Raven's Roads
Living an interesting life: the travels and musings
of motorcycling author Linda R. Moore

Feb 26, 2007

Walking Saratoga

Filed in Blog

20 February 2007

I did the Saratoga walking tour last Tuesday, which very cleverly takes you up a long but not particularly steep hill, down a very steep hill, and then back on a gentle downhill incline. Yay for clever walking tour designers!

I parked in the public parking lot just as you come into town (follow the signs). The tour itself starts you at the museum, which is a little way up from the big central four-way intersection. I snapped a photograph of the former drug store and its City of Saratoga plaque. The surrounding garden was coming into bloom and looked pretty with daffodils and crocuses. The museum is a one-room job, open about twice a week and by appointment; I’d explored there a year or so ago and enjoyed in particular the old ham radio equipment (G0KLB at your service). But it wasn’t open today, and I moved on.

Next door, a property that I’d seen but never actually noticed, if that makes sense, was the McWilliams house, home of Saratoga’s first blacksmith. It wasn’t originally there, having been moved to become part of the historical park in 1973. This is typical of Saratoga, the town which first lead me to the understanding that landmarks move around in the dark.

Saratoga Museum || McWilliams Blacksmith’s House || Chapel of Saratoga Federated Church

The tour lead me round the corner to the Chapel of the Saratoga Federated Church, built in 1923 and expanded into quite a complex. It was also hard to photograph in anything resembling an interesting way. I took a loop round and peeked at the Saratoga Foothill Club, which had a nice shiny plaque to show it’d been put on the National Register in 2005. The loop spat me out at the bottom of a hill where I found the fire station and original fire bell (which had hung elsewhere–see what I mean about those moveable landmarks?). Then, across the road was the very elusive Saratoga Arch, a war memorial and seat of the Saratoga historic landmark plaque. When I was first looking for this one, I had to email the Chamber of Comemrce to find out where the heck it had gone. It has moved at least twice, and had in fact moved in the month or two prior to my giving up and asking for help. It’s now in an attractive little city park with mature trees and flowers.

Landmark no. 26 is mismarked on the map, or at least I think so. The Methodist-Episcopal church is actually just up from the archway, and should have been the next in line (instead, I made like a wandering monster at the end and finally figured out where it was). The 1895 building does indeed resemble a church, and is now a clothing boutique.

Saratoga Foothill Club || Fire Bell || Methodist-Episcopal Church

Then it was up to leafy, pleasant Oak Street, where it is all happening. In bike gear all hills are steep, but by Saratoga standards it wasn’t so bad. First was the village library, which is now a used bookstore that benefits the library. The walking tour speaks of a fire bell up here, but I didn’t see one, and I have a strong suspicion it’s the one I just described. Along this route were several residences, but I really don’t like to pay too much attention to people’s private homes (unless it’s the Queen or someone like that who opens her residences to the public). At one of them a “beware of the dog” sign gave the lie to the warning; the dog was so desperate to be petted that his tail almost flew off as he whined and clamored for the attention.

Then the old grammar school spread out ahead of me with the old school bell at its furthermost end. One of the school classes had put up the plaque, which I thought was really cool.

The incline leveled out (yay!) and I took a peek into the 1854 Madronia Cemetery, a neat old place where many of the original settlers of Saratoga were buried. (The town predates statehood and was originally part of the Rancho Quito land grant.) However, I was a bit out of breath and hot by then so I decided to slide down the rather steep Sixth Street with its former St. John’s Episcopal Church (which looked nothing like a church) and a lovely old yellow-painted Victorian–both private residences.

Library || Grammar School || School Bell

Took a moment to enjoy how green and fresh everything was. It really is full-blown spring already–I’ve lived in California for almost ten years now and I still can’t get over how early it is.

Down Big Basin Way, there were several more private residences that had been businesses in the past, and at which I didn’t look in any great detail. At Third Street there was a marker I’d ridden past many times but never actually read, marking the end of McCarty’s Toll Road. This Irishman solved the problem of transporting logs back from the forest by building a road and then charging for its use. There is still a Toll Gate Road, but I don’t know if it’s the original route or just “named-for;” it seems to come out at 4th Street.

I was particularly intrigued by the old bank building, now looking suspicously like a rather seedy English pub–it was made from brick. In this land of earthquakes, that is very rare and noteworthy.

Madronia Cemetery || Tollgate Plaque || Old Bank

And that was it, apart from my slightly wild goosey chase for the abovementioned church/clothing boutique. The tour took me about an hour; allowing two hours would give more time for absorption, museum visiting and a wander around the cemetery. Even so, I did not feel like I was rushing and had fun.