Things to do in Northern California?

[California]

Photo in an old post. The background incidentally also shows the fog rolling in to my place, 10 miles inland. I'm a couple hundred feet above the valley floor, beyond that ridge, where the fog is arriving from the Golden Gate.

It can be sweaty hot midafternoon. Then as the fog is sucked in, real chilly, and you go get a sweatshirt.

 

[RobertN]

A little late to the conversation, but here's a few idea's from a NorCal/Sacramento native.

If you're going to Yosemite, you are next to the southern end of Ca-49; that highway runs the the length of the classic "Gold Country". There's lots of places on Highway-49 that are fun to go to. And, it's a short hop to lots of places.
- Explore Angels Camp, Murphy's and Arnold. Calaveras Big Trees park is a great stop in the area
- There are a few cave/cavern tours near H49, like Moaning Caverns, Calaveras Caverns
- The Amador-El Dorado Wine country is fun to check out, wine taste(prefer over NAPA)
- The Marshall Gold Discovery site where the Ca gold rush started is in Coloma. Whitewater rafting, historic town etc
- Old Town Placerville, Sutter Creek, Nevada City are spread out along H49
- Lake Tahoe is a short drive from Placerville(H49 crosses H50)
- Virginia City is fun; not far from Lake Tahoe

Check out the train museum in Old Sacramento; really great museum
Lassen National Park is north of Sacramento
Bodega Bay is west of Sacramento on the coast. The Birds(Alfred Hitchcock) was filmed in the area. Great coastal trip, stop at Spuds Crab Shack

Those are places I would take visitors

 

[ericm979]

Honestly surprised it would be that cold in California that time of year.

Just along the coast! Where I lived on the north coast it could be 55 and foggy in the summer but three miles inland it's sunny and 90. A little north of where I live now the summer fog belt extends 10 miles inland and up to 2500'.

The presence and depth of the summer fog belt depends on the local geography and probably local ocean currents as well.

 

[Sigarms]

A little late to the conversation, but here's a few idea's from a NorCal/Sacramento native.

If you're going to Yosemite, you are next to the southern end of Ca-49; that highway runs the the length of the classic "Gold Country". There's lots of places on Highway-49 that are fun to go to. And, it's a short hop to lots of places.
- Explore Angels Camp, Murphy's and Arnold. Calaveras Big Trees park is a great stop in the area
- There are a few cave/cavern tours near H49, like Moaning Caverns, Calaveras Caverns
- The Amador-El Dorado Wine country is fun to check out, wine taste(prefer over NAPA)
- The Marshall Gold Discovery site where the Ca gold rush started is in Coloma. Whitewater rafting, historic town etc
- Old Town Placerville, Sutter Creek, Nevada City are spread out along H49
- Lake Tahoe is a short drive from Placerville(H49 crosses H50)
- Virginia City is fun; not far from Lake Tahoe

Check out the train museum in Old Sacramento; really great museum
Lassen National Park is north of Sacramento
Bodega Bay is west of Sacramento on the coast. The Birds(Alfred Hitchcock) was filmed in the area. Great coastal trip, stop at Spuds Crab Shack

Those are places I would take visitors

Realistically what is the drive time from Angels Camp to Virginia City?

2 weeks has filled up pretty quick, and we still have a couple of days to some stuff. Virginia City is on my radar just wondering how many days to give it.

Also need to revisit our schedule as it makes more sense to hit the half moon bay area from Monterey, that said, I told my wife I'd prefer to deal with the city on the weekend and not the weekday. It would be nice not to have to back track.

 

[Hughman]

Realistically what is the drive time from Angels Camp to Virginia City?

Probably about 4 hrs. You would need to take Carson pass (88) since 4 is still closed with snow.

 

[RobertN]

Realistically what is the drive time from Angels Camp to Virginia City?

2 weeks has filled up pretty quick, and we still have a couple of days to some stuff. Virginia City is on my radar just wondering how many days to give it.

Also need to revisit our schedule as it makes more sense to hit the half moon bay area from Monterey, that said, I told my wife I'd prefer to deal with the city on the weekend and not the weekday. It would be nice not to have to back track.

Angels Camp to Virginia City is about 3 hours.

 

[California]

From my own experience in dealing with people from anywhere in the world, people are more similar than you would think. Good people, bad people, smart arse people, and people with common sense who due unto others as they would have done unto them and actually try to lead a good life with others.

Best example of this at the moment is Noraly Shoenmaker, a Dutch woman touring the world on a small motorcycle. 5 years now, 40 countries so far. Everywhere she goes she finds far more good, decent people, than the opposite. The world - mostly - isn't a scary place after all.

https://www.youtube.com/c/ItchyBoots/videos

Ok, back on topic. Sigarms, you and family are going to enjoy this vacation.

 

[ericm979]

I'd think even with the epic snow that highway 4 would be plowed by August! I saw that they got to the summit of Sonora pass (108) recently. That's from the east and the west side will be harder.

88 is a faster road. 4 is 1 (or 1.5) lane in the high country and has a lot of tight turns. It's prettier, not that 88 is ugly. It's worth the drive but not if you're trying to get somewhere.

 

[RobertN]

I'd think even with the epic snow that highway 4 would be plowed by August! I saw that they got to the summit of Sonora pass (108) recently. That's from the east and the west side will be harder.

88 is a faster road. 4 is 1 (or 1.5) lane in the high country and has a lot of tight turns. It's prettier, not that 88 is ugly. It's worth the drive but not if you're trying to get somewhere.

Haven't been over 88 since the Caldor fire. I know it burnt thru to 88 in area's.

We like to go to Kirkwood Lake, Silver Lake to kayak, Usually go H50 to Pollock Pines, then Mormon Immigrant Trail to H88. MIT is still closed from snow. Will see in a few weeks how burnt out that whole area is...

 

[plowhog]

Drove south on Hwy 395 yesterday from Reno to Bishop, CA. All mountain passes over the sierras west to east are still closed. (Monitor, Tioga, etc.) Noticed one of them advises 26% uphill grade. I believe Ebbetts pass (4) is 24% grade.

I took this pix out my windshield not far north of Mammoth. I was at 7,000 ft elevation on the road. Note the surrounding mountains up from there.