Tourists driving from Sacramento or the San Francisco Bay
area toward Lake Tahoe often take Route 50. They pass through Placerville (a.k.a.
Old Hangtown), then along an area called Apple Hill, filled with many orchards
and vineyards. Apple Hill is extremely popular in the fall, when city folk
bring their children to stroll through the orchards, sample a wide variety of
apples, and buy pies and donuts. So popular that the highway may be crowded in
September or October.
Before getting low on gas or groceries, Tahoe-bound people
are apt to stop in Pollock Pines. It has everything they are likely to need
before starting the beautiful but long drive to Lake Tahoe.
At the west end of town, they can take Exit 57 from the
highway, the exit that leads to Pony Express Trail. Yes, this road actually is
part of the historic nineteenth-century trail used to deliver the mail by young
riders on horseback. Near Exit 57 is one of the original stations, now enlarged
and converted to a restaurant called Sportsman’s Hall. Many other stations between
St. Joseph, Missouri, and Sacramento survive, but mostly as ruins. Here, you
can have a meal while surrounded by photos and artifacts of the trail. (It’s
not for foodies, though. The menu is basic meat and potatoes, plus some good
pies and pastries.)
Either by going back to U.S. 50 or by staying on the trail
and continuing east for a few miles, you can reach the east end of Pollock
Pines (Sly Park Rd., Exit 60 from the highway). Along the way on Pony Express
Trail are two good motels, a Best Western and the Westhaven Inn. In what passes
for a downtown, visitors can shop at a Safeway, a CVS, several small
restaurants, beauty shops, auto supply stores, and gas stations. Note: The gas
is a bit higher priced here than in Placerville, back 15 miles to the west, but
it’s a long drive to the next station! A charming branch of the county library
(open Tuesday through Thursday only) and a post office are useful stops for
some visitors. Public restrooms are found in the stores and restaurants.
About six miles south of town on Sly Park Rd. is a large reservoir
called Jenkinson Lake. Nine campgrounds here have spaces for tents and RVs. Fees
for single-vehicle sites range from $32 to $80 a day. Popular with both tourists and locals, the
reservoir offers boating, kayaking, and hiking. You can look at the lake and
check the weather on a webcam [http://www.slyparkweathercam.com/] hosted by
local realtors.
Once past town, and fortified with gas and food, you can
begin the magnificent drive uphill to Lake Tahoe along the American River. Or,
you may decide not to leave but to buy a home and settle down, as I did several
years ago. Like me, many elderly people choose to retire here among the huge
pine trees.
