Where in the world is Downieville California?

It's amazing the places in this world one may never know about until they have a purpose of going to that particular place.

Take for instance Downieville California, a small northern town which was known for it's abundance of gold back in the 1800's. This mining community had a population of 5,000 during the height of the gold rush but has since dwindled to a current 325.

 Despite their size, they are still a popular little place as they have been hosting a mountain bike competition since 1998 called The Downieville Classic.

The husband and I found out about the Downieville Classic through our son Derek who has been competing in these types of bike races.

Derek recently won two national bike trials in West Virginia in a category where the next level is competing against professionals.

Wanting to challenge himself he signed up for the Downieville classic in the pro division.

The husband and I knew this should not be a missed opportunity, call us crazy but we hit the road with the husbands little trailer, I call his man cave or hobbit house, our scooters and of course the husbands bike then drove the 12 hours to California.

Our son traveled with friends who come to Downieville annually to race and are the ones who encouraged Derek to ride pro.

 The husband, pictured with the biker boys, is wearing the yellow jersey. He decided to give the course a try and fortunately for him, they were only doing the downhill portion. 

During race day, the husband and I divided and conquered.  I stayed behind to take pictures of the start

and he rode his scooter to the top of the mountain then placed himself along the trail set and ready to hand off a fresh water bottle to his boy.

The minute the racers took off, I booked up the mountain as well so I could take more pictures because you know, you gotta have pictures.

The race was brutal. It was 28 miles of riding with the first five of it going straight up followed by a difficult downhill descent.

After the water bottle handoff, the husband and I raced against time to get to the end so we could see him come in.

Derek finished only 7 minutes behind the top racer. With 47 contestants in his category he placed 8th.

The weather was hot, hot, hot but with a nearby swimming hole all the guys, including the husband, jumped off a steep rock into the water then swam to the other side to bask in the sun. They kinda reminded me of a colony of man seals.

I wasn't brave enough to make the leap but managed to take a brief dip in the ice cold water.

The weekend was over before we knew it, but wow what a weekend it was. 

We found ourselves in a small historic town which we never knew existed and by doing so, we were able to not only watch our son push himself to another level, but we gained an even greater appreciation for his efforts and accomplishments.

We are so proud of him!