We looked for a hike close by where we could get some exercise and see some views but we didn’t have much time. We came up with a dandy and we saw some critters! Where: Yosemite National Park Distance: About 5.3 miles for the Sentinel Dome Taft Point Loop and about 1.9 miles for the McGurk Meadow. Difficulty: Easy Elevation ...

I had a rare treat to participate in a special tour of Bodie, with the local historian behind doors of old buildings that are closed to the general public. Where: Bodie State Historic Park Difficulty: Easy When: June 12, 2016 I spent the night in Bridgeport and headed south on Hwy 395 to Hwy 270, following the paved road and ...

30 miles on the back on a horse through the box of the Paria Canyon in Utah through red slot canyons and colorful cliffs full of history was my kind of ride. Riding though the areas that the Indians used, early Mormon settlers traveled, outlaws hung out, cattlemen drove their herd through and rustlers stole them was a special treat. ...

On the back of a horse, I rode in the hoofprints that Butch Cassidy rode while he was evading Panguitch Town Sheriff Haycock. I rode up through Utah’s brilliant, red canyons past hoodoos and ponderosa pines to a couple of his hide-outs. Hearing stories of Butch from a local historian and riding in his hoof prints was a once in a ...

I know it is June but we snowshoed up to Gaylor and Granite Lakes, with a side trip to the old abandoned mining town of Dana City in the Tioga Pass area. If the hot weather is getting you down, maybe these pictures will help you cool off. Where: Yosemite National Park, Inyo National Forest Distance: 4.7 Miles Difficulty: Moderate ...

Those colorful harlequin lupines can put on quite the display on this trail but what would they look like this year? We were definitely looking forward to seeing how much water was coming over Alder Creek Falls and the many other wildflowers along this trail. Where: Yosemite National Park Distance: 13.36 Miles Difficulty: Moderate Elevation Range: 4,028′ – 5,845′ Date: ...

Tioga Road reopened May 18 and we headed over there as soon as it opened and before it closed temporarily. We were so curious to check out the snow conditions, hoping for iced over lakes and beautiful reflections. We made several stops along the way and wanted to share this report on conditions. Siesta Lake, along Tioga Road, is 7,959′ ...

Glacier Point Road was back open! So we really needed to get up to Ostrander Lake to check out how much snow was up there and we were very curious whether the lake was still iced over. Plus we had a very special critter sighting! Where: Yosemite National Park Distance: 12.58 Miles Difficulty: Moderate to Strenuous Elevation Range: 6,998′ – 8,613′ Date: ...

We were on the hunt for those beautiful big white blooms of the dogwoods. We headed to Yosemite Valley to see what we could find. Where: Yosemite National Park Distance: 7.25 Miles Difficulty: Easy to Moderate Elevation Range: 3,983 to 4,285′ Date: April 26, 2016 Maps: El Capitan and Hetch Hetchy Reservoir Topographic Quads As we drove in, we were watching ...

Glacier Point Road had only been open one day and those Yosemite waterfalls were really roaring. We headed to Glacier Point on the Panorama Trail to see 4 of Yosemite National Park’s major waterfalls doing their thing. Where: Yosemite National Park Distance: 11.8 Miles Difficulty: Moderate Elevation Range: 5,882′ to 7,278′ Date: April 20, 2016 Maps: El Capitan Topographic Quads We headed ...