Laudia's American Travel Page

Laudia's Logo A Trip to the USA

My First Visit to America

I met George Eldridge on the Internet over a year ago and then I decided to pay him a visit in California's Gold Country. It was a really great trip. He showed me around San Francisco for two days and then we left for his gold town, Jamestown in the foothills of the Sierra Nevada.

This was our base camp, so to speak. He showed me such places as Murphys which is home to Kautz Winery and a 45-pound gold mass discovered in Jamestown in December 1992 (largest crystalline gold mass on display in the world), Columbia State Historic Park with its old gold rush buildings, Knight's Ferry which has the longest covered bridge west of the Mississippi, Angels Camp where the frog jumping contest is held each year (this was made famous by Mark Twain who wrote the story inspired by an Angels Camp resident called the Jumping Frog of Calaveras County), Volcano where the Mi-Wuk Indians used to gather and live in the fall gathering acorns and making it into a meal for the winter months, Vallecito where a creek runs through a rock mountain and has formed a natural tunnel, and took me up Highway 108 which is one of very few roads through the Sierra Nevada (closed in the winter).

I also got to see inside a court house in Sonora, experienced an American auto accident (not George's fault), shopped at an American supermarket and many other shops, and went on a five-day camping trip.

We went up Highway 4 into Reno, Nevada (where I lost a couple of dollars) and then on down to Bridgeport, California where we camped beside the Walker River. The next morning we visited Bodie, a gold mining ghost town. This was considered one of the roughest towns in the American West. Next, we traveled down to Mono Lake which was most interesting with its conical formations. Next, we traveled up Highway 120 to Tioga Pass in the Sierra Nevada. It's the back entrance into Yosemite National Park. We quickly rose to 10,000 feet and there was more than 10 feet of snow. I found this astounding as it was in late May with springtime almost over. George showed me a dry lake (the Owens Lake is dry because the water sources have been redirected to Los Angeles and San Francisco). He showed me former town sites and old cemeteries and a warm springs named Dirty Socks (and it smelled like it, too). We camped in the Alabama Hills where hundreds of films have been produced including Gunga Din and The Treasure of the Sierra Madre. I saw vast fields of Lava that had solidified as it poured into the Owens River. From there we went to a living ghost town in the Rand Mountain. Randsburg is an old ghost town and it still has an operating mine. Near Randsburg is Redrock Canyon with the most interesting formations I think I've ever seen. Then it was on to Lake Isabella, a man-made lake high in the mountains. The Next morning it was off to Sequoia National Forest to view the biggest trees in the world. Then we camped just outside Yosemite National Park in Wawona. The next morning we were awakened to kids swimming in the ice-cold Merced River so they could become members of the Polar Bear Club. We drove through a tunnel to reach the valley. From the lookout point, I saw some of the most beautiful country in the world. It was breathtaking. We spent the whole day driving and walking around the park. We walked to Yosemite Falls, the second largest waterfall in the world. The wind was blowing and doused us with water from the falls.

After this it was time to return to Jamestown and what's the sense of going to the Gold Country without prospecting for gold! George took me down to Woods Creek (the richest creek in California of its size) and showed me how to pan and sluice for gold. He dug the dirt and I sluiced. Eureka! I found several small nuggets and one was big enough to put a bale on it so I could proudly wear it around my neck.

I didn't really want to leave, especially when George made me realize that I had only seen a very small portion of America. Can it get better than this?

Yosemite Falls:

Yosemite Falls is the second largest waterfall in the world. It's located inside Yosemite National Park.

Blue Ice:

Beneath these formations which have crumbled is blue ice left over from the ice age which was discovered when highway crews were using it for paving the highway. Then quickly covered it up. On a hot day, one can feel the icy coolness as the breezes waft over the crumbled rock.

Bodie, California:

These are some of the many old buildings left in this wild frontier town.

Bodie, California:

This building is the schoolhouse and community building in Bodie. Much more of the Baddest town in the West can be seen.

Knight's Ferry Bridge:

The longest covered bridge west of the Mississippi River is located where there was once a ferry which carried prospectors across the Stanislaus River. The first covered bridge was washed away during winter flooding.

A prospector's cabin:

Wood was not all that plentiful in the Bodie area so prospectors used whatever was at hand. Of course, homes such as this would stand the elements of time.

Yosemite Valley:

This is a church located on the valley floor of Yosemite National Park. Half Dome can be seen behind the church.

Yosemite Park:

This is a view back towards the Yosemite Valley from Highway 120. Half Dome is in the distant and El Capitan is on the left (this is the mountain which was being climbed by Captain Kirk of Star Trek the Movie).

High in the Sierra Nevada:

While this picture would tend to make one believe it was the dead of winter, it was taken the third week of May 1997. In pioneer days, the first woman crossed this pass with a wagon train. She was the only woman on the entire train.

Lombard St., San Francisco:

This street is the curviest street in the world. Many of the streets in San Francisco are like 45-degree grades. That is Coit Tower in the distance which we went up for a great view of San Francisco..

Redrock Canyon:

All of this area was at one time under water. The formations left in the rock after the waters receded are remarkable. From a distance, it looks like a city got swallowed.

John Mitchum:

John Mitchum lives in Sonora, California and is the brother of Robert Mitchum who recently died. George introduced me to John while I was there. John is also an actor and has appeared in over 150 films. You may remember him as the Morman in the movie Paint Your Wagon. (this is not one of George's photos)

Dogwood:

This is a Dogwood Tree. It has some very beautiful flowers and is quite plentiful in the Sierra Nevada.

The Sluicebox:

Yep! That's me on the sluice box. This is where I found my large nugget which I wear around my neck. Gold prospecting is fun. Visit GET Gold Adventures to find out more about gold prospecting adventures.

Contact me at: laudia@iinet.net.au

California Dreamin...

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