Murphys or Sonora would be great. You will have driven through there en route from Amador to El Portal.

But with 4 days to play with another option after Yosemite would be to head over to the coast. You could stay in Monterey/Carmel/Pacific Grove.

We were initially thinking of the coast, which we love, but we also like to minimize driving time. Do you think we could decide at the time and still be able to find decent accommodations a day or two in advance? But I think my wife will vote for staying in the Gold Rush area.

Also, do you think it is worth heading heading up to Marshall Gold Discovery State Historic Park or is there enough to see like that the other towns?

Thanks!

The Deaver family that has the flower farm also has a winery and inn. Worth looking at.

http://www.deavervineyards.com

The Marshall gold discover site in Coloma is worth visiting if you have the time. It is about 25 miles/45 minutes from Plymouth. I might put it on the back burner and if you have the time pop over.

You would definitely want to visit Columbia State Historic Park, but that would be from Murphys/Sonora after time in Yosemite.

Nelson, there was a thread with a link to a story about the coast road that says it may not be fully opened for a year, so maybe the inland route will be better in terms of planning.

>>Nelson, there was a thread with a link to a story about the coast road that says it may not be fully opened for a year, so maybe the inland route will be better in terms of planning.<<

In this case I would probably stay in the foothills . . . But to clarify the road closures in Big Sur would not affect visiting Monterey/Carmel/Pacific Grove which is what I mentioned above.

janis, thanks much for pointing out Columbia State Historic Park. That looks great! We'll definitely go there and so far it had slipped under my radar. Given that we'll put the Marshall site on the back burner as you suggest.

Thanks for the Deaver Vineyards tip MichelleY. I've got it bookmarked.

emalloy, I just saw the thread about the flooding and damage along Big Sur. Sorry to hear about that.

Superliner Roomette is a tiny compartment - I was by myself, couldn't even stand up when the door was closed, and I tried to change clothes for the night.

Don't know what age you are, how good you knees are - sleeping is a bunk bed, one of you will have to climb up, and it's a small space, not for claustrophobics.

In the morning the attendant will make the lower bed into 2 seats facing each other, in the evening s/he will make the beds. I remember, water and juices were out for all to take, shower at the end of the car.

Thanks for the heads up Dayenu. We decided to spring for the big bucks and booked the Superliner Bedroom. It's a little more than twice the size of the Roomette, though that includes toilet and shower.

We are small people, and knock-on-wood our knees are still OK, so we should manage. But we haven't set our expectations too high.

My parents love taking Amtrak and have done this route many times. I'd recommend checking train status a few days to a week before your trip. We had a family reunion in Lake Tahoe two summers ago and the train was running 24 - 36 hours late so my parents had to reschedule so they didn't miss the reunion. They would've been fine waiting since they are used to the delays, but my brother strongly reminded them that the purpose of the reunion was to celebrate their 50th Anniversary. They ended up taking the southern route which added time to their trip but it didn't bother them one little bit.

They were on a train about 5 years ago, had the door to their compartment open and Ernie Banks walked into their room for a chat. It made my dad's day!

I'll look forward to your trip report!

P.S. Tell your wife I love the demonstration garden at CSU.

wtm003, thanks for that info about the possible delays leaving Denver. I hadn't considered that, but I'll keep an eye on it. Our plan is to take the Bustang from Fort Collins the day before and spend the night in Denver near Union Station, for the (supposedly) 8:00 AM-ish departure.

Ernie Banks!! Wow, that is a name I haven't thought of for a long time, but I immediately recall his strong, lean face. That is cool. That would make someone's day. I recall he died not long ago, just looked it up, two years past.

Congrats to your folks on getting to their 50th!

My wife helps plant the CSU gardens, then works with judges when they go around to analyze the results. After the plantings are done she usually winds up with a sample flat to bring home for our garden. I'll let her know what you said. Thanks!

When I posted about the UCD Arboretum -- I didn't realize your wife works at the Colorado State gardens. In that case (not being a typical "ooh, isn't that a pretty flower bed" visitor ;) ), she might really enjoy the UC Davis facility. Don't want to confuse things - maybe just go over their website and make the determination.

I'd still probably opt for the Amador wine country and garden instead because the whole region is interesting, but you might be 'special cases'.

But if Amtrak is 30 hours late none of this is relevant >)

Thanks for coming back on that janis. She looked at UCD website and would no doubt love the place. We'll keep it on the list of possibilities, but it may fall into the "you can't see everything" category.

However, we also just discovered that the Sacramento Old City Cemetery has a small California Native Plant Society demonstration garden, and a historic rose garden.

That, along with the capitol rose garden, museums, and pubs should keep us pretty busy in town!

Amador area will still be a stop.

>>the Sacramento Old City Cemetery has a small California Native Plant Society demonstration garden, and a historic rose garden. <<

Yes! Now you need to stay a week in Sacramento ;)

The way we travel I'm sure a week in Sacramento would be enjoyable.

If we were staying longer I'd suggest a mini-GTG, but with only two nights and a possible late arrival it's not a good idea.

But thanks much for your help!

Re: Fox & Goose mentioned by janisj - I got a "Proper English breakfast" there early one morning between trains.
It's not just a pub.
You can check out the Capitol grounds on the way back to Old Sac or the train station.

>>It's not just a pub<<

What do you mean? It is <u>exactly</u> 'just a pub'. Maybe you think a pub is just a bar?????

It is a pub without a doubt. It's also a good place to get an early breakfast.
I usually think of a pub as a place that opens sometime after noon and stays open until about midnight.
I walked down from the train station because my favorite breakfast place (Jim Denny's) was closed that morning.

If anyone else is interested, we rented a car in downtown Sacramento and will return it at the airport for only a $12 drop off fee.

In addition, the downtown rental office will pick us up at our hotel at no addition charge beyond tip for the driver. Works out perfectly.

Fox & Goose looks great for breakfast, lunch or dinner. For us they even have have several "Vegetarian Pub Grill" items on the breakfast menu!

If you wanted to save the drop fee you could drop your passengers and luggage at the airport and take the car back downtown. The driver rides the YOLO bus 42B back out to the airport. http://yolobus.com/routes/index.php/42B
I have also used this bus to get out to the airport to rent a car.