We started out Saturday with Breakfast at home and a nice cup of Coffee in Arnold. We decided to head on to San Andreas to go explore Pool Station Road. After hitting an antique store in San Andreas we found Pool Station Road. Pool Station Road is a remote road that follows Highway 49, then 4 out towards Copperopolis. After hitting Highway 4 we decided to turn on Hunt Road and follow it as far as we could. We soon spotted a remote old School house out on the prairie. After traveling for some time we found an old road that was part wagon road part ranch road. This took us to Salt Springs which is at the remote corner of Calaveras County. Below is some information on Salt Springs School House and a picture I took.
Information:
A school was built in the late 1860's in this valley by ranchers Tower and Bisbee. Their ranch, sometimes known as The White House Ranch, also served as a stage and teamster stop on the Milton-Angels road. The schoolhouse was located near the center of Salt Spring Valley, overlooking the reservoir, so as to be convenient to the various ranch families then living in the valley. Mrs. Jacob Tower, (Mary L. Howard), who had come around the Horn in 1863 from Ann Arbor, Michigan, organized parties and dances to raise money for books and furniture for the new school. When the Salt Spring Valley School District was formally organized in 1869, and the new schoolhouse erected four years later, the old Tower and Bisbee school building was moved to the ranch headquarters at Felix to serve as the headquarters at Felix to serve as the post office. There it still stands, the oldest building in the valley other than certain farm structures. The school was closed in 1947 and the district was combined with Copperopolis, Jenny Lind, and Milton two years later. The schoolhouse, however, has been preserved by former students.
Teachers were from 1899-1912: Agnes Foster (Mrs. Willard Tower), Jessie Gourley, Mabel Wilson, Kate Bund, L. Platt, Agnes Gregg, V. Parkhurst, and Rebecca Gardner.
After spending time at the school house we decided to keep on trucking. We followed the road all the way to Salt Springs Road. We then followed another very tight curvy road (Salt Springs Road) past a small reservoir we ended up in Milton. Along the drive we encountered a head of Cows. The cows were everywhere and some were not happy that we were visiting. I have linked a video to this site so you can watch the cows as we drove by them. Both Raylene and I wished Paul and Brad were their they would have loved the Cows especially as they lapped us on the way by.. Follow the link to see the cows.
http://wheelingpiazzas.com/_private/paul/Rover%20Adventures/PICT0040.AVI
After our exploring we were very hungry and we were not to far from Copperopolis so we decided to go get some grub, First we needed to stop by the olive oil company and get freshed pressed olive oil. Then it was time for some chow. What a dinner we were both surprised with a fine 5 course dinner and a very perfect end to a really nice day.
I hope to coninue the Rover adventure with a new trip to a gohst town later in February.
Paul
