Calaveras County - Wine - Frog Jumping and Frog Balls

Calaveras County - Wine - Frog Jumping and Frog Balls

Living here in the Central Valley of California we are very close to a lot of cool things. The nearby foothills are a wealth of history and beautiful views. The foothills are home to many wineries. There are several small towns that are fun to explore. Two of those towns are Murphys and Angels Camp. Both are in the famous"Mother Lode" of California.

Murphys Ca, known as the Queen of the Sierra, is home to more than a dozen wineries. Downtown Murphys has many tasting rooms, great places to eat and shop and an old fashion candy store. There is even an olive oil and balsamic vinegar tasting room here too. Murphys is also the location of a great concert venue at Ironstone Winery. If you are ever in the area be sure to spend a little time on Main St in Murphys.

The town of Angels Camp was made famous by a Mark Twain Story "The Celebrated Jumping Frog of Calaveras County". There is a Jumping Frog Jubilee every May at the Calaveras County Fairgrounds in Angels Camp. This is where the world championship frog jump competition is held. Because of this Angels Camp is also known as Frog Town. Around town and in Murphys you will find many large frogs in front of local businesses attesting to the fact that you are in Frog Town.

On a trip up the hill last weekend we enjoyed some wine tasting and exploring. Of course we stopped in at Twisted Oak winery, my personal favorite. Later in the day we stopped at the Ironstone Winery too. I found something there that was a little disturbing. I often wondered what happened to the frogs that competed in the frog jump every year in Angels Camp. The official story is that they are returned to the wild to live out their lives as any other frog would far from the spot light of competition. But now I'm not so sure. There on the shelf at Ironstone was a jar of something that made me think that just maybe the losing frogs didn't have it so good. Just maybe there is something far more sinister in their future. I think that I might have to investigate this a little further. I'm thinking one of the bottles of wine that I picked up in Murphys might be an invaluable tool in my investigation. Would red or white go better with "Frog Balls"?