I grew up in Glacier National Park in the breathtaking State of Montana. I have lived and traveled all along the west coast, living as far North on the Olympic Peninsula of Washington State bordering Canada, to the Baja border of San Diego offering Panoramic views of the Pacific Ocean. I have lived in small Inland and Coastal towns in Washington, Oregon and California, that have left lovely and memorable impressions, but it wasn’t until I moved to the Coloma-Lotus Valley that I truly found home.
Over 7 years ago my husband & I took a year long assignment in Lotus, California just 1 mile from the historic 1849 Gold Rush Town of Coloma, California. We thought we’d check it out for a year and then move on to another place, which fit our nomadic lifestyle. Then one year wasn’t enough…there was just so much to see and do! So, we decided to extend our position and stay for another year. But we continued to fall deeper and deeper in love with the area; the history, the recreation, the community and residents, the weather, the proximity to mountains and cities and oceans, but all tucked in the quiet Sierra Foothills with the South Fork of the American River running right through it.
I was having coffee with my husband the other morning who prompted me to write this blog. I told him that every morning I rise to my feet and pull open the curtains to reveal one of my favorite views in the world, my back yard! For nearly 300 days of the year the sun is shining on the river sending sparkles through the whitewater. The hills change from Spring green, to speckled orange and purple from poppies and lupine, to a golden hue from the Summer heat. I feel so fortunate to have found this gem of a place that truly makes me “wake up happy” nearly everyday! Now, if I could just get our families in the Northwest and New England to move closer to our Coloma-Lotus paradise!
Recently, a few of our local businesses were “secret shopped” by some travel writers that seemed to share my extremely biased view of the area. Check out this article to learn more:
Discovering a Luxurious Hideaway in the California Gold Country
Until next time…happy trails and CHEERS!