Yesterday, Claudia, Tuck and I walked into town for a beer at one of our favorite places, Three Forks Bakery and Brewing Company. They're dog-friendly, make amazing breads and pizzas and brew some of the best beer I've had in a long time (crystal clear, pure mountain water sure helps).

It's hard to convey the vibe of the town in a few pictures. In a nutshell, it's an 1850's gold rush town that sits in the beautiful Sierra Nevada mountains. The town has survived for over 150 years, in spite of (or maybe because of) "progress" all around. As a result, the buildings are modern inside (great shops, restaurants, artists studios, etc.), but original on the outside. This concept of preserving the past is the norm in Europe...but very unusual here in the states. Personally, we love it...perhaps because we have spent so much time in Europe, particularly France. The unique nature of the town is evident when you sit and "people watch". Visitors come here from all over California (and the country in general) to escape the traffic, smog, crime and general madness that seems to have taken over many of our larger towns. If you live in one currently, or perhaps have lived in one in the past, you know what I mean.

Gold mining and the money that flowed from it, was responsible for this whole area becoming very prosperous back in the 1850's and to a large extent, it's still wealthy. Old mining equipment is everywhere, as are pictures of the actual mines and miners. Man....these dudes lived a hard life! When I see the pictures of how they worked and lived it makes me feel like a total wimp. Bottom line...enjoy your gold...it came with a very high cost, then and now.

So what follows are just a few pictures of the town. We'll take more and post more, particularly some inside shots of the shops and restaurants. Later, we'll post some pictures of Grass Valley, the sister town to Nevada City. It sits about 5 miles down the road.

Enjoy!

Wayne, Claudia & Tuck