Suzie was starting to go stir crazy from being in the house in Kensington so long, as was I to a lesser extent, so we decided to go on a 4-day getaway. We were wanting to go someplace new, someplace not too far of a drive away, someplace warmer (it had been coolish in Kensington for about a week). We settled on Amador County, and found a very nice, cozy, extremely well-provisioned Airbnb near Plymouth.
I was expecting someplace a bit semi-Tahoe-ish, but where we're staying is unfortunately pretty much a dead ringer for the hillier interior parts of Sonoma County: rolling yellow hills and oak trees. We arrived at the beginning of a heat wave -- it's 96 here today and it's supposed to be hotter tomorrow.
Yesterday we went on a long morning hike. Our directions were haywire and we finished by walking 4.6 miles, the last 1.5 miles of which was unpleasantly hot. In the afternoon I took Suzie wine tasting in the Shenandoah Valley, a wine-growing area from the time of the California Gold Rush. She said the wines were excellent, and the staff (at least at the first place we visited, the Terre Rouge Winery, were friendly and informative.
Today we took a looping drive around the area:
Our first stop was at a scenic overlook just outside of Sutter's Creek. It provided a pretty view west to the old [Kennedy Gold Mine](http://www.kennedygoldmine.com/).
Our next stop was Jackson, the County Seat of Amador County. (For those who've read this far, Amador County as a whole has slightly under 40,000. They definitely tilt right; voter registration is 45% Republican and 32% Democratic.) Jackson is home (Suzie says) to the oldest continually-operating hotel in California, the National Hotel:
It's also home to the Fargo Club, conveniently located right across the street from the local AA meeting. (Truth is, the Fargo Club looks to be defunct; there is plywood on the windows and no sign of life inside. Sorry Boyd.)
Downtown Jackson has an old-timey Western feeling.
We found an open restaurant that was serving meals outside on the street, under shade structures. Our lunch was surprisingly good, and out of the sun it wasn't too uncomfortable.
The next part of our look was cool. We took Highway 88 towards the East, and as we rose in elevation (our place here in Plymouth is about 1,200 feet, today we eventually got to 3,200 feet), the landscape shifted from grasslands and oaks to craggier, rockier pine forests. More of what I'd wanted when I planned the trip, truth be told. We drove on narrow roads with little traffic until we came to the pretty little town of Volcano. Suzie wanted to stop and take a picture to send to her Sister, a frequent visitor to Volcano (the one on the Big Island). And so it was done:
There was also a charming hotel in Volcano, and a pleasant "downtown":
From there, back to the Airbnb, on with the a/c, full bore. Tomorrow it's the Mokelumne River. Or whatever else we might decide to see.