Recapping the Lost Sierra’s St. Patricks Day Weekend

SIERRA COUNTY REGION — Last weekend provided a much-welcome dose of sunshine and events in the (mostly) Lost Sierra, and we decided to take full advantage of both. It’s not as easy to access everything before the snow melts, but we persevered and were rewarded handsomely.

We’re based in Downieville, so our first event was easy: walk to the St. Charles for their Saturday night St. Patrick’s Day celebration. We entered through the double doors to a sea of green; strands of green lights up and down the posts and draped from here to there and everywhere, along with other green baubles and, of course, all patrons in green. Shout out to Donna or Kim or Sarah or Brad… whichever crew always decorates to make a festive environment for us all. Being our home bar, there were lots of hugs, conversation, and ping pong, plus Amy Clark & The Broad St. Band, who knew their audience and got us out on the dance floor. Best discovery of the night: throw a shot glass of Screwball (peanut butter whiskey) into your pint of Guinness. I may have convinced a few patrons to try it, and it did not disappoint. That walk back up Main Street sailed by as we floated out, thanks to our libations.

Sunday morning, we drove up to Johnsville for the final in their 2024 series of historic longboard ski races. It did take slightly longer from Downieville since Gold Lake Highway is still snow-closed. But as a side note, it’s always fun to drive via Calpine and see the yaks in their field. Once we got to Johnsville, there were many lessons learned during our first-ever outing at this event. Races started at noon, but entrants and observers got there much, much earlier. It was an all-day outdoor celebration. Best prepared were those who brought chairs, layers of clothing to be able to shed throughout the day as the sun grew toasty warm on the crispy white mountain, and sunglasses… holy moly, bring sunglasses. Overachievers brought tents, portable grills, and snow toys for the kids. Dogs were de rigueur. There was beer available from The Brewing Lair, wine from Lost Sierra Wine Company, and food from Sierra Smokeshow Barbecue, which had just opened in Blairsden. There was an ad-hoc band - what style do you call a band with stand-up bass, two ukuleles, a guitar, a banjo, and an accordion, all singing sea-shanty-style songs in a circle? Awesome is what I call them. The races were fantastic, with 2-3 racers shushing down the slope on not-less-than 9-foot skis, mostly homemade and always with leather boots. The fashion of the day was of the late 1800’s, and they showed out. Favorite racer? The young State Parks officer who made it down the hill without falling. I asked his supervisor if he coerced him into it, and he swore he only asked “if he wanted to.” We trekked back out to the car, which was parked a mile away – but there is a shuttle that comes around, so you can park and grab that up and back if you come as late as we did.

Back into the car, we drove back to Downieville, changed out of snow clothes, and put on our green for more St. Patty’s Day celebrations. We went up to Casey’s Place in Alleghany, where the Chicken Fried Cats were playing in the early evening. The trip would normally take 25 minutes up Galloway, but again, no-go cuz of snow, so down 49 to Ridge Road we tow. A bit more than an hour later, we arrived to a nice crowd of people, with Tobin hosting at this private social club. Your naked eye may see a bar, but that’s not how this joint operates. Tobin will explain it to you. There’s a pool table, a bar, tables, a deck, a kitchen, and an extra room where the CFC band set up and the dancing happened. We’ve been there when they had a children’s birthday party too, so it’s very versatile. There was amazing food made (corned beef and cabbage with veggies) that was donation-based, as well as incredible desserts. Tobin’s wife Amber made a delicious chocolate crème de menthe brownie that I will dream about for months. Requisite Guinness was had, albeit without the Screwball, this Sunday afternoon. We would have stayed even longer but had to move along to our final stop of the day.

We are big fans of Caltucky, the “contemporary jamgrass/ new acoustic four-piece band hailing from Northern California’s gold country region.” Strangely, we’ve seen them in a lot of different venues but never in their own backyard. So off we headed to The New Brass Rail in North San Juan for their 8 p.m. show. We got there early, and I finally got to eat because Gold Country Cuisine was set up with not only corned beef and cabbage but also a vegetarian plate. There was chocolate mousse for dessert but I was too full from that brownie at Casey’s Place. As an FYI, this catering team does a brunch every Sunday at the North San Juan Community Center, and the menu looks amazing. To go with my plate, I got a stout on tap. They had quite a few options of beers, and when I say the fact that they had 2-3 stouts made me giddy… you have no idea. Now let’s work on getting some barrel-aged stouts somewhere within 50 miles of Downieville, please, and thank you. I had a lovely conversation with the bartendress while my adventure partners played some pool. There are two very large rooms (2 pool tables!), and they’re both historic and warm and welcoming. We got a table and chairs to watch the band (listen… it’d been a long day) and couldn’t have been happier with our spot. Caltucky did what they do… jammed their bluegrass with a stand-up bass, a guitar, a banjo, and an electric mandoline with beautiful harmonies that made the show the icing on the cake of this great weekend.

Two days, three counties (Sierra, Plumas, Nevada), four events, 170 winter miles, and nothing but sheer joy and satisfaction. Summer’s around the corner, and it only levels up from here!