October 13, 14 and 15, 2000 – Sierra Fall Colors Tour

This was joint tour with the California Chrysler Products Club, the Imperial Owners Association of the Sacramento Valley and the DeSoto Club into the "Gold Country" of California’s Sierra Nevada mountains.

After meeting at Rocklin, a small town between Sacramento and Auburn, we toured the short distance up the old road to Auburn. This alignment was used for US 40 before the freeway and was part of the Lincoln Highway before the advent of numbered US routes in the 1920s. The remainder of the first day was in sightseeing in and around Auburn.

Saturday covered more ground, about 80 miles worth. The first stop was the State Park at Bridgeport. The covered bridge there was built in the 1860s and is said to be the longest single span covered bridge in the world. The next stop was Downieville, the county seat for Sierra County. Sierra County has about 5000 people in it and Downieville is the largest town with about 350 people. The museum there was interesting and the town itself was wonderful to walk around in. In the 1850s it was a very big and busy place of major importance to the gold mining industry.

Another 12 miles up the road was Sierra City, a bit smaller town than Downieville. There we toured the Kentucky Mine. After the mine tour we checked into our lodgings for the night. While most of the participants found lodging in Sierra City or Downieville, we stayed at the wonderful High Country Inn in Bassetts.

Sunday dawned cold and clear, and I had to scrape the frost off the car windows. The starter was a little slower than normal, but the engine kicked right in. So much for freezing temperatures and a nearly 7000 foot elevation affecting the 67 year old car. The tour had its last good opportunity for a group photo a the top of Yuba Pass, then it was down to Truckee for food and fuel. One more regroup at the Donner State Park (the site where the infamous Donner party starved and resorted to cannibalism) and we moved on up over Donner Pass on the old US 40 alignment.

While most of the group headed down California 20 to Nevada City and Grass Valley, we took our leave and drove the fast (but boring) way down I-80 to get back to the Bay Area before dark. Including mileage to and from the tour, we covered about 550 miles in three days. Many thanks to John Tennyson of the Imperial Owners Association for setting up a fine tour.

And an extra special thank you to Marty and Ray Vallero of Vallero’s Automotive of Auburn for getting me back on the road very quickly after a core plug popped out Saturday evening. You saved the tour for me!

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	Parked at the Bernhard Museum in Auburn. An excellent museum with wonderful docents providing lots of information about life in the 1800s.
	The courthouse in Auburn.
	One of the new Lincoln Highway signs that have been placed along the old alignment.
	The motel parking lot with some fine cars ready to roll.
	Our first stop on Saturday, the longest single span covered bridge in the world.
	The Kentucky Mine near the town of Sierra City. We were given a wonderful and informative tour by the volunteer guides here.
	Our lodgings for Saturday night, the High Country Inn in Bassetts.
	I don’t know how the others fared, but we were pampered at the High Country Inn. Wonderful location with a wonderful view. Excellent breakfast. And feeding the trout in the pond was a unique experience.
	Sunday morning: Frost on the pumpkin.
	Regrouped at Yuba Pass, you can see the variety of cars participating in the tour.