NOW is the Time to be in the Wine Country

The wildfires were national news, and deserved to be. Fire devastation leaves its own peculiar mark on the landscape, hopping over a house or vineyard here and there, but scorching everything in its path a few feet away. There's plenty of it to see in Northern California's wine country. But that's not the reason to go. All of northern California pitched in to provide emergency services and shelter - America is right to be proud of the continued generosity of the people and organizations there.

Though visitors can see the devastation from Highway 101, Rte.12 around Sonoma, and many major roads through the area, what can also be seen are dozens of "We're Open" signs at almost all wineries, shops and restaurants, interspersed with "Thank you, First Responders" hand-made signs everywhere.

The locals there are making a point to patronize their own, but let's face it: Sonoma, Napa, Mendocino and Lake Counties - those hardest hit - rely on visitors from out of town to survive.  And now they REALLY need to see your smiling faces.

This is also the time to buy wine, since what's available are last year's whites and reds from excellent years preceding the big burn. Many vineyards have been saved post-harvest (that is, they were harvested and processed before the fire), so the wine industry in this beautiful area will go on.

If your heart was touched by the enormous losses suffered by so many in this area, the thing to do is GO. Taste wine. Stay in a gorgeous spa/hotel. Know that your contribution is a blessing for the thousands of residents and businesses that make the wine country home.  Be part of Sonoma Strong.

Gold Country/Columbia, Gem of the Mother Lode

Strolling the streets of Columbia (Photo: Bonnie Kamin Morrissey)

Everyone has heard the story of Sutter’s Mill, and how workman James Wilson Marshall found a few flakes of shiny stuff in a nearby brook in 1848; word spread to San Francisco and the subsequent gold rush built that city from a sleepy Spanish colony of 1,000 souls to a megalapolis of 100,000 in a year. Miners competing for claims spread out, and gold was found in the town of Columbia in 1850, many miles south of the original discovery site; between the first grains panned out of a boulder-strewn stream and the early 1900s, $87 million in gold was removed from the surrounding hills. Unlike many boomtowns of the Mother Lode, Columbia wasn’t deserted when easier methods of gold extraction petered out: because the lack of flowing water in the area didn't lend itself to destructive placer mining, the town remained a pleasant place to live. Though the population dwindled from several thousand to less than 500 at a low point, locals lobbied to make the town into a State Historic Park, succeeding in 1945. Buildings that were once hazardous were refurbished over time to create a sort of *Williamsburg West of the Gold Rush period (without the high prices to get in the buildings—all of the buildings, parking, and tours are free in Columbia).

Photo: Bonnie Kamin Morrissey

Though the historic part of town covers only a few blocks, many buildings have costumed interpreters that enlighten visitors as to who lived and worked there (the nonprofit Friends of Columbia sponsors interpretation and education). A stagecoach takes riders around the town for a fee, and many of the storefronts house real businesses; some with touristy souvenirs, others with more substantial products like leatherwork and ironwork. 

Hot babe on the Fire Engine

There are displays of authentic period goods in a few buildings (the pharmacy and firehouse are particularly interesting), a couple of restaurants, and a playhouse that features modern performances. 


Two of the original hotels of the era are nicely refurbished and open for business: the Columbia City Hotel (most rooms have a toilet and sink, with shower down the hall) and the Fallon Hotel; both run from $50 to $105 per night, depending on choice of room. The state park has also fixed up three “modern” cottages in town ($115-155).

The upstairs parlor of the Columbia Hotel

Yes, it is touristy, though not at the level of Disneyland, where every shop sells trinkets emblazoned with Mickey Mouse. It's more of a cross between a well-preserved ghost town and a small-town downtown. I found the interpreters—often volunteers—to be a friendly font of information—they love what they do. In a following blog, I’ll review a few of my favorite places in this charming little historic town.

Inside the Pharmacy (Photo: Bonnie Kamin Morrissey)

Columbia State Historic Park, 11255 Jackson Street, Columbia CA 95310

http://www.parks.ca.gov/?page_id=552

Map to this location

*You can read about Federal-era Williamsburg, VA in MoonHandbook: Chesapeake Bay

 All Photos by Joanne Orion Miller unless otherwise noted.