On holiday weekends I try to avoid going out so I don’t have to deal with traffic or crowds, but I wanted to get out for a hike and explore the area aroma my sister’s place. I wasn’t sure how it would be in the Placerville area, though I was hopeful that highway 50 wouldn’t be very busy on Saturday afternoon as most people would have already made their way up to Tahoe. I avoided downtown Placerville as I knew it would be crowded, and took the back way to get to Highway 50, driving on beautiful windy, tree-lined roads. My destination was Horsetail Falls just off of Highway 50, near Kyburz, an area I had passed several times on my way to and from Tahoe, but had never checked out. On the way I stopped briefly at Bridleveil Falls, which was still running pretty well.
I ended up only doing a short hike, getting a far away view of Horsetail Falls and stopping at the Cascades to see tons of water crashing down the rocks. The information I had did not indicate that the trail to falls was 4 miles round trip with a 1,300 ft elevation change. I had not given myself enough time to hike that far especially at 6,000 feet elevation and did not have water with me, so decided to skip hiking to the base of the falls and just enjoyed the beautiful surroundings around me before heading back to my car. I may go out there again during the week when I have a more time.
My next destination was Lava Cap Winery. I read that they had live music on Saturday nights so packed salad, cheese, and crackers. I ended up getting there early enough to do some wine tasting, which I found was much less expensive than in Sonoma and Napa. Apparently most wineries in El Dorado charge only $15 for flights of six or more wines and waive the charge if you buy one bottle of wine, not bad! I bought a bottle of an absolutely delicious Rosé that was my favorite, though they also had a very good Viognier. The views of the vineyards rising up and down through the mountain were beautiful. The staff were very friendly and unhurried, I can see why it’s a popular place.
While I enjoyed my tasting the band warmed up. I could see many families with young children arriving with blankets and coolers of food. There was a food truck on site, called Fatty n Fit’s, which was very popular. As I walked around the lawn looking for a place to sit, I was impressed by the spreads that many people had brought with them. It was a wonderful, casual atmosphere, lots of children running around on the lawn and through the vineyards. A few parents kept a watchful eye, it was great to see the freedom the kids had to roam, there were no signs telling them to keep out. People of all ages chatted while listening to the band play country and folk music. The tables were occupied by older folks, while the lawn was full of families and couples in their 20s and 30s. It was a wonderful way to spend a Saturday evening.
