This was the most fun camping trip I have ever been on. Andy took us Ghost Towning in the gold rush country. Dirt roads, mosquitoes, off-road camping, mining towns, and lots of weird historical detritus. Crazy Cemeteries. We almost died hiking to the Yuba River on an insane trail. god it was fun!
Forest City was completely abandoned. Population 40, but no one to be seen.
People left all kinds of things lying around,
cars, snowmobiles, ovens.
Hydraulic mining in Malakoff Diggins ruined the soil, trees, water, and pretty much everything is still screwed up 125 years later. But man, it made for some beautiful scenery. Just not natural.
Kids went to school here a long time ago. There were separate outhouses for girls and boys.
This schoolhouse did not fare so well over the years. We got to go inside and it was really creepy and falling apart.
There was still a stove and an easel tho.
One of the trip highlights was finding a mine Andy and Allegra could go into (I dont do enclosed spaces well). Well, it was really a drainage tunnel, but close enough.
We camped near Woodruff Creek. Appropriately, Andy fell in.
The Yuba River is amazing. It's super cold with run off from the Sierras, but I recommend checking it out. The whole area is really pristine, remote, private.
