We have one of the more interesting commutes from home to work. In the 12 miles we pass through one of the most historical and beautiful regions in California. I have decided to take a photo of my trip everyday and post it here. I want to see if I can find something interesting for the 300 or so days a year we drive this way.
The red building is Graham’s Pear Shed and the white building on the top of the hill is their house. The pear shed dates back to the 1800’s when pears we the king crop around here. No pears anymore as a pear blight went through in the 1950’s and destroyed the industry. Now Graham grows
mandarins, cherries, and a few walnuts which he sells by the side of the road using an honor system. The road is called Cold Springs Road and was the route Marshall took to tell Sutter in Sacramento of his gold discovery.
Grahm planted the oleander around his property about 15 years ago. This time of year the plants are in full bloom and Monica says they are slightly fragrant, although I can’t smell them. We can’t even get oleanders anymore to sell. The growers have too many problems with disease killing them in production and they are hosts to the glassy-winged sharpshooter which is a huge problem for the wine grape industry. One of the most widely planted shrubs in California is virtually impossible to find for sale anymore.
One more picture shows the ride up the hill towards the nursery from Coloma. That’s the Coloma valley below. Here is where Marshall found gold at Sutter’s Mill. The site is right in the center of the picture. It’s a state park and crowded with school kids from all over during the week and tourists on the weekend.
The hills have turned golden for the summer. They won't green up until the rain returns around November.
