FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Summer 2006
Contact:
Phil Weidinger
Weidinger Public Relations
(775) 588-2412, or
Lisa Reynolds
Calaveras Visitors Bureau
(209) 736-0049
CALAVERAS COUNTY BLOOMS WITH PROMISE AND PASSION
Roads Less Traveled Lead to New Adventures
(Angels Camp, Calif.) – In Calaveras County, the roads less traveled lead to many surprises:
some off the wall, a few woolly, many surprising, yet all delightful.
Going slow down along the main roads, Highways 49 and 4, and dipping into the historic mining
towns of Mokelumne Hill, San Andreas, Angels Camp and Murphys can reveal its quirky and
friendly nature.
At Hotel Léger in Mokelumne Hill, there are no clocks, no phones, and no televisions in the
rooms. It has stayed this way since the hotel was built in 1851, as are the antique furnishings and
friendly spirit of founder George Léger, whom many visitors claim to encounter.
Along Main Street friendly old timers occupy the front porches -- at Double Springs Brewing
Company or the Hole in the Wall Saloon. This establishment is thought to be the oldest three
story stone building in the state and still bears the plaque, Adams & Company, 1854, the express
line that evolved into Wells Fargo. It is owned now by Randy Sparks of the New Christy
Minstrels.
With Farm Trails map in hand, many of the county’s secrets emerge along well-marked side
roads: California Cashmere Company & Al-Rafiq Farms is the largest cashmere producing
ranch in California. Owners Talibah and Ajamu Al-Rafiq tend 400 cashmere-producing Karakan
goats shepherded by an impressive-looking llama. Talibah spins the wool and weaves the cloth
into garments for sale. Next fall, the ranch will offer self-guided walking tours, passing by
remnants of an old gold mine and native plants on the 270-acre property. For a close-up look at
llamas or to buy one, pay a visit to Tilly’s Llama Farm nearby.
Think worms are just for fishing? Think again. Avid gardeners will want to learn about worm
castings for fertilizer at Vierra’s Worm Farm. Bill and Markie Vierra have a passion for their
new career and an eagerness to share the knowledge that worms on a diet of peat moss, fine clay,
and organic nutrients produce a clean waste product for superior, natural soil enrichment.
From worms to wine is not a big leap in Calaveras County. Forty-five minutes from the Vierra’s
farm, Ironstone Vineyards is the county’s largest winery. Family-owned and operated by three
generations of farmers in the Kautz family, Ironstone produces award winning wines that are
distributed nationally and in forty-one countries worldwide.
The seven story, 75,000 square-foot hospitality center and entertainment complex at Ironstone is
a modern replica of an 1859 Gold Stamp Mill. It includes extensive gardens, a natural spring
lake, scenic picnic areas and an immense amphitheatre, the site of a summer concert series
featuring headline entertainers. The historical mining museum and jewelry shop displays the
world’s largest crystalline gold leaf specimen.
The Ironstone grand ballroom conference center is equipped with a surround-sound system for
the showpiece attraction, a magnificent 1927 pipe organ from the Alhambra Theatre in
Sacramento. Forty-two feet below ground there are 10,000 feet of hand blasted caverns used for
entertaining and aging Ironstone wines.
Nearby on Main Street in Murphys, finding fine wines from much smaller family-owned
wineries with tasting rooms tucked behind and beneath the old buildings is like discovering
buried treasures.
Zucca Mountain Vineyards unique tasting room is located in the cellar of a historic building
from the late 1800s. Above it is the tiny tasting room of Lavender Ridge where you’ll probably
find owner/winemaker Rich Gilpin pouring and talking about his wines. According to the
owner/chef of V Restaurant Bob Anderson (formerly from Ahwahnee Hotel in Yosemite) it is
common to find winemakers in the tasting rooms and in local restaurants where their
relationships with chefs help to create fresh seasonal menus using local ingredients. Such is the
case at V, which has creative, contemporary menus for breakfast, lunch and dinner. Also on
Main Street across from Grounds (great breakfast!) is the Hatcher Winery tasting room famous
for fine wines, fun, stemless glassware and (according to the Hatchers) Murphys finest
bathroom!
Several wineries, including Stevenot and Twisted Oak, have tasting locations at the wineries as
well as on Murphys Main Street. At the Stevenot Winery, tucked away in the hills, you’ll find
picnic grounds and an outdoor stage where Murphys Creek Theatre presents a summer series of
Shakespeare and other plays in “Theatre Under the Stars.”
If you’d like to star in your own western video or are simply nostalgic for the closed Ponderosa
Ranch at Lake Tahoe, you can contact James Miller, (209) 736-4758 or info@millerosa.com in
Vallecito. Pick out a pre-written skit or bring your own script and take the stage on an old
western town movie set. Take one . . .take two!
It’s hard to miss Twisted Oak Winery at Hwy 4 and Redhill Road – just look for the rubber
chickens. Winemaker Scott Klann takes winemaking seriously, but little else. Signs in the
tasting room read, “Wine makes everyone hopeful,” and “In wine there is truth.” If truth be told,
the local soils of sand, clay and limestone are excellent for Rhone varietals in particular, and
Calaveras County wineries are producing some wonderful wines.
The county also produces high-quality olive oil in the western region near the old mining town of
Copperopolis. At the Calaveras Olive Oil Company on O’Byrnes Ferry Road, owner Ed Rich
and his assistant welcome tasters and enjoy imparting knowledge on many olive varieties, the
health benefits of olive oil, the Mediterranean diet, recently reinforced by discovery of a natural
anti-inflammatory agent in extra virgin olive oil similar to that found in Ibuprofen.
The grasslands along Highway 4 in Copperopolis will soon sprout a 200,000 square-foot town
center to be called Copper Mill that will bring boutiques, antique stores, art galleries, and
restaurants to the area. The developers are Castle & Cooke Calaveras, Inc. – the same company
that built nearby Saddle Creek Resort.
At Saddle Creek, golf and the good life are seamlessly blended. Hailed by Golf Today as “One
of the top five public access courses in Northern California,” Saddle Creek offers residential
ownership as well as guest accommodations in well-appointed lodge bungalows with all the
amenities and comforts of a very comfortable home. Executive Chef Richard Whipple presides
over the Copper Grille Restaurant, creating good food with a deft, artistic touch.
At Greenhorn Creek, a championship course re-designed by Robert Trent Jones, Jr., is the center
of activities that also include cottage accommodations, business conference facilities, full spa,
weight room and Camps, one of the area’s leading restaurants.
Forest Meadows Golf Course is a mountain resort with overnight rental houses and
condominiums nestled in giant pines, cedar, oak trees, and meadows overlooking the Stanislaus
river canyon. The 18-hole public course is a Robert Trent Jones, Jr. designed layout.
Sequoia Woods Country Club, a private country club and elegant public restaurant located in the
Sierra foothills, offers a year-round 18-hole, par 70 course which challenges players from scratch
to high handicapper. The four-hour round still exists. At 4,000 feet there's no rush, no hurry.
Blue jays, quail and squirrels are your playing partners. It’s a peaceful mountain getaway from
the rush of the city where all four seasons are captured in one location.
Rich history and fine arts are literally everywhere in the county. In the tradition of whimsical
public art that began with painted cows in Chicago, the Celebrated Jumping Frog of Calaveras
County, immortalized by Mark Twain, can be found in locations all over the county – 28 giant
painted frogs to be exact – each sponsored by a Calaveras County business. The Chamber of
Commerce has created a locator map so people can have fun finding each frog. The Chamber
held a Frog Auction Gala in October in Frogtown (otherwise know as Calaveras County
Fairgrounds). All proceeds from the sale go directly to the charity selected by the Frog’s sponsor.
The Arts Council and Historical Society in San Andreas promote the fine and performing arts
and the rich history of the county. The Historical Museum Complex houses the Hall of Records,
the original County Jail, Courthouse, and an early Italian stone oven in the Jail Yard. Exhibits
also include intricate Native American artifacts and history of early Chinese settlers in Calaveras
County.
In the settlement of White Pines along Highway 4 near Arnold, the Sierra Nevada Logging
Museum houses exhibits of early logging practices, camp life and a working sawmill presented
in miniature dioramas beautifully designed and constructed in minute detail. An interactive
children’s exhibit will open in 2006.
Three miles north of Arnold is the entrance to Calaveras Big Trees State Park. The colossal giant
Sequoias stand in quiet testimony to the magnificence of nature. A visitors’ center with museum
exhibits, 74 campsites in the North Grove campground, picnic areas and locations for swimming
and fishing in the Stanislaus River are all accessible by car. But to truly see this majestic park,
visitors should plan to travel on foot.
An easy stroll of 1.5 miles on an interpretative path through the North Grove is family friendly
and accessible to young children and the elderly. More advanced hiking trials wind through the
park and in the larger South Grove Natural Preserve.
Many more opportunities for outdoor recreation throughout the county include road and
mountain biking, lake and stream fishing, house boating and high-speed boating, jet skiing,
canoeing, kayaking and rafting. The international outdoor adventure company, O.A.R.S., which
specializes in river and lake paddling, is headquartered in Angels Camp. From March until
October, they offer a Class IV whitewater rafting trip on the North Fork of the Stanislaus River.
Bear Valley Mountain Adventure Company has guided mountain bike rides and basic skills
courses in flat water kayaking on pristine alpine lakes. In winter, all varieties of snow sports are
available in the higher elevations. Bear Valley Mountain Resort, more than 8,000 feet on the
Sierra Crest, receives deep snow and some of the finest powder and packed powder skiing in the
Sierra.
Finally, no visit to Calaveras County is complete without exploring the mysteries that lay
beneath the rolling hills and Chaparral in the western section of the county. Three majestic
underground caverns in the area surrounding Murphys and Vallecitio inspire awe in visitors of
all ages. Mercer Caverns, California Cavern, and Moaning Cavern offer glimpses into ancient
subterranean worlds filled with crystallized rock formations, winding passages, and underground
lakes. An immense 165-foot vertical chamber at Moaning Cavern provides heart-stopping thrills
for experienced and novice adventures who rappel into the abyss. The faint-hearted may
experience the rush vicariously from the security of a metal staircase that descends into the
cavern.
All the caverns offer guided tours suitable for the whole family and wild adventure trips are led
by trained cave naturalists into deep, undeveloped passages lit only by headlamps that reflect the
beauty of the stones formations.
No matter what reason brings visitors to Calaveras County, they’ll discover more than they came
for. Unlike many over-developed destinations, life here moves more slowly encouraging visitors
to explore side roads at their own pace. And the locals are recognized for passion for their
livelihoods, reverence for the past and hope for the future.
Robert Frost said it best: “Two roads diverged in a wood and I – I took the one less traveled by,
and that has made all the difference.”
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Calaveras County:
Located in the heart of California’s gold rush country between Lake Tahoe and Yosemite National Park. The diverse
landscape stretches 1,024 square miles from near sea level in the flat western valleys and rolling hills to more than
8,000 feet at the Sierra crest. The land is rich with historic sites, family farms and vineyards, forests of giant
sequoias, rivers and lakes and underground caves. A vibrant arts culture thrives along with fine winemaking and all
types of outdoor recreation, including fishing and boating, golf, bicycling, hiking, camping and skiing. Small, rural
towns dot the landscape connected by well-maintained highways and country roads. For more information on
Calaveras County as well as lodging packages, special events and other facts and figures, call (800) 225-3764 and
visit www.GoCalaveras.Travel.