Friday, April 20, 2012
Wednesday, April 11, 2012
Downieville Downhill
Dropping 5,000 vertical feet in 17 miles from Packer Saddle to Downieville, the Downieville Downhill is the longest and most demanding downhill mountain bike race in the nation. This prestigious race course follows the paths of the Sunrise Trail, Butcher Ranch Trail, Third Divide Trail and First Divide Trail. It's big, it's bad and it's beautiful.
Sunrise Trail is a newly constructed trail, located mostly on private land at the top of Packer Saddle (elevation 7100'). It was designed and built by the staff at Yuba Expeditions and by volunteers working with the Sierra Buttes Trail Stewardship. Described by some as a Pump Track, the Sunrise Trail proudly features banked turns, reverse grades, rolling dips and even a few G-outs. It is an action-packed, adrenaline-rushing, heart-pounding two miles of trail, and it's only the beginning. The 2 mile trail stretches back and forth across the hillside connecting Butcher Ranch Trail.
Butcher Ranch Trail is the trail that made Downieville famous for singletrack, and it's for good reason - this trail rocks! Butcher starts as a steep, 40+mph doubletrack with two-wheel drifty corners and big, smooth table-top jumps. Fun if you're fresh, nerve racking if you're fatigued. After a little more than a mile, Butcher narrows down to a tightly forested, rocky singletrack. The trail is fast, it's slow, it's smooth, it's rocky as hell; metaphorically speaking, Butcher Ranch Trail has it all, including a 700' climb midway to the Third Divide trailhead. This painstaking climb is where the Downieville Downhill can be won or lost. Racers either stand up and pin it, or lower their head in exhaustion and defeat. Which will you be?
The Third Divide Trail is 3 miles of Sierra singletrack bliss, and despite being the fastest section of the course, it's where racers must find a way to relax and regain some composure after the climb. Third Divide drops into the Lavezzola Creek drainage and eventually hooks-up with First Divide Trail, a 2.5 mile roller coaster where the real pedal work starts. It's also another section of the course that can make you or break you. Following First Divide is a 1.5 mile sprint down Main Street to the finish line. The Downieville Downhill is the Ironman of mountain bike downhill events and we're proud to be able to bring it to you.
- Downieville Classic
Sunday, April 8, 2012
Nearby treasures: Lakes Basin
Stamp mill for the Young America Mine situated above Lower Sardine Lake
South of Mohawk Valley, the Lakes Basin Recreation Area contains dozens of great fishing lakes, most of them accessible by hiking and horse trails. Gold Lake, the largest, has a boat landing and nearby stables. A number of quaint lakeside lodges in the area offer rustic accommodations and fine dining.
Formed by glaciers and filled with remnants of the gold rush, the Lakes Basin area offers pristine camping, hiking and mountain biking. The most prominent feature on the landscape is the Sierra Buttes, a series of jagged peaks reminiscent of the Swiss Alps, with a hiking trail to the top.
The Gold Lake Highway through the Lakes Basin area is not plowed during the winter, making it a popular playground for snowmobilers and cross-country skiers.
- plumascounty.org
North Yuba River Trail Map
The North Yuba Trail is a hiking and mountain biking trail that begins in the historic mining town of Downieville and travels four miles to the village of Goodyear's Bar, another of Sierra County's historic communities. The trail then leaves Goodyear's Bar and continues south along the east side of the North Yuba River to Indian Valley. The trail ends at Rocky Rest Campground where a pedestrian bridge brings hikers and mountain bike riders back to the west side of the river. The trail's creation was a cooperative effort of the Sierra Buttes Trail Stewardship and the U.S. Forest Service.
-http://www.sierranevadageotourism.org
Nearby treasures: Brandy City
Brandy City, formerly known as Strychnine City, is an unincorporated community in Sierra County, California, United States. Brandy City is 7.5 miles (12.1 km) west of Goodyears Bar.
Brandy City (originally known as Strychnine City) was one of the most extensively hydraulic mined areas of Sierra County. In 1854 the "Sierra Citizen" newspaper reported 150 miners at work with sluices in the dry diggings. The dry winters of the early 1860's caused many miners to leave the area, but new finds caused a renewed interest in the area in 1867.
The towns water supply came from a flume that connected the town and mines to Canyon Creek 10 miles away, it became known as the Brandy City ditch. Hydraulic mining flourished into the 1880's. The Brandy City Mining Company in 1883 began construction on a 3,400 foot long sluice tunnel which was to be completed in 1885. The company brought in tunnel digging machinery on the first teams and wagons ever to arrive at the town from the outside world. With the new machinery in place, the future looked bright, until the Sawyer Decision in 1884 brought an end to Hydraulic mining.
The "Mountain Messenger" newspaper 7/23/1882 reported the impact of the Sawyer Decision on Brandy City:
"Times are dull at Brandy City, but we are living in hopes that the mine will be allowed to run, which will change matters greatly. The company will continue working the mine if the debris case, which is now before the U.S. Circuit Court, is decided in their favor."
Despite the fact that the appeal was lost, mining continued in a limited basis at Brandy City. Hydraulic mining enabled Brandy City to hang on as a mining camp for several years, and it was reported that the town was "going along quite nicely" in 1911.
Today nothing of the town site remains, but we did find wood ruins with square nails and a nice old cemetery in the forest and the main hydraulic pit which makes for a fun short mountain biking ride.
-ghost town explorers
Goodyears Bar wiki description
Goodyears Bar, known as Slaughter's Bar before 1851, is a census-designated place (CDP) in Sierra County, California, United States. Goodyears Bar is located along the North Yuba River and California State Route 49 3.25 miles (5.23 km) west-southwest of Downieville. Goodyears Bar has a post office with ZIP code 95944. The post office opened in 1851.
-Wikipedia
-Wikipedia
Goodyears Bar
Goodyears Bar was named for two brothers by the names of Miles and Andrew, who came looking for gold in 1849. In 1862, there were 3,000 to 5,000 people, and 51 businesses in town, with gold being the main economy. The town burned in 1864 and was never rebuilt, except for the post office which is still in operation. Historic buildings remaining include the Helms’ St. Charles Inn, a B&B, and the School House, now a community center that serves as a church on Sundays.
- Sierra County Gold
Welcome to Downieville
aka as the "forks"...where the Downie River and North Fork of the Yuba River meet.
Saturday, April 7, 2012
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