of town have been
preserved, where
volunteers perambulate
in 19th-century dress
and demonstrate
gold panning. The
blacksmith’s shop,
theater, hotels and saloon
are all carefully framed
windows into California’s
past. The yesteryear
illusion of Main St is
shaken only a bit by
fudge shops and the
occasional banjo-picker
whose cell phone rings.4 p235
The Drive » Backtrack south
on Parrots Ferry Rd, veering
right and then turning right
to stay on Springfield Rd for
just over a mile. Rejoin Hwy 49
northbound, which crosses a
long bridge over an artificial
reservoir. After a dozen miles
or so, Hwy 49 becomes Main St
through Angels Camp.3 Angels Camp
On the southern stretch
of Hwy 49, one literary
giant looms over all
other Western tall-tale
tellers: Samuel Clemens,
aka Mark Twain, who
got his first big break
with the short story The
Celebrated Jumping Frog
of Calaveras County,
written and set in Angels
Camp. With a mix of
Victorian and art-deco
buildings that shelter
antiques shops and cafes,
this 19th-century mining
camp makes the most
of its Twain connection,
hosting the Jumping
Frog Jubilee & Calaveras
County Fair (www.frogtown.
org; Gun Club Rd; adult/
child $10/6) on the third
weekend in May. You
could score $5000 if your
frog beats the world-
record jump (over 21ft)
set by ‘Rosie the Ribeter’
back in 1986.The Drive » Hwy 49 heads
north of Angels Camp through
hillsides of farms and ranches.
Past San Andreas, make a short
detour through Mokelumne Hill,
another historic mining town. In
Jackson, turn right onto Hwy 88
east. After 9 miles, turn left on
Pine Grove-Volcano Rd to reach
Indian Grinding Rock State
Historic Park.4 Volcano
Although the village of
Volcano once yielded
tons of gold and saw
Civil War intrigue, today
it slumbers away in
solitude. Huge sandstone
rocks lining Sutter Creek
were blasted from the
surrounding hills using
a hydraulic process
before being scraped
clean of gold-bearing
dirt. Hydraulic mining
had dire environmental
consequences, but at its
peak, miners raked in
nearly $100 a day. Under
a mile southeast of town,
Black Chasm (%888-762-
2837; http://www.caverntours.com;Start: 3 Angels Camp
A 25-minute drive east of San Andreas via Mountain Ranch Rd, off Hwy 49 about 12
miles north of Angels Camp, California Cavern State Historical Landmark (% 20
9-736-2708; http://www.caverntours.com; 9565 Cave City Rd, Mountain Ranch; tour adult/child from
$15/8; h10am-4pm Apr-Oct, hr vary Nov-Mar; c) has the mother lode’s most extensive
system of natural underground caverns. John Muir described them as ‘graceful
flowing folds deeply placketed like stiff silken drapery.’ Regular tours take 60 to 90
minutes, or reserve ahead for a five-hour ‘Middle Earth Expedition’ ($130), which
includes some serious spelunking (no children under age 16 allowed). The Trail of
Lakes walking tour, available only during the wet season, is magical.CALIFORNIA CAVERN
DETOUR:
CENTRAL.CALIFORNIA21
(^) HIGHWAY 49 THROUGH GOLD COUNTRY