Bear Valley's First Snow of the Season (video)

(If you can't see this video, click here.)

Skiing and Safety in the Mother Lode

It's happened. 28 new inches of snow at Dodge Ridge (story here). And so (finally) this is the weekend that the skiers are going to be hitting the slopes in the Mother Lode. And when you're skiing (and anywhere in the snow country for that matter) it's just so important to do all you can do to be safe and to protect yourself. And I know it's not necessarily kosher, but the best way to avoid injury when skiing is to wear a helmet. For more safety tips to keep in mind while plowing through the white stuff, click: Tips for Safe Skiing. For direct information and weather conditions from the ski sites across the Mother Lode (as well as the ski play areas), click: Dodge Ridge, Bear Valley, Badger Pass, Leland High Sierra Snow Play, Cottage Springs Ski & Play Area. Enjoy your time in God's country.

Test Your Knowledge of Murphys

Coming at you again with another quiz (#6 for those of you counting). Of course, we have a Sugar Pine Realty office in Murphys in Calaveras County. But does anyone know of the history of that Mother Lode town? It's a "rich" history (no pun intended) just like for every town in the Mother Lode. (Actually, much gold was discovered in Murphys, too!) Find out how much you know about Murphys by trying to answer the following questions:

1. The town of Murphys was founded by and named after the following brothers (pick two): (a) John Murphy; (b) Eddie Murphy; (c) Daniel Murphy; (d) Audie Murphy.

2. How much gold was mined in Murphys and the surrounding area in the middle 1800s? (a) $20,000; (b) $200,000; (c) $2,000,000; (d) $20,000,000.

3. The town of Murphys was destroyed by this type of disaster three times in its early history (1859, 1874 and 1893): (a) mosquitoes; (b) indians; (c) fire; (d) earthquakes.

4. One of the oldest continually operating hotels in the state of California is the Murphys Hotel. Some of the folks who have stayed there include: (a) John F. and Jacqueline Kennedy; (b) Ulysses S. Grant and Mark Twain; (c) Bret Harte and John Muir; (d) Richard Nixon and Gerald Ford.

5. Among the many who were attracted to Murphys during the Gold Rush were the following (famous/infamous?) outlaws: (a) Frank and Jesse James; (b) Joaquin Murietta and Black Bart; (c) "Wild Bill" Hickok and Billy the Kid (d) Pretty Boy Floyd and the Dalton Gang.

6. The 2000 census had the town of Murphys at roughly 2000 in population. At the height of the Gold Rush era, the population of the town was approximately: (a) 3000; (b) 750; (c) 1500; (d) 1000.

7. A great celebration of heritage takes place each year in the town of Murphys. What heritage is highlighted? (a) Italian; (b) French; (c) Russian; (d) Irish.

Answers: 1. (a) & (c) 2. (d) 3. (c) 4. (b) 5. (b) 6. (a) 7. (d)

(This test was developed and based on information from the following websites: Wikipedia entry for Murphys and History of Murphys.)