07-06-2025
We struck Gold on this visit to US state – and you should too
It has been 25 years since I visited the States and the last time I was in America, I was getting a selfie with Minnie Mouse at Disney World in Florida.
So what better way to reintroduce America to me as an adult than to head for California's Tuolumne County – the heart of Gold Country where thriving Gold Rush towns put the region on the map. Here, you'll meet real life cowboys and cattle ranchers. Sadly, none I could take home to mum.
After 10 hours on an Aer Lingus flight direct from Dublin to San Francisco, we travel around three hours to Sonora, the largest town in Tuolumne County. This quaint town offers a glimpse into the past with their preserved saloons, historic buildings and museums.
Our first stop is bedtime. We arrived at The Inn on Knowles Hill, a gorgeous boutique bed and breakfast hotel overlooking the town of Sonora. It's been 14 hours since I last saw Ireland and I was looking forward to my bed.
We were immediately greeted by owner Rhonda Buess, who runs this charming hotel with her vintage car obsessed husband couple have been married since 1992 and have spent over $1M renovating The Inn on Knowles Hill - and boy, does it show.
The Inn is 12,500 square feet of home away from home. I've never slept in a bed with the softest of pillows and the most comfortable mattress. It was so big, I joked I'd need a ladder to climb in.
After a peaceful night's sleep, it was time for breakfast. But this was no grab and go situation – I was in America now. For every guest, Rhona prepares a two-course breakfast that sets you up for the day.
For our first course, Rhonda served us organic bosc pear poached in cardamom spice, filled with vanilla bean creme with raspberry coulis and toasted almonds. Our second course arrives – Aebleskivers (Danish pancakes) served traditionally with raspberry jam and Chantilly cream. The dish was accompanied with Knowles Hill eggs florentine, a recipe designed at The Inn and some turkey bacon.
The food isn't the only thing that kept us talking on our trip – The Inn is steeped in history. Rhonda tells me: "The house was built in 1927 for a Swedish man called Charles Segerstrom. He had stock in the West in a lumber company. He was president of Royal Bank. He had hotels in San Francisco, but his primary money making was from mining.'
Rhonda explains that each of the eight rooms at The Inn are all named after the famous people who have stayed there, including President Herbert Hoover, Supreme Court Justice, Earl Warren, Helen Keller, Ruth Bryan Owen and Melvin Belli.
'We've even had Motley Crew," she boasted.
Most people who buy a hotel nowadays want to modernise it – but Rhonda and Fred wanted to restore it back to the roaring 20s. They are the third owners and bought the house in 2005. The previous owners had decorated it hot pink.
"We opened in 2012. It took about seven years to get ourselves established.'
Guests are not only treated to Rhonda's excellent cooking skills but they will also be accompanied by Fred downtown in one of his vintage cars. He owns several vintage Rolls Royce's which he proudly shows off out the front of this charming must stay hotel.
After a peaceful night's sleep, we took a trip to Railtown 1897 State Historic Park where we met train enthusiast Daniel train station welcomed the first steam train back in 1897 to crowds of 5,000 and is a hit with fourth graders on school tours.
From April until October, the train station runs excursion train rides as well as The Polar Express, which runs in November and December and "always sells out," said Daniel.
The station was also home to some of Hollywood's 200 famous films, including High Noon, Back To The Future III and Petticoat Junction.
'Locomotive No.3 is by far the most famous here. She's been in more movies and TV shows than in Hollywood. Hollywood loved it. It has a classic style and it's cute.
Sonora is also home to Columbia's State Historic Park, which is another hit with kids. But for the adults too, the western themed town features plenty of restaurants and bars to keep cool from the Californian sun.
After digging for some gold at Columbia, thirsty travellers can head to Indigeny Reserve to sample some cider from the local sits on a stunning 160-acre preserve and apple orchard and is a hit with locals, especially on Valentine's Day.
Our tour guide Cassandra takes us through the fruits of their labour from this family run business, which employs just 12 people, and was started by retired couple Jay and Judy Watson. Cassandra brings us through the process of harvesting the apples from their 30,000 trees.
'When we are harvesting our apples, we are harvesting over 52 varieties. 'Each year is different, depending on the seasons, whether we get a lot of water, whether our blossoms did great that year, we can range about 300,000 pounds of apples to a million pounds of apples. And so when we're harvesting, we harvest everything, even the imperfectly, perfect apples. This whole entire range here we have about 30,000 trees.'
As well as feeding the cider thirsty customers, Indigeny feeds a plethora of wildlife from harvested apples that hit the orchard a day of tours, we head downtown – courtesy of Fred in the Rolls Royce – and arrive in style at a local dive bar, where my colleague hustles a few unsuspecting locals in a game of pool.
The next day, we leave Sonora and head to Yosemite National Park for two days hiking. Yosemite is well worth a visit for any traveller who loves the outdoors. It's an hour and a half from Sonora and the views are breathtaking along the way.
The side of the park we're exploring is the road less travelled. We met our tour guide Gabriel for a two-hour hike to Hetch Hetchy – an hour and a half from the popular Yosemite Valley.
Hetch Hetchy, whose reservoir supplies the water for all of San Francisco, is a hidden treasure that lies in the northwest portion of Yosemite National Park. It's a jaw-dropping trail, way less crowded than other areas of the park, and is a perfect weekend backpacking trip for any level of experience.
It sees fewer than 100 visitors a day, compared to the 19,000 day tourists to Yosemite Valley. And to rest your tired legs after, there's Rush Creek's Lodge and Spa.
The hotel is the newest Yosemite spa resort, featuring incredible indoor and outdoor spa elements inspired by the natural beauty and power of Yosemite. But for those who prefer to sleep under the stars – Evergreen Lodge Yosemite is the perfect spot and just 20 minutes from Hetch Hetchy.
Pick from family cabins, glamping tents or couples cabins – but be warned those who glamp need to remember the dress for the elements for bed. It gets very cold at night in Yosemite. Evergreen Lodge also offers all guests complimentary smores for that real American experience as well as heated saltwater pool and hot tub amongst the pines.
The next day, we headed for the Tuolumne Grove of Giant Sequoias for a blissful two-hour hike amongst the two dozen mature giant sequoias. This strenuous walk is worthwhile when you come across these giants in the middle of the forest.
After our hike, we head for a quick lunch stop at Around The Horn for a tasty American Hot Dog. And to quench your thirst, this bar offers a beer flight so customers can explore all the bar's different craft beers on offer.
We head back on the road to shake our tail feathers on the last stop of the trip – The Chicken Ranch Casino.
This casino underwent a massive $400 million renovation and caters to all your entertainment needs. It's non-smoking and its general manager Todd DeRemer spent 14 years of his working life managing a casino in Las Vegas, so he decided to bring his 33 years' experience in the gaming industry back to North America.
The Chicken Ranch Casino also features a 209 Sports bar with 3D video aspect all around – it is the only one in North America as well as a Wahlburger – the second one in California and sales are eighth in the entire nation.
Forget heading to Vegas, this hotel, which opened in July 2024, has 197 eggceptional rooms with 22 suites – including one called The Mother Pucker that features a golden chicken that players rub for good luck before heading downstairs to gamble.
'About 70 percent of people who stay at the hotel are players,' says Todd as he reveals the casino had two massive wins in March. One jackpot was $863,000 and the other for $823,000.
The Chicken Ranch Casino also has a stunning Fine Dining restaurant called Perch Rooftop Dining and also has a shallow pool, which will host major parties in the future.
For my first time back to America in 25 years, this was the perfect reintroduction as an adult exploring. Yosemite was definitely a highlight of the trip, and I look forward to returning again.
