Angel's Camp

We had the unexpected delight of joining two other families for a weekend at a resort in Angel's Camp.  The kids were thrilled to spend time with their friends and to explore the gold country. David and I were happy to get some work done at the condo while the kids were off with their friends and still have some great times as a family and with friends!

John soon became a favorite with three-year-old Ariel.  On our last day together, they were all but inseparable.  It was great to see this nurturing side of him.

As we left the resort, the kids posed by the sign.

We drove to San Andreas to visit the Calaveras County Historical Museum.  There we explored Gold Rush history and learned about the infamous Black Bart, a gentleman bandit who never harmed the drivers or passengers of the Wells Fargo stagecoaches.  He was eventually caught and spent some time in the jail, which was out back of the museum, before he was transferred to San Quentin.  

The courtroom upstairs had once been used for filming an episode of the "Little House on the Prairie" series starring Michael Landon.  I doubt that court case was anything like the one the kids acted out.  Judge Joshua C. presided over a case where Zach was accused of having defaced the George Washington portrait and the U. S. flag.  Prosecutor Joshua questioned Shannon, one of the witnesses in the case.

The kids posed in the garden out back for some pictures.

All of the children enjoyed browsing in the bookstore where we learned that Mark Twain spent some time in Calaveras County at one time.  Amy bought the book The Celebrated Jumping Frog of Calaveras County, and we look forward to reading it ourselves.  So that's where the frog theme throughout the area came from!

We then drove over to Columbia where the fall colors were everywhere.  The kids enjoyed sugar plums and other chocolate delights from the Candy Kitchen.

However, their favorite activity was playing a spy game on the huge rocks at the entrance to the old gold town.