Vintage Comforts, Sierra Style

The biggest question when we arrived in this pretty village tucked among the golden foothills of the Sierra Nevada: What to do first?

Sure, downtown Murphys is just two blocks long. Main Street, shaded by elms and locust trees, gives the impression of a quiet, simple town, its charm apparent in touches like trash barrels transformed into mini flower gardens.

But as my friend Joanne and I found out during a three-day stay in late September, the historic Calaveras County hamlet has much more to offer. Visitors to Murphys and its environs can see museums stuffed with Gold Rush artifacts or take walking tours of century-old homes. Natural attractions include stalagmite-filled caves and the giant sequoias of Calaveras Big Trees State Park nearby.

Veins of literary history run through these hills too, and travelers easily can spend a weekend walking in the steps of Mark Twain, who mined for gold near here and lived in a cabin that still stands outside town. (Twain put neighboring Angels Camp on the map with his essay “The Celebrated Jumping Frog of Calaveras County.”)

Eleven wineries operate within three miles of downtown. Wine tasting has become such a popular pastime that B&Bs; are packed most weekends, and new coffeehouses and boutiques are opening to serve the growing crowd. Business owners can’t suppress their optimism; they call Murphys the Carmel of the Sierra.

It was the promise of a quiet, unhurried getaway and a picturesque setting that first attracted Joanne and me to Murphys for a rare weekend without husbands or kids. As a treat to ourselves, we splurged a bit: We rented a convertible for sunny drives in the hills and booked a room at the newly opened Angels Hacienda, a 70-year-old mansion that overlooks the countryside a short drive from town. We arranged for a horse-drawn carriage tour of six Murphys wineries as the centerpiece of the weekend. Budget-minded travelers can stay and play for less, but for us, this itinerary was worth the added expense.

I flew from Los Angeles to Sacramento, where Joanne lives, late on a Thursday, picked up the rental car and spent the night at Joanne’s place. Friday morning, we left for the 60-mile drive to Murphys, east on California Highway 16, then south on California 49. The day was bright, and minutes beyond Sacramento we were surrounded by rolling countryside and weathered farmhouses.

Lunch was fantastic at the ivy-terraced courtyard of Susan’s Place in Sutter Creek. We shared an appetizer of roasted garlic and brie, and I devoured a platter of penne in a dense mushroom sauce.

South on California 49 we entered Angels Camp, where frogs leap out everywhere in Twain’s tale--from store windows, city monuments, street signs. Main Street commemorates the story with frogs painted on sidewalks.

From Angels Camp we drove south on California 4 away from Murphys because the town’s inns were full. Weeks earlier, when I called the popular Redbud Inn, owner Pam Hatch said she had just bought a Spanish-style mansion outside town and was putting overflow guests there. After a winding and sometimes rough drive on a potholed country road, we approached the property: Angels Hacienda, a stately, two-story mansion standing among acres of pastures--no cell phone service, no street lights, no power lines in sight. It was the middle of nowhere--and I loved it.

Pam’s daughter, Lisa Watt, waved us toward an antique bar and seats next to a couple of guests from Merced County, and she filled our glasses with Zinfandel and Chardonnay from local vineyards. Joanne and I marveled at the foyer and its two-story-high domed ceiling, where painted angels floated above wrought-iron fixtures and Mexican tile floors. We studied the architecture and sighed at the view. More than an hour passed before we bothered with the luggage.

Because the hacienda wasn’t full, Joanne and I were allowed to take adjoining rooms with a shared bath for the price of one ($185 plus tax per night). Our quarters were small but clean and cozy. Both had pretty views.

The next morning, after a huge breakfast of scrambled eggs, muffins, cake and fruit (included in the nightly rate), we drove 20 minutes to downtown Murphys.

Our hosts for the winery tour, Cristal Wright and Adam Lunge of the Big Trees Carriage Co., welcomed us inside a red velvet-lined white carriage pulled by two black Percherons.

Early into the tour, we realized we could have walked to most of the tasting rooms. But this was a special weekend, so we relaxed and rolled our way toward Milliaire Winery’s tasting room, housed in a 1930s-era former gas station surrounded by oak barrels full of blooming flowers. The owner, Steve Millier, is also the winemaker at Ironstone Vineyards, the largest in the area. Among the white wines at Milliaire, we preferred the 1999 Sauvignon Blanc. Joanne bought a bottle of the 1998 Muscat Canelli ($12), one of Millier’s best offerings.

We visited four other wineries, all family-owned operations. The last was pretty Ironstone, a huge complex about one mile from town, where we had a picnic (included in the carriage tour) on its meticulously maintained grounds.

Joanne and I opted not to elbow our way through the crowd to the tasting bar. Instead we talked with the concierge inside the visitor center and learned how the wineries have helped local innkeepers, restaurateurs and shop owners.

By the time our tour was over, most shops on Main Street had closed. Joanne and I rested on a wooden bench across from the landmark Murphys Historic Hotel and watched the streets empty of tourists and the sky soften as the sun went down.

The hotel opened in 1856 and has sheltered a long list of notable guests. Pages of the original registry are kept at the Calaveras County Museum in nearby San Andreas, but copies here display the signatures of Ulysses S. Grant, Horatio Alger and Mark Twain. Bank robber Black Bart visited three times in 1880 under one of his aliases, C.E. Bolton.

The hotel still welcomes guests and has a popular restaurant. The saloon, though a bit dingy, draws mobs of tourists, bikers and locals. We decided on Murphys Grille down the street for dinner and enjoyed a chat with the amiable owner, Paula Lucas. Joanne and I shared Maryland crab cakes for an appetizer. For entrees, she ordered scampi, and I had a filling filet mignon and garlic mashed potatoes. By the time we finished around 9:30, the restaurant was empty, and so was Main Street. Ah, Saturday night in the country.

We stopped several times on the way back to the inn, turned off the headlights and studied the Milky Way. Back at the hacienda, the couple from Merced County were sitting in lawn chairs counting shooting stars. No. 9 passed overhead while we chatted.

The next day, our last stop before leaving town was Nelson’s Candies. We picked out small bags of handmade treats in the shape of leaves and acorns to take to our children. We packed them carefully in the car and drove off, happy to share a taste of the sweetness we found in Murphys.

Budget for Two

Air fare for one, LAX to Sacramento $154.00

Angels Hacienda, two nights: 403.30

Lunch, Susan’s Place: 38.05

Dinner, Crusco’s: 52.30

Carriage tour and picnic: 130.00

Drinks, Murphys Historic Hotel Saloon: 8.00

Dinner, Murphys Grille: 82.26

Car rental, three days: 214.37

Gas: 28.03

FINAL TAB: $1,110.31

Angels Hacienda, 4871 Hunt Road, west of Angels Camp; for reservations, contact Redbud Inn, 402 Main St., Murphys, CA 95247; telephone (800) 827-8533 or (209) 728-8533, fax (209) 785-8536, Internet https://www.angelshacienda.com.