Take In Fall Foliage in the Golden State

If you have a little time -- and you'd better, because 49 and its tiny tributary roads are not built for fast driving -- consider branching off along highway 88 to the hamlet of Volcano. Like many old Gold Country places, Volcano had a larger population in the 19th century than it has in the 21st. Stretch your legs and take the short walk around town and check out the shops: crafts and antiques are on offer, and abandoned buildings give the air of a ghost town. The 1862 St. George Hotel's restaurant is a good spot for a snack and more caffeine if you're so inclined.

Highway 49 crosses Interstate 80 -- the buzzing freeway that connects the San Francisco Bay Area with Reno and Lake Tahoe and places east -- at Placerville. Originally known as Hangtown, for its frontier-days hanging tree, the town gave birth to a gold prospector's favorite: the hangtown fry. This hearty, stick-to-your ribs dish is an omelet enriched with bacon and deep-fried oysters. Who says California is all about leafy baby vegetables and microscopic portions?

Near Placerville, you can catch fall colors around Grass Lake. Quaking aspens border the lake, which can be seen from the top of Luther Pass on highway 89, off highway 50, two more tributary roads.

North of I-80, highway 49 climbs into higher terrain, the towns become impossibly pretty in that quaint way, and the fall foliage opportunities multiply and intensify. The big town here is Auburn, but you want to push on to Grass Valley and Nevada City.