Today was a perfect day, the first day of Fall, to take a trip into the mountains. We drove north from Nevada City, California on Highway 49 for about an hour, into the North Yuba River canyon to the tiny hamlet of Downieville.

Downieville is a historic gold mining town, and although it remains unincorporated, it is the seat of Sierra County. Today it was full of mountain bikers, motorcyclists, and tourists out for a drive and lunch, or an ice cream cone with a view of the river and forested mountains.

We stopped for a quick hike down to the rocky shore of the North Yuba River before winding our way to the cozy village full of weekend visitors.

Then we enjoyed lunch at a local diner and admired the Downie River as it flowed through town.

At the museum we found artifacts from the California Gold Rush.

Then we explored a waterfall on nearby Pauly Creek.

This was a relaxing way to spend an afternoon. There was a lot to see and do in this tiny town, and I am already looking forward to another visit!