YOSEMITE – The series of storm systems that passed through the Yosemite area over the last several weeks have resulted in heavy snow accumulation throughout the park. Due to snowy and icy conditions, the Tioga and Glacier Point Roads in Yosemite National Park are closed for the season.

Last Saturday, we set out in search of adventure, well aware of the weather conditions. The night before, Mother Nature had dumped a load on the Mother Lode, and just about every foot of hill between us and our destination was loosely draped in snow. Most people had the good sense to stay in and admire the view – an ...

Florence Street in Sebastopol, my kind of town. Just a few miles and has lots going for it, including great wetland preserve trails, the Luthor Burbank Experimental Gardens, a great park, good food, interesting old homes, and a huge farmers’ market.

Shooting vineyards in the late afternoon makes them much more colorful than at other times of day, especially if translucent from being backlit by the setting sun. These are all vineyards within a few miles from our house. Most of the vines have faded away yellowish brown, but some, like these, are from grape varietals (cabernet sauvignon?) whose leaves turn ...

YOSEMITE – Travelers to Yosemite National Park will want to be aware of construction and repair projects throughout the park. Here are the updates from the Yosemite Daily Report: The Hetch Hetchy Road is open to visitor traffic while Hetch Hetchy Water and Power and AT&T conduct utility repair operations along the roadway for the next couple of months to ...

YOSEMITE – The fall colors are spectacular, photo opportunities abound, the summer crowds have gone and the weather is perfect for a trip to Yosemite National Park. As an added bonus, in celebration of Veterans Day Weekend, admission fees into the Park will be waived.

YOSEMITE – With the winter season approaching, Yosemite Conservancy announced today that it is accepting lottery registration forms for the 2013-2014 season at the newly restored Ostrander Ski Hut, the cherished rustic stone cabin used by intrepid skiers and snowshoers who make the 10-mile journey from the park’s Badger Pass Ski Area to Ostrander Lake.

Yesterday Pat and I had a great time at a harvest festival, at which we heard more Russian than English. Some of you will guess where it is. I’ll reveal it near the bottom.

YOSEMITE – Fall pageantry and warm temperatures invite visitors back to a reopened Yosemite with a host of celebrations planned in gateway communities. “Visitors are thrilled to be back in Yosemite and enjoying the park,” stated park Superintendent Don Neubacher. “The entire Yosemite region is dappled in spectacular autumn color and our gateway communities welcome visitors back with a series ...

MADERA COUNTY – Now that Yosemite National Park is open once again following a resolution to the government shutdown that lasted for three weeks, tourists can once again complete the entire Fossils to Falls Trail according to tourism officials. The shutdown has hurt a lot of businesses dependent on the millions of people who travel to Yosemite every year. However, ...