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a rainy afternoon at Murphys

Far from the madding crowd... that's how I'd describe my visit to Murphys, California. It's a small quaint city in the Calaveras county, a world away from what tourists normally think of California (for instance: beaches, LA, and San Francisco). This is such a small town that people knew each other. At least that was my impression as I sat down to warm up in a bakery along the main street with Ate Maddie, JP, Mommy, and Daddy (it was a rainy afternoon, after all). The cashier/shop owner warmly greeted everyone who came into the bakery. It made me feel hungry after our tour of Mercer Caverns.

It helps that the food displayed looked yummy and that the bakery smelled so delicious.







After our warm snacks, it was time to explore the main street. Ate Maddie said that this place is a tourist location during the Irish Day parade in March. This is because the earliest Caucasian settlers in the area were Irish. But on this damp December, we were a few of the people walking along the sidewalks. I find it a good time to look at shop fronts because there's not a lot of jostling going on.





It's interesting to see that the town was able to maintain many of its old structures. It's so small that it's relatively easy to trace who originally owned the buildings. Also, the presentation made me think of the wild west because the fonts used were similar to what I see in cowboy movies.


There's also a wall filled with plaques for famous residents. Speaking of fame... we went into one of the oldest hotels still operating in the area. We learned there that the likes of Mark Twain (yes, the guy who wrote The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn) and Ulysses S. Grant (yes, the celebrated Army general during the Civil War and who eventually became the 18th president of the USA) found their way to Murphys.


But aside from its interesting history, Murphys is also known for its vineyards. On our way back to the parking lot, for instance, we passed by several wine tasting rooms and shops.












Yep, this small city is definitely an interesting place. I felt like I was in Enchanted Kingdom because it felt surreal. I wonder when I'm going to visit the place again.
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