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Northern California Trip PIC HEAVY!

C Bryant

C Bryant

Joined
Jul 12, 2008
Messages
3,143
Last Thursday I got home from a two week trip to Northern California. My parents are very much into the gold prospecting thing and every year they go up to the Yuba River in Sierra City and spend about two weeks dredging. I go on this trip every summer, it allows me to get aways for a while and I visit family and friends I have along the way up to the river, stay there for about four or five days, then start heading back down toward home.

My first stop was in Visalia, in the central valley to visit my aunt and uncle who live there. Turns out our very own Ray Laconico live literally two minutes drive time from my aunt and uncle so Ray and I hung out a couple of times. Since I am interested in knifemaking he graciously let me come over and work on a knife.

Vist with Ray:
http://www.bladeforums.com/forums/showthread.php?t=663204

After Visalia I headed to Rocklin to say with my best friend (like a brother to me), and his family for a few days. Then is was off to the mountians!

Oregon Creek covered bridge from 1860. It washed away once and was hauled my teams of oxen back to it's foundations. Just off of Highway 49.
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Last year I was able to drive over the bridge, but it was block off from traffic this year so we could only walk through it. My gf Lindsey in the pic.
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The Sierra Buttes
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Other side of the Buttes
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View of the Buttes from the Mills Peak fire lookout tower
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Overlooking the city of Graeagle (I have no idea why there is no "y" in the spelling) The cleared areas are golf courses.
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Mills Peak fire lookout
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more.....
 
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Down the other side of that mountain driving towards Graeagle, looking back up at the lookout tower. Very tip top of that peak.
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Frazier Falls
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A thunder storm approaching
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Blacksmith Shop at Plumas-Eureka State Park. It was an actual blacksmith shop on a ranch in the area of Graeagle. The Park Service struck a deal with the ranch owner and dismantled the place piece by piece, numbering everything. Then moved it to the site at Plumas-Eureka State Park and assembled it from the ground up piece by numbered piece. Most of the tools and equipment inside are from the shop when it was on the ranch too. They all have identification numbers on them so you can tell which ones were original to the shop. The forge, billows, anvils, and a good number of the handtools were all from the original site.
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Mr. Bill Cumbley a docent at the park. He volunteers every Thursday at the blacksmith shop making replica candle holders (like the miners in the area used to light mine shafts), dinner gongs, and other random bits or iron work. The proceeds from their work goes towards the purchase of more metal for them to work/teach with.
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Mr. Cumbley and a dinner gong I watch him make. My gf bought if for me since I spent from 10am to 2pm at the blacksmith shop talking with Bill and watching him do his work. He loved the company, I was pretty much the only one there most of the day, and he loved that I was so interested and knew a thing or two about forging. I was a great time and an experience I will never forget.
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more....
 
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An old stamp mill at Plumas-Eureka State Park. Note the thunder clouds finally caught up with us.
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Thunder Storm
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In Graeagle
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In the Sierra Valley, at a tiny town called Sierraville.
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Lots of cattle here. This area used to produce beef, lumber, and hay for all of the mining towns and operations that once took place up the mountians all around the valley.
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Back up the 49 looking down on the valley
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more.....
 
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My dad's dredge set up
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ML Camp Knife
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Big'ol JK Anniversay Knife
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I backtrack my journey up the mountain on my way home stopping again in Rockin and Visalia. While I was in Rocklin staying with my buddy's family I went and had lunch with Koyote and Koyote Girl since they are only about 30 minutes away.

While in Visalia on the way home Ray and I went to Sequoia National Park
http://www.bladeforums.com/forums/showthread.php?t=666122

And that is pretty much it. Hope you all enjoyed the pics.
 
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dipbait said:
Did your Dad find much gold?
Click to expand...

He found a little this trip. He got a cut above his eye and need a few stitches, so he could not get the stitches wet for 5 days. Didn't spend as much time dredging as he usually does. I will see if I can get over to their place a take a picture of what he found.
 
Great pics CB... really enjoyed the views. Cool blacksmith shots too.

Jeff
 
do you know how much worth the gold was that he found?? we used to pan for gold as kids along a creek i live near.
 
wow.. awesome pics Christian... that looks like a great trip... you folks were in some gorgeous area's...:)
 
That's a really beautiful area. I need to take a long multi-day road trip like that soon. I like that blacksmith shop! Your trip looks like it was so much fun.
 
Cool pics. I remember a while back when I used to want to go look for gold. Wish I stil had that urge in me. Get me to see many more sites.

:thumbup:
 
Those are some great pics, thanks for sharing...

Glenn
 
Excellent pictures and sounds like a great time. Sitting on a big butte all day looking for fires, how hot is that?

Cool little story about the candle forger.
 
kgd said:
Excellent pictures and sounds like a great time. Sitting on a big butte all day looking for fires, how hot is that?

Cool little story about the candle forger.
Click to expand...

Yeah we talked with the gentleman manning the tower, he didn't have too many complaints about the job!

Another thing about the blacksmith shop I forgot to add.... It was an actual blacksmith shop on a ranch in the area of Graeagle. The Park Service struck a deal with the ranch owner and dismantled the place piece by piece, numbering everything. Then moved it to the site at Plumas-Eureka State Park and assembled it from the ground up piece by numbered piece. Most of the tools and equipment inside are from the shop when it was on the ranch too.
They all have identification numbers on them so you can tell which ones were original to the shop. The forge, billows, anvils, and a good number of the handtools were all from the original site.

Ok, I think I'm going to add that bit of info to those pics. :)
 
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