First day that Yosemite National Park had reopened and I was ready to hike. The Park had been closed September 17 due to wildfires that had created terrible off the charts unhealthy air quality and on this first day back in, I had a perfect smoke free day to hike the Tioga Pass area, visiting 4 beautiful lakes. Where: Yosemite ...

By Brian David, U.C. Master Gardener, Mariposa We know that wildfire smoke affects people’s health. Particles of burned plants and trees land on dust particles and are breathed into the lungs. However, this year’s Creek Fire not only affects you, it affects your plants. This summer’s Sierra foothill smoke has limited gardening in part by imposing health restrictions on gardeners. ...

It was still too smoky to hike, the USFS had closed the forests, and the latest blow to me getting a hike in was when Yosemite National Park closed, cutting off my Tioga Road access. But it was not too smoky to eat a Chicken Torta and have a refreshing Strawberry Agua Fresca at Dulce Sabor. I arrived for my ...

YOSEMITE – Fires are inundating not only California, but most of the western United States, leaving both unprecedented smoky skies as well as widespread damage in their wake. Fire is an important part of the wilderness ecosystem, however. The National Park Service will let fires, such as this one just below the Tioga Road in Yosemite, burn naturally, allowing them ...

Like everyone else, I spent the past week closely watching the progress of the Creek Fire, along with so many other fires. There was too much smoke to do any hiking and while hiding inside from that smoke, it seemed like a good time to tell you about Fannie the Corgi’s hiking wardrobe. She recently joined my hiking team and ...

By Sal Maccarone The Academy of Motion Pictures Arts and Sciences was the idea of Louis B. Mayer (1884-1957), head of Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM.) Mr. Mayer felt that the organization would lend respectability and status to the movie industry, the reputation of which had been tarnished during the Roaring Twenties. So on May 4, 1927, the Academy of Motion Pictures Arts ...

Camping with the dogs for four days in the Tioga Pass area was a great getaway from the smoke. Sally, Fannie and I did a little hiking, a little wandering, a little relaxing, some wading, and we all took a few good naps. Where: Harvey Monroe Hall Research Natural Area, Hoover Wilderness, Inyo National ForestDistance: 5.94 MilesDifficulty: Moderate to StrenuousElevation ...

By Connie Popelish, North Fork History Group Some of the special features of North Fork architecture include the unique buildings made of blocks of pumice and cement, known as pumitile. Pumitile concrete bricks were manufactured by the Jourdan Concrete Pipe Company of Fresno, beginning around 1931. Initially, the company made concrete pipes for sewage systems, but eventually branched out, designing open-interior ...

By Bob Labozetta, UC Master Gardener, Mariposa It’s 90 degrees outside. Yep, time to prepare for your winter veggie garden. WHAT? Winter veggie choices include beets, Brussels sprouts, cabbage, carrots, chard, garlic, kohlrabi, leeks, lettuce, onions/shallots, parsnips, peas, potatoes, radishes, rhubarb, rutabaga, spinach, turnip, and other leafy greens such as bok choy and kale. The above veggies can be direct ...

I am sure that by now, you know how much I love hiking the Tioga Pass area with my fishing pole. I headed up Yosemite’s Mono Pass Trail, a historic Native American trail, where there are also many lakes along and off this trail. Some lakes have names such as Sardine, Spillway, Helen, Kuna, Bingaman and Parker Pass Lakes and ...