Out the Door Early

Monday, July 24th, 2017

Having learned our lesson yesterday, we were out the door early this morning to do the Allison Ranch Loop, a 30 mile, 2645 feet elevation gain.  No hanky panky, no dawdling -- we were determined to take advantage of the morning's cool temperatures.  As it turned out, a lot of today's ride was shaded by trees.  Nice.

Our ride was interrupted by unexpected construction work, but, The Boyfriend figured out an alternative route that took us into downtown Grass Valley where we had breakfast at this old fashioned diner. 

We were in the thick of it, in the woods, again with smooth paved roads, unlike those in the Bay Area, that made cycling a joy.  Biking along Banner Lava Cap (what a name!), we came across luxury homes in stark contrast to some of the trailer trash areas previously encountered.  These homes were enormous with extremely wide streets, too.  Me, I want a little home like my present place -- I mean I can barely take care of my 900 square feet as it is.  We also came across several dead deer and a few live ones prancing across the street.  Plus Llamas and Alpacas.  I also noticed an abundance of butterflies.  Lovely.  But few birds.

Finishing up early allowed us the opportunity to visit Empire Mine State Historic Park.  We explored the mine and contemplated the hard life of a miner.  I didn't know that miners came from Cornwall, England and brought technology with them, too.

We visited the "cottage".  Whoa, $10k for landscaping and $25K for the home (also included tennis courts, pool, and other facilities) back in 1897.  I don't do this tour justice.  There's a lot of history to read up on.

Walking in the garden, standing tall with the Ponderosa Pines.  The garden also smells pleasantly of rose bushes.

Wow, each afternoon, this happened.  It looked like an iceberg.  Stunning.

One last parting shot appreciating the scenery.  Glad we woke up early and took in as much as we did.