Need a picnic for a Nevada City hike or swim at the South Yuba River, then definitely stop by the Back Porch Market in Grass Valley to stock up on a great selection of gourmet foods.  The sandwich special of the day, either vegetarian or meat, is simply amazing, but make sure you get there early because once they sell out, they’re gone.  Who can resist a sandwich that includes “marinated portobello mushroom, zucchini, crisp roasted red bell pepper, onion, tomato and melted barley buzzed cheese”?  Finish your picnic lunch off with some warm fresh baked cookies, a bottle of award winning local wine and a loaf of bread.  Back Porch Market is located at 135 Colfax Street in downtown Grass Valley.  If you need to call in your order of sandwiches their number is (530) 271-7111, please tell them … Read More »

Downieville, nestled in Sierra County at the confluence of the Downie River and the North Fork of the Yuba River is a great day trip from Nevada City.  The small mountain town hosts a range of activities ranging from the world class Downieville Classic Mountain Bike race, hiking or fishing.  If you miss the mountain bike event you can always stop by Yuba Expeditions and catch a shuttle to or from one of the epic downhill rides.  Other outdoor adventures to try would be hiking along the North Yuba Trail or swimming in the North fork of the Yuba River in any one of the fabulous swimming holes. If you’re looking for a more mellow activity stop in at 49 Wines and sample some local and international wines, or sit out on the outdoor patio at The Gallows Cafe and have … Read More »

The bicycle ride up and over Donner Summit on the historic Highway 40 is a classic road bike ride not to be missed in the summer months. The Outside Inn cycling crew of Wanda Shiotsuka, Heidi Biber, Rosanne Paul, and Evans Phelps started at Cisco Grove off Interstate 80 and followed the old highway all the way up to the summit and down the other side to Donner Lake. This version is 33 miles long with 3,000 feet of climbing over the two-and-a-half to three hour ride.  It can be shortened by just going to the vista point at Donner Summit (which provides postcard-worthy views of Donner Lake) or lengthened by riding around Donner Lake or going for a lunch break in downtown Truckee (our favorite spot is Wild Cherries coffee shop). The temperature is always moderate, the … Read More »

Looking for a nice cool glass of Sangria in Nevada City?  Stop by Amigos & Co at the bottom of Broad Street and enjoy the outdoor patio by Deer Creek.  But make sure you’re hungry because the portions are large and the service is fast.  If you’ve got room for dessert, I recommend the flan.

The Outside Inn’s free neighbor’s vegetable cart has been getting a lot of activity this summer, click here for the first post of the summer, a real heart warming story.  For photos of some of the colorful items that have come and gone from our cart please click here for our Flickr album.  Today we started with left over vegetables and fruits from the Mountain Bounty CSA, and since the Outside Inn loves sharing the love with others we put out the entire contents of both of the boxes.  Below are some photos of the amazing spread of beets, melon, tomatoes, cucumbers, eggplant and more…  We were a very popular spot for about an hour, word travels fast when there’s amazing fresh vegetables for free.

Every September for the past 15 years an ever growing number of ladies celebrate life by competing in a women’s only sprint Celebration of Life triathlon at Scotts Flat Lake, raising money for the fight against breast cancer.  All proceeds stay local by paying for mammograms at Sierra Memorial Hospital and funding scholarships for local graduating high school students entering the health profession.  Check out bsmtri.org for more information about the upcoming event, this year’s race takes place on Sunday September 18th. To get ready for the event come join the fun at the Cascade Shores side of Scotts Flat Lake each morning where a group of local women swim in the morning glow of our beautiful local resevoir. The water temperature is perfect this time of year and no matter how fast or far you can swim, somebody will be … Read More »

The annual Nevada County Fair is an event for the whole family, livestock, rides, Demolition Derby, Treat Street, live music and much much more.  The favorites from our visit included the disgusting cake contents, the ferris wheel and the Touched By a Child Family Entertainment black light maze.

Summer in Nevada City is all about swimming in the South Yuba river.  There are a number of different places to take a dip, some as close as 10 minutes from downtown Nevada City.  Many thanks to Outside Inn repeat guest Paul de Benedictis for sharing some of his summer swimming hole photos.   If you want to see more great photos, click here to see last week’s post.

49 Crossing, South Yuba River

Nevada City Chamber of Commerce and the Sierra Vintners “Uncorked” their first join wine tasting event in downtown Nevada City today.  An extensive selection of local wines were poured throughout historic downtown Nevada City and paired with food samplings from local restaurants.  One of my favorite combinations was the Treats peach sorbet with the Indian Springs Muscat Blanc, what more can you ask for on a warm summer afternoon?   Participating merchants, restaurants and wineries include: Szabo Vineyard, Friar Tucks, Chacewater, Las Katarinas, Utopian Stone, Broad Street Inn, The Old 5 Mile House, Matteo’s Public, Jernigan’s Taphouse, Jim E’s Catering, Treats, Indian Springs, Nevada City Winery, JJ Jackson, Nevada City Classic Cafe, Smith Vineyards, Nevada City Marketplace, Coufos Cellars, Avanguardia Wines, Pilot Peak Winery, Lucchesi Vineyards & Winery, Bent Metal Winery, Solune Winegrowers, Double Oak Vineyards & Winery, BYOB, Fox Barrel … Read More »

Another great road ride for summer is the 45 mile loop up and over Gold Lakes, then returning through the Portola valley and back up Yuba Pass at the northern end of Highway 49.  This ride starts at Bassetts if you are leaving from Nevada City and climbs 4500 feet in the four hours of riding.  A group of ladies got together for Wanda Shiotsuka’s 60th birthday and we were thrilled with the beauty of the scenery, the abundance of wild flowers, and the lack of traffic on the road.  The last climb of the ride is an attitude challenger in the heat of the afternoon, but the ride ends in Bassetts where the cute country store offers refreshments and food before the beautiful drive back down highway 49 towards the Outside Inn. It is a classic ride that not … Read More »