This year we packed the car, invited another family with small boys to join us & headed east. Some 2.5 hours later, we were in the bracing cold of the Sierras, wandering through Columbia, CA, one of the busiest towns of the Gold Rush era. To this day, locals wear traditional garb, everything smells of sasparilla and there's even a blacksmith eking out a living. In fact, in 1945, the entire town was designated a State Park- everything is exactly as it was 150 years ago, but with wifi.No cars were allowed along main street, so Dorian rode his bike everywhere. During our traditional weekend, we stocked up on happy memories: panning for gold, feeding the town chickens, visiting the old school house & sketching with Dorian in the early mornings while coffee brewed.
Dorian is in a phase where he loves crystals and minerals and rock treasures, so on Sunday we detoured deeper into the Sierras to explore Moaning Cavern. This ancient cave is so vast, it could actually hold the Statue of Liberty. We signed up for the tour and climbed down a spooky spiral staircase to look at 500,000 year old limestone formations. Dorian trooped down the stairs with no trepidation, but I felt every inch of the 165 feet we were descending.
Climbing up was easier and, 45 minutes later, we smelled a fresh breeze near the surface. As we emerged from the stairwell into the gift shop, Mitch pumped his fist and shouted "Chile!", Dorian raced to find Smoky the cat, and I went outside to sit in the sun.
The view was unforgettable and the formations were fascinating, but I won't be adding spelunking or vertigo to our yearly traditions. How about you? When you were growing up, did you have some favorite traditions that only your family did? Do you still do them today, or have you created new ones?
