server is very helpful and extremely cheerful. Tom and I studied the menu carefully. There was no oatmeal on offer but everything did look tempting. Tom ordered Duck Confit which was described as ‘duck with eggs and crispy potatoes’ ($11.50). He also ordered free range eggs for an extra $1. I strayed a long way from the straight an narrow and ordered Coconut Macadamia Nut French Toast, described as fresh baked macadamia bread dipped in coconut custard, garnished with coconut syrup and toasted macadamia nuts for $6.95. What the heck, I’m on (a mini) vacation.
Now for the decor. Around the walls were large paintings – one of a courtyard and garden, one a landscape with trees and a third of a couple sitting in a cafe with a large window behind them. There were a couple of smaller paintings as well. One right above my let shoulder was of a vineyard scene Behind me was a glass panel with raised purple grapes and green leaves across the top and down the sides. In the far corner was a dresser with ceramic jugs and other things I couldn’t quite make out from where I sat.
We were both really impressed with the food and the way it was presented. On Tom’s plate was a delicious looking piece of duck with a crusted outside two large pieces of herb roasted potatoes, a thick slice of toasted bread and two fried eggs which looked just how he liked them – over medium. My French bread was on a plate decorated with a swirl of raspberry coulis, two small slices of both oranges and apples. There were three thick pieces of nutty macadamia bread, butter with bits of macadamia nuts inside and s mall stainless steel bowl with the coconut syrup. It looked too good to eat.
But eat it I did and it was delicious. Decidedly decadent though and I dread to think of the calories I have just overloaded my body with but it was worth it. So, Tom, how was yours?
Mine was great. Duck is something you don’t have for breakfast everyday that’s for sure. I wish I had had some of their coffee but we stopped at a Starbucks in Stockton on the way up.
Of course I paid my usual visit to the restroom and it was better than a lot I’ve been in. The walls were sponge painted with a beige base and gold on top. There were four framed pictures which were all tapestries with a definite French feel about them, two featured couples in 17th century costumes, one was of a French chateau and the fourth and largest looked like Napoleon Bonaparte and the Empress Josephine. Over the sinks were two oval mirrors with silver frames.
I must say, we both really enjoyed our breakfast at Zachery Jacques. It was well worth the long drive. Would love to come back some time and try and few more items from the menu. It’s such a pity that it is such a long way from home. If you are within 100 miles, you really should try it out.
Zachary Jacques
1821 Pleasant Valley Road
Placerville, CA 95667
August 10 2009 | Breakfast Log | 2 Comments »
Downtown Murphys. Waiting for his master.
The Gold Country is a fair drive away from San Jose, so we left at 5.20 in the morning. Planned to make it to Copperopolis for breakfast. After an hour, we were driving over the Altamount Pass towards Tracy. Half an hour later we had Stockton in our rear view mirror, heading east on Highway 4.
We came up to a railroad just as the barriers came down and we sat and waited for five minutes. To our right we saw the train – a long freight train, coming towards us at a snails pace. Oh no, we thought, this is going to take some time. The the train stopped. Two minutes later the barriers opened and we were able to cross. Maybe the train was waiting for another to pass but we were just grateful not to be held up for half an hour.
Highway 4 dissects the Central Valley so, for the first part, we drove past corn waving in the breeze and orchards. After Farmington, the scene changed to vineyards and cattle grazing. The the road started to climb towards the foothills of the Sierra Nevada mountains.
At 7.20 we arrived in Copperopolis, only to be hugely disappointed because we could not find anywhere to eat breakfast. We drove on to Angels Camp, where it was almost the same story. We did find one cafe but it was not open.
Angels Camp, otherwise known as Frogtown, is an interesting town though. Why Frog Town? - I hear you say. In the 1860’s a young journalist named Samuel Clemens stayed overnight in Angels Camp on his way to Nevada. While there, he heard of a frog which locals claimed could jump higher and further than any other frog. Samuel Clemens write a short story entitled ‘Jim Smiley and His Jumping Frog’ and it was published in the New York Saturday Press. Two years later the short story was turned into a book entitled ”The Celebrated Jumping Frog of Calaveras County’ but this time under the pen name of Clemens, which was Mark Twain.
To this day they hold an annual contest to find the frog which can jump the furthest. Every third week in May this contest is held during the Calaveras County Fair and Jumping Frog Jubilee. Installed in the sidewalks on Main Street in Angels Camp are bronze plaques shaped like frogs. Each plaque has the year, the name of the winning frog and the distance it jumped. The record stands at just over 21 feet.
Hunger and the need for coffee motivated us to move on. The nearest town of reasonable size was Murphys and here we were successful.
After breakfast at the Foothills Restaurant – see previous post – we moved the car to the main street where we found a nice shady tree to park under. We noticed quite a few empty shops on the way in, which is a sign of the times. On the other hand, there were more wine tasting rooms than on our previous visit.
We did our usual wander up one side and down the other to see what we could see. Murphys is an old gold mining town and a lot of the buildings have been here for over 150 years, with covered sidewalks – just like in the old westerns you see on TV. It is very pleasant to saunter up and down and there are many convenient benches to sit on in the shade.
A sign pointing to a ‘Point of Historic Interest’ caught my attention. Following the sign, I came of a wall which was called the E C V Wall of
E C V Wall of Comparative Ovations in Murphys
Comparative Ovations and was covered in plaques commemorating an unusual array of men and women who have left their mark on California. One of the plaques explains about the society of E Clampus Vitus – ’sort of parody of the solemn and mysterious fraternal orders then so popular in the states’; ‘helped widows and orphans – especially widows’. It was very much tongue in cheek and very amusing. There was, of course, one for John Murphy, 1824-1892, who was the founder of Murphys. In December 1949 at the age of 25, he returned to San Jose with one and a half million dollars in gold. He married Virginia Reed of the Donner party and served as mayor and sheriff of Santa Clara County. There were just two women honored among the 50 or so plaques. One was Julia C Bulette, born London 1832 – ‘gentle companion to the miner……..strangled (in her bed maybe) in 1867′ and the other was Emma Nevada (Wixom) who was known as the Nightingale of the Comstock and sang for the Clampers and even for Queen Victoria.
Murphys Hotel in downtown Murphys
Further down the street was the historic Murphys Hotel – lovely old building with an upstairs balcony swathed in red, white and blue bunting. On a plaque outside it told the history of the building. Originally it was the Old Speery Hotel or the Speery and Perry Hotel. It has been a hotel since 1856 and is one of the oldest operating hotels in California. Over the years it has had its share of famous guests – Mark Twin, The Rothchilds, General U S Grant, Thomas Lipton and Black Bart (an infamous highwayman of the late 1880s in the area). Today the hotel is still very active. In fact, we wished we had waited just a little longer because they serve breakfast on the patio at the side of the hotel in a very nice shady garden. We must remember that next time we visit here.
Another old building ,which was originally called Jones Apothecary and Cash Store, still has the old painted sign on the side of the building. It is quite faded but the words can still be made out. Now it is an art gallery.
Along the way I saw a couple of interesting posters. Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young will be performing at the Ironstone Winery on September 19. They would be interesting to see in concert but probably to far to come. The other post was advertising the Calaveras Grape Stomping in Murphys Communal Park on October 3. That sounds like fun.
There are lots more interesting buildings in Murphys and I hope the above has given you a flavor.
At the end of shops and the beginning of the residential part of the town, there is a bridge over a fast running stream. This is Murphys Creek. On one side of the bridge are two houses with the creek running between them. One of the houses has a small, ornamental water wheel with a crank shaft leading to model windmill. The sails of the windmill were not turning though. It all looked very pretty.
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July 22 2009 | Special Places | 4 Comments »
We left San Jose at 4.30 in the pitch black and it did not begin to get light until we reached Stockton. Mind you, the urban sprawl we were driving through was not much to look at. Just before Stockton we took Highway 4 East towards Highway 99 and then Route 88 towards Sutter Creek.
It was not long before we were in the countryside of the Central Valley and the scenery began to be interesting. We passed a lot of orchards and rows and rows of grape vines sporting their new greenery.
At Lockeford we stopped for breakfast and by 7.30 we were on our way again. It was a beautiful drive through some lovely countryside with masses of wild flowers of every color along the route.
It’s going to be a hot day and already the sun is up and the shades are down. In front of us we can see the Sierras which is always an uplifting sight.
The cattle ranches and vineyards gave way to scrub and rock and we began to climb out of the valley.
When we reached Highway 49 we turned left and stopped off at Sutter Creek.
Sutter Creek
The first thing that caught our attention was a huge banner announcing the 49er Bypass Challenge for Walkers, Runners and Bikers was taking place today. Trust us to arrive when something was going on. The same sort of thing happened to us on our first trip to Murphys and also to Volcano. In Murphys it was a Homecoming Parade and in Volcano a chili cook off.
Another banner was strung across Main Street and the middle of the town was cordoned off so we turned up a side street and found a small car park and took a wander around.
They call this city the Jewel of the Gold Country and it is a very cute place. The main street consists of cafes, gift shops and antique emporiums all situated in buildings constructed over a hundred years ago. Sutter Creek was a tent town during the latter half of the 1800s when gold was found nearby. Be warned, the sidewalk is not suitable for wheelchairs as there are lots of levels and steps.
Today there was a lot of bustle as volunteers for the 49er Bypass Challenge where busy setting up water stations and cones and contestants with numbers pinned to their vests were warming up and studying route maps. There were four routes – a 1 mile walk around town, 5 and 10 kilometer course for runners and a 25k bike ride and they all started and finished at the same point with staggered starting times.
We stopped off at the Backroads Cafe where Tom had a decent cup of coffee and I treated myself to a cup of chocolate (without the whipped cream). Everybody was very friendly and I chatted to the coffee servers, the volunteers in the street, the competitors and the passerbys. There is a laid back and relaxed feel about the place.
I was surprised at how few competitors there were. The first call was for girls 6-7 and men over 80 but there were no participants. There were about a dozen different starting times for the under fifteens and the over 35s but nobody came forward. The announcer was having a hard time to get anybody on the start line. There was one call for 69 year old females so no wonder there were no takers – who wants everybody to know how old you are? It all seemed a little complicated to me and the announcer struggled to get all the categories and start times right. By 9 though he had a few takers and we watched small groups set off on the 10k run in one direction and the dozen bikers set off on the 25k course in the other direction. Between 9 and 9.30 there was a lull before the participants for the 5k run were called to the starting point.
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April 16 2008 | Special Places | No Comments »
