We decided to take pity on our hosts on our last full day at Pat & Dave’s. Today was initially meant to be flight day for us with David at the controls, but the ‘Tour de Sierra’ was bit more taxing than all of us thought, so today is a day of rest…sort of.
After another great full breakfast prepared by David, we left behind and the two of them to their own chores and drove up to Big Trees State Forest Park. Outside of Arnold, about 9 mi away, it is the site of some of the biggest sequoias in the state outside of Yosemite National Park. We took a couple of hours marvelling at the hugest and most majestic trees we’d ever seen. The sheer girth of these giants takes your breath away. Alex, Evan and I tried to stretch our arms round one and didn’t even make it ½ way. Fantastic!
Leaving the park behind, we dropped the boys in Angels Camp to have a dip in the local pool and to get themselves to the movies afterwards.
Norbert and I headed back to Murphy’s to catch up on the shops that we missed the other day. We got into a bit of olive oil and balsamic vinegar sampling, olives being one of the major crops down in the valley, and dropped back into the winery that Ashley works at to pick up a bottle of their beautiful Barbera red. This is only one of about 25 wineries in the local area. The Sierra Foothills wine-growing region is one of the best-kept secrets in the California wine industry. Judging by the people filing in for the wine-tastings over the course of the past week, the secret seems to be getting out.
We headed down to Angel’s Camp before picking up the boys to have a look around the town. Its claim to fame is being the home of the Mark Twain classic story “The Jumping Frog of Calaveras Country”. With frog motifs on every other building and signs plastered all over the town, they’re trading on the theme as hard as they possibly can.
Pat and Dave hosted another beautiful meal and we sat on the patio late into the evening. It’s been a great visit with them, and we’re looking forward to returning the favour on one of their next visits to the Lower Mainland to be on the Lillian Belle.
Tomorrow we’re off to San Francisco for a quick one night stay, and then flying off to Disney first thing Friday morning.
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