The Queen

Nevada City.. The Queen of Northern California's Mining Towns, as it is called, is one of the most carefully preserved towns of the old West. Put on the map by the Gold Rush, N.C. had a population of over 16,000 souls in it's heyday. But like Tombstone, AZ, those glory days evaporated. Located in the foothills of the Sierra Nevada Mountains, it is halfway between Sacramento and Reno. It's 'sister city' is Grass Valley, another 5 minutes away. (That's if you fly low, as most locals do, 15 minutes for me) But that's another posting. Right now, I'd like to acquaint you only with Nevada City and the attractions closest to it, like the South Yuba River and the covered bridge at Bridgeport and/or French Corral.. depending upon which end of the bridge you enter through. The photos show you that covered bridge.. which touts itself as the longest in the United States and is so handsome... downtown Nevada City and the roads leading from Lucia's home... paved roads end a couple of miles from her door. The one-lane bridge photo was taken through the windshield as I was driving back from town. Lucia is part of Nevada City as far as the post office is concerned, but she's only a couple of miles from North San Juan (Pop. 125) while it takes about 30 minutes to go into Nevada City for shopping. There is no cinema, but you can see first run independent films on Sunday evenings at a make-do converted home downtown. Otherwise, you have to go to Grass Valley. This is a big tourist town. It's the tourist trade that supports N.C.'s many restaurants, art galleries,. and boutiques. The entire downtown area is registered as a National Historic Landmark. The year round population is 2,800 residents.. most of whom are tucked up in the foothills. In those foothills are some interesting residences. Mind you, Nevada City isn't just a town, it's an entire way of life. People here have far above average educations. Many are well traveled. Many live here part of the year. Most are very private and, while civic-minded and generous with their support of the community, you can't find their homes if they don't want you to and there's little "dropping in" on people. You go by invitation. And you usually go during daylight hours. There are no street lights out of town, making it impossible to know where you are if you don't live here. In other words, if you wanted to disappear for whatever reason, this would be a good place to go. Temporary living accomodations, like tee-pees, yurts, tents and lean-to's are abundant. Most property owners are willing to have "squatters" on their land for years at a time. Some are charged rent, others.. friends.. are allowed to encamp at no charge. Cell phone service is OK, spotty, or non-existent depending upon the carrier. I have Verizon and it's pretty good. Organic grocery stores outnumber traditional by 3 to 1. Up here on the ridge, there's a small grocery and gathering spot for the locals known as "Mother Trucker's". Great coffee. Good for most needs and to get the gossip. When MTV tried to go to the river a couple of years ago to film a concert, the locals put up signs at "Mother's" to rally the troops and block MTV's trucks from getting up there to film. That effort was successful. They didn't want the "secret" of this place to become common knowledge. Food costs a bloody fortune comparatively. Some grow their own food. Lucia and the property owners, who are now in Hawaii for a few months, share a large garden which is enclosed with a 7 foot fence to keep the deer and rabbits, gophers, etc. out. There is a compost pile within the garden. People keep cats to kill field mice and rats. They keep dogs for an alarm system and to keep coyotes, cougars, bears away. The bears haven't been seen here for a few years now, I'm told by some, but Lucia had one on her back deck recently. The deer are gentle and rather tame. Lucia feeds them and they were visiting daily until Danny chased them away. There is indoor plumbing in Lucia's current home.. which is a step up from my visit 2 and a half years ago, when we brought water in to do dishes and took a walk down a path to the outhouse. Mind you, I had never SEEN an outhouse, but learned to use one comfortably at almost 60 years of age! Never too old to learn! Actually it isn't so bad, but I prefer not to be feeling my way to a small enclosure in an area where cougars are common. You literally cannot see your hand in front of your face here at night without a full moon.But... you should see the stars... big as golfballs. I have a skylight above my bed and go to sleep staring at them. And the river water? Crystal clear. You can see the bottom at twenty feet deep. Lucia's home is heated by a wood stove. There are oil filled radiators in the bedrooms which are used upon rising until the fire is stoked and new wood brought in in the morning. There is no air conditioning, but you don't need it. Although it's as hot as 100+ degrees in July and August, it becomes sweater weather when the sun sets. No humidity.. quite the change from Miami. In fact, Miami is a different world from Nevada City. Miami is as close to visiting a foreign country as you can get without leaving the US. One of the reasons I love it. Nevada City is a much better place to raise children.. little, if any, violence here. In Miami, random violence is on the increase.There are safe pockets, but you have to know the city well and be aware of your surroundings at all times. Here... bears and cougars watching you from the woods. Our four legged neighbors are ever the best people when all is said and done.