Placerville and Apple Hill

I really shouldn't complain about the sunny weather around here, but as a child of the Midwest there are certain things I miss. I miss a good thunderstorm, weather extremes, and I really miss autumn. Leaves around here just shrivel up and fall off eventually after they can't stand the dryness anymore, so I'm not expecting any sort of lovely fall foliage, but I did find out about an apple growing area near where gold was originally discovered in 1849, bringing a rush of 49ers to California. Placerville, CA and the Apple Hill area provide a semblance of autumn due to the prevalence of apple and pear orchards situated in the Sierra foothills. We decided to take a couple of days and explore the area.

After driving north on 99 to Sacramento and heading east on 50 toward Lake Tahoe, our first stop when we got to Placerville was the historic downtown. There were cute shops, tacky shops, and people dressed in period gold rush costumes (which led to a discussion of whether they just dress like that in general and hang out in downtown Placerville so as not to appear too strange or whether they are some sort of volunteer or paid re-enactors.) It was much too hot to leave the huskies in the car, though, so we headed to Carson Road, the start of the Apple Hill area.

The first Apple Hill merchant we visited was Boeger Winery which offered lovely, shaded picnic tables and welcomed dogs. Sean and the huskies hung out in the shade and I acted as runner, bringing each of the 6 tastings Sean and I sampled, as well as a complimentary snack for the pups. We particularly enjoyed their Pinot Gris and Tempranillo. I also sampled some figs right off the tree.

Munching the free doggie treat from the winery staff.

Sampling the Pinot Gris in the shade.

 

Next stop was Abel's Apple Orchard, but it was basically a disappointment. Stalls of crafts and too sweet apple crisp along with the saddest turkey sandwich Sean has ever seen (but which the huskies rather enjoyed - they're not picky). Instead of sticking around we decided to try another winery, since they rarely disappoint. On to Lava Cap, where we enjoyed the Muscat Canelli and they welcomed the dogs for a walk up and down between the vines.

Sniffing around and watching out for prickers in the paws!

Lovely views in the Sierra foothills.

Grapes ready for harvest.

Finally we headed to Dedrick's Cheese in downtown Placerville which was even better than expected from a pre-trip visit to their website. We tasted cheeses and salami and walked out with a bag full of delicious goodies. Back at the hotel we opened a bottle from Lava Cap, chilled in the ice bucket, and dined on yummy cheeses, La Brea Bakery bread, olives, Marcona almonds, and lime cookies for dessert. The only sad thing about the feast was that it left us too full for dinner out, as I had been looking forward to trying a restaurant in town. 

Day two began with a hike on the Fleming Trail System in El Dorado National Forest. There is a lovely lake and nice trail system that we shared with mountain bikers and horses. The huskies were pretty excited to meet the horses. Kodi marched down the trail as if he had no idea he's approaching 14 and just finished 6 months of chemotherapy. It was lovely, but dusty!

Thirsty hikers!

Satisfied Kodi.

Dusty sneakers!

Since we had a cooler full of ice only partially filled with cheese and salami, we decided to make two more stops in Apple Hill on our way home. The first was Willow Pond Organic Farm where we met some nice folks and bought delicious plums, pears, and eggs. Then we stopped at Smokey Ridge Farm and Charcuterie for homemade sausages (both apple and jerk chicken varieties) and some delicious apples. It's still early in the season for many varieties, but I purchased a bag of Winter Banana apples, which I had never tasted before. They were a pleasant, sweet surprise and I will enjoy snacking on them in my lunch all week as a reminder of our fun weekend in Placerville and Apple Hill.