Just when you think you’re running out of places to explore nearby, something new comes along. Tuttletown Recreation Area is located on New Melones Lake, not too far from Angels Camp. It’s about a three hour drive for us, but the roads are easy and newly paved. Our site was located in the Acorn campground, which is high above the lake, making for some really nice views.
We accidentally stumbled upon the exact time when this area is the most lively: during the Calaveras County Fair & Jumping Frog Jubilee. Jumping frogs were the only thing I’d ever heard of related to Calaveras County and I have some regret over not venturing into town to experience any of it. Richard got out on Saturday for a bike ride up to Murphys and let me know that parking would be non-existent due to the impressive number of motorcycles. At first, there were “hundreds,” then “thousands,” then eventually “millions/billions.” I have no way of actually verifying numbers, but I can attest to the high numbers of biker/campers who had taken over the entire tent loop of the campground. Not sure about billions, but there were “many.”
I did not attempt fair visiting, but instead finished what I hope is the last report of the school year and then checked out the rest of the campground. The Manzanita loop looked like it had access to the water for possible boat launching, but the sites down there are very exposed, and the last part of the loop is unpaved, therefore dusty. I liked the site we had in Acorn because we got lake views, plus solar, plus a shady spot to sit. I also checked out the Glory Hole campground for a future visit and there is a nice launch area in Angels Creek. That’ll be for a future visit. I also got a nice view of a nesting Osprey, so that was pretty cool!
Nice, therapeutic weekend to soothe the end of year blues. We will definitely check out the Glory Hole campground some time. It will be important to time it when it’s not too hot and we will try to remember to bring our own water, as the campground water was a bit rusty colored and smelled of chlorine. Now that I know where to go, I can imagine some nice paddling around here too. Plus, we’ve never really explored Angels Camp either. Fun to have new territory not too far away!
Total miles: 121.8, 16.6 mpg, 3 hours 36 min. Site: 67 Acorn. Nice. 41 looked nice too, but perhaps not that level. In the Manzanita loop, sites 109-117 are closer to the water, site 107 looked particularly nice. Good LTE for both. Vault toilet in the upper Acorn loop, but regular bathroom, with showers, down a bit lower.
