GOLD of the MOTHER LODE

Want your business featured on Gold of the Mother Lode? Everyone can shine on Gold of the Mother Lode and it's so easy. Simply join up and make a blog post, share your flickr photos, add an event to our calendar, post in the forum, or upload a video. You just never know who will show up on our front page - it could be YOU!
Invite a Friend or Two
Everyone knows a neighbor or local business that could use a little boost. Why not use the Invite link in the top menu to invite them to join our group?

At 130 miles, Stage 4 is the longest stage of the 2012 Amgen Tour of California, and possibly the most difficult. This will be the race's first visit to Sonora, a town that many consider to be the best preserved Gold Rush town in California. There is no question about the important role that Sonora played in the Gold Rush, and today it serves as both the gateway to Yosemite National Park (just 75 miles away) and the seat of Tuolumne County. Sonora has California history written all over it, and you need look no further than the location of the Stage 4 race start. As the riders roll south from the start, it will be easy to imagine what it was like more than 150 years ago as wagons rolled down the same road.

Not many cities of just over 5,000 people can boast of having Yosemite National Park, the best preserved 1849 gold rush era town (Columbia State Historic Park) and a top railway museum (Railtown State Historic Park) in the "neighborhood. Add to that, a vibrant arts scene (two award winning repertory theater companies), numerous art galleries and a year-around schedule of entertainment and events that would rival many major American cities and you have it all in Sonora, CA.