I was floored. I
have never seen Giant Sequoias and coming
upon them amongst the rest of the forest was amazing. I could imagine
what the miners felt.....a tree....more trees.....same ol trees...and
then WHOA! We walked along the groves. I had bought a trail guide
(one of the best quarters I ever spent!) so we could know what we
were seeing. Giant Sequoias, with their massive trunks rising
skyward, are the largest living things on earth. The rough red bark,
the twisted growth of the tree, the incredible size and life. Some of
these trees are over 3000 years old. Incredible. We spent about two
very restful hours in the forest and then headed back to Gold
Country.
Columbia has preserved the whole town
as a historic State Park. One of the problems in all the gold towns
was fire -- every town had burnt down a few times and rebuilt.
Columbia rebuilt the town in 1852 with brick and steel instead of
wood so all the buildings were still intact exactly as they were 150
years earlier. Good candy and ice cream there :) Nice museum. People
wandering around in period clothing. I bought a postcard. We moved on
to Sonora -- once known as the "Queen of the
Southern Mines." It is a beautifully designed town and one of the
best-preserved Gold Rush towns along the route. Bright colors,
beautiful homes, housing the oldest continually working courthouses
in California.
We pressed on through Angels Camp and
on to Chinese Camp. Both of us were very interested in visiting
Chinese Camp. This camp gained it's name because so many Chinese
worked there. As the whole gold rush area grew, many wars and fights
broke out. There was a lawlessness in all these towns along the way.
I am not sure what we expected from Chinese Camp, but both of us
wanted something from there. Maybe some history of people other than
those white miners. There were many Mexican, Peruvian and Chilean
peoples in the camps and mines, but little is written about them.
Much less about the Chinese who came to find their fortunes. And even
less about the native peoples who were either murdered or rounded up
and shoved off their land.
But Chinese Camp was a disappointment. There is one store/bar/gas
station. We had heard there was a small museum so we stopped at the
store cum bar. The whole town was there, drinking in this dark smelly
dank area; the owner was drunk and surly. The place sold touristshit
indian goods made in Taiwan. There was no museum, no Chinese history,
no Chinese people and nothing to see. The buildings were in ruins --
not interesting ruins but neglected and forgotten ruins with vines
and weeds growing through and around them. The houses were depressing
with no attempt at sprucing them up....as if the people in the town
were simply waiting to die. So, knowing that the major fire up in the
Sierras was along Hwy 120 and 50% contained we moved on to Mariposa..
On to Day Five
