Apr 28, 2006 5:31 pm US/Pacific
Amador/Lake Camanche
A journey to the Sierra Nevada foothills will reveal a treasure of outdoor destinations in California's scenic Gold Country. Join Tom on a fishing trip to Lake Camanche, where a late winter has kept the fish swimming deep. Then, it's off to Indian Grinding Rock State Historic Park to see how Native American culture still lives on today. Finally, a trip underground to a cave full of helictite crystals is a one-of-a-kind experience!
LAKE CAMANCHE
In the 1960's, the Mokolumne River was dammed as part of California's water resource project. The result? A beautiful reservoir with two distinct appearances: a flat and placid lake that pinches close when it enters the rocky Mokolumne River Canyon. Under the lake, you'll find plenty of stocked bass and trout… and a few underwater ghost towns, as well!
http://www.camancherecreation.com/ LAKE CAMANCHE BOAT RENTALS AND LODGING
Urban Park Concessionaires operates on the North and South shore and provides tent and RV camping, cottage rentals, boat rentals & launch, as well as groceries and camping and fishing supplies.
http://www.norcalfishing.com/camanche.html INDIAN GRINDING ROCK STATE HISTORIC PARK
This small State Park offers one of the most rewarding experiences you can have in the California outdoors: a chance to see, first-hand, how the Native American Miwok Indians lived in the past… and how their culture lives on, today. Careful reconstruction of traditional bark lodges and ceremonial buildings provide the backdrop to North America's largest bedrock mortar. Overnight camping in traditional lodges is available for groups.
http://www.parks.ca.gov/default.asp?page_id=553 BLACK CHASM CAVERN
A steep descent into the earth is the way to find Amador County's largest collection of helictite crystals. These delicate formations bend and twist in all directions, and nobody is sure exactly how they form. You can spend plenty of time taking in their beauty, and your kids will enjoy their own gem hunting on the surface, with the attached museum's interactive display.
http://www.caverntours.com/BlackRt.htm You can find additional information on these outdoors locations and others in Tom Stienstra's guidebooks, available from his website.
http://www.tomstienstra.com Email Tom Stienstra at
tstienstra@sfchronicle.com
