Mariposa, which is Spanish for "butterfly", enjoyed its time during the gold rush and still boasts the largest complete nugget ever found in California in its bank vault. The atmosphere is quite Berkeley with some alternative living and hippy-ish businesses plying their wares. It has a surprisingly large amount of shops, presumably all funded by the passing trade. After ordering pizza by phone on Friday night, Jack and I walked into the wrong restaurant to be told "sorry, you want the other pizza place". We duly crossed the road to find it. This only happened because the local Pizza Factory considers the other end of the one street too far away to deliver to.
Still, we had a fun wander around on Sunday morning after we checked out of The Miner's Inn (which won the Mariposa Chamber of Commerce's "Business of the Month Award" in August 2008, so it's turn must be coming again soon). We even got a key cut in the local hardware store, and I bought a new hat in their sale. Sometimes it's about the destination, and sometimes it's about the journey. For Mariposa, it's the journey.
The appropriately named "Hideout Saloon"...
...was shut!
We had coffee here just because of the name.
Claire reviews yesterday.
No one steals gas around here.
Cashing in on the tourist dollars?
Farewell shot from a fab weekend.
And how does every great trip to Yosemite finish? With the world's best burger (animal style, of course).
