Today the Model A tourists went down to the Station. That last one reminds me of “Petticoat Junction.” The group enjoyed a tour of Railtown 1897 (a state historic park in Jamestown, CA), which consists of the original depot, headquarters, and roundhouse of the Sierra Railway, built in 1897 to carry passengers, ore from mines, … Continue reading Down to the Station (early in the morning…)

The first stop today was Mokelumne Hill, CA. The town takes its name from the neighboring Mokelumne River, which in turn is Miwok for the "people of Mokel," the likely name of an Indian village in the area. The Hotel Léger is one of the oldest hotels still operating in California. George Léger, a Frenchman who came during the California Gold Rush, opened his Hotel de … Continue reading Today Included an Historic Bar and Monsterous Caverns

On September 13th the Model A tourists paid homage to some non-mining California history. First was the Chaw’se Indian Grinding Rock State Park and Museum in Pine Grove. The Krills explain the photo below. It’s “…a close-up look at the Soaproot plant the Miwok people used for soap, food, etc.” The word Miwok means people in their native language. … Continue reading From Miwok Culture to a Foundry to a Castle!

I never knew there were so many mines in the California Gold Country! Here the Touring Club’s on the way to the Kennedy Mine in Jackson, CA. According to Fearless Leader John, “This mine along with the Argonaut across the street, produced over $53,000,000 in gold. They call this section the richest 1/2 mile of … Continue reading Another Day, Another Gold Mine!

Ah… September 11, Patriots Day – a day to reflect and to remember, so here are a couple of flag images from Placerville, CA: The one on the left shows a flag one of our cars was flying, reflected in another car's window. The one on the right shows the Gold Bug Mine, which was … Continue reading Model A Folk Are Becoming Gold Mining Experts

We LOVE our Model A Fords! If you’re up early on a Sunday morning during a tour, this is what you’ll see: Since Placerville, CA, is our headquarters for a couple of days, we spent 2 or 3 hours enjoying Apple Hill. Here are some of our A's at Larson's Apple Farm. People really enjoyed … Continue reading MODEL A FORDS, APPLES AND BBQ!

On Saturday, September 9th, the Model A’s travelled down the “Golden Chain Highway” to Placerville, CA via Auburn. Along the way they had a chance to see sites as the Bernhard Museum Complex. Built in 1851 as the Traveler’s Rest Hotel, the Bernhard House has been welcoming visitors for over 150 years. Filled with artifacts … Continue reading TAKING OUR TIME VISITING THE GOLD COUNTRY

I have some leftover photos from the 7th: The Hulstroms, Bennetts & McBrides at the Historic Holbrooke Hotel in Grass Valley were on their way to dinner – having WAY too much fun! And, here's another shot of the Bourne Fountain: The stone used was from the mine after the gold was extracted. I usually … Continue reading DOWN INTO THE MINES…

This day, Sept. 7th,  included a tour of the Empire Gold Mine, in Nevada County, California. The Empire Mine is on the National Register of Historic Places, a federal Historic District, and a California Historical Landmark. It is one of the oldest, largest, deepest, longest-running and richest gold mines in California.  More mine images: The … Continue reading GOLD, ANTIQUES…AND ERA FOOD!

The answer is... Almost anything!  Model A people are persistent… They’ll drive through 115 degree heat in smoky California…Then they’ll drive over mountain passes… (That's Donner Pass and Spooner Summit) They’ll make new friends in a gas station… This man (didn’t get his name) was a professional musician who wrote a song about a '29 … Continue reading What Will a Model A’er Do to Get to the Start of a Tour?