Northern Summer's Storming End

"It never rains in California, but girl don't they warn ya. It pours, man it pours."
                        From "It never rains in Southern California", 
              Albert Hammond (1944-) and Mike Hazlewood (1941-2001)


 

We spent last weekend at Pine Grove, an hour's drive north east of Manteca, in the foothills of the Sierra Nevada mountain range. All week the weather forecasts had been predicting rain, and when it came in on Saturday, boy did it come. It also happened to be the last day of summer, and the temperature drop certainly signalled a seasonal change. At an elevation of just over 2,500 ft, the air was noticeably cooler - definitely no longer time for t-shirt and shorts! Across this northern part of the state, rainfall varied between a half and a full inch of rain, and there was hail, and  even snow in the higher elevations, causing quite a bit of road chaos. However, there was barely a sprinkle in Manteca, so it wasn't across the entire area.

View inside Black Chasm Cavern
(Photo by the author)

After I had enjoyed the wonders of Black Chasm Caverns, in Pine Grove, and returned to terra firma, it wasn't long until the skies began to rumble and the rain began to fall.  Gently at first - but this was just building up for the deluge to come. Along with the thunder was the lightning, viewed from the cosy confines of the Jug and Rose Cafe in Volcano, another town dating back to the early California gold mining days, just a short (5 minutes) drive from my sister's house. We waited out the downpour, and when we ventured outside again, the cobblestoned path was under water and huge puddles of water lined the roadsides. It was like a totally different world. 

Main Street, Volcano
(Photo by the author)

We headed back to the house and it wasn't long before the rains returned, with another solid dump of liquid gold for this thirsty land. We also found ourselves having to make new arrangements  for dinner. We were really looking forward to the Roaring Camp Mining Company's Saturday night BBQ - but because of the rain, for the first time in 50 years, they had to cancel it. Just our (bad) luck! We were really looking forward to that.

The rain eased, and a small group of deer that appeared around the house seemed content with the change in weather. There is something quite soothing about watching wild animals feeding and just going about their business, at peace with whatever weather comes their way. The buck in the group was a quite handsome fellow, and all were always alert to any movements. Even from inside the house any movement can startle them and send them leaping away.

Buck and doe, Pine Grove, Ca.
(Photo by the author)

Left with deciding where to go for dinner, the decision was made to go to Jackson Rancheria Casino Resort. It seems quite odd to see this enormous casino and resort in what might seem the "middle of nowhere", but it certainly is well patronized, and enables the Miwuk Indians to be self-sustaining.  There were several dining choices, but we decided on the Buffet - and what a feast it was! I was careful with my portion sizes so that I was able to sample some of the many "all-American" dishes we often hear about but don't get the chance to taste - southern fried chicken, jambalaya, New York prime rib, collard greens and pork shank, black eyed peas (they are actually beans) and fried corn bread. I tried them all (with New York cheesecake for dessert), plus of course salad, rice, vegetables - and bottomless cups of coffee. Sorry there are no photos - I didn't realise what sort of establishment this was, so was camera-less. I am quite impressed with the Rancheria, and learn and understand a little bit more about the area and the Native American inhabitants each time I visit here. Chaw-Se/Indian Grinding Rock State Park is right next to my sister's property in Pine Grove, and I hope to visit it again next time we're up at the house.

So - a spectacular day, topped off by a stunningly beautiful, stormy moon

Storm moon, Pine Grove, Ca.
(Photo by the author)