Checking out dogwood blooms and waterfalls in Yosemite Valley is an annual thing for me but I sure didn’t expect to meet a bear while hiking on the Mirror Lake Loop Trail. Where: Yosemite National ParkDistance: 7.25 MilesDifficulty: EasyElevation Range: 3,983′ – 4,285′Date: April 30, 2021CALTOPO: Curry Village to Mirror Lake Loop TrailDog Hike? Maybe I maximized my dogwood viewing ...

E Clampus Vitus Grub Gulch Chapter 41-49 is working with the Raymond Museum to determine the actual locations of the structures and facilities in the SP Raymond Branch rail yard in Raymond. We have some photos and some drawings, but we are in need of more information. Many of the photos we have were taken with fisheye lenses, which distort ...

By Sal Maccarone A good imagination, careful contemplation and personal interpretation are just a few of the ingredients that go to define artistic creativity. The ability to produce something from virtually nothing requires a myriad of skills. Sometimes what appears to be haphazard is really the result of very long consideration. Studies of highly creative individuals have shown that they ...

My hiking boots took me back through time to property once owned by James McCauley, an immigrant from Ireland seeking his fortune in gold. We remember him best for building the Four Mile Trail, building the two-story hotel at Glacier Point known as the Mountain House, starting the tradition that became known as the “firefall” and so much more. Since ...

By Bob Labozetta (UC Master Gardener, Mariposa) Some plants just don’t lend themselves to indoor seeding and later transplanting. They prefer to start and finish in the same place. This is usually due to having a delicate root system. Beans, beets, carrots, corn, cucumbers, lettuce, melons, peas, radish, scallions, spinach, squash, swiss chard, turnips, zucchini prefer direct seeding. There are ...

My hiking boots took me on an adventure along the Old Coulterville Road, a historic stagecoach route that brought people to the Yosemite Valley starting in 1874. Stage stops along the way provided a change in horses, a break from the bumpy, dusty, cold or hot ride, and maybe some food or a night’s rest. Imagine the stories that came ...

Clouds were just passing through and they teamed up with the waterfalls to create ever changing reflections in Hetch Hetchy Reservoir. Walking up that trail had me wondering about the old trails and people who walked here back in the day. Where: Yosemite National ParkDistance: 6.86 Miles (About 5 miles rt to Wapama Falls, 13 miles rt to Rancheria Falls)Difficulty: ModerateElevation ...

Dewey Point is famous for spectacular views of Yosemite’s high country but who knew we would see Merced River Canyon poppies from the trail while snowshoeing? We enjoyed one last showshoe hurrah before winter access to Badger Pass Ski Area closed for the season. Where: Yosemite National ParkDistance: 7.41 MilesDifficulty: ModerateElevational Range: 7,233′ to 7,570′Date: March 29, 2021CALTOPO: Badger Pass ...

By Bob Labozetta, UC Master Gardener, Mariposa Raised garden beds generally yield more produce than traditional gardens. What’s more, the tools needed to build and maintain raised beds can be limited to a garden fork, a rake, a shovel, and a hand trowel. The goal is to create a bed of loose, fertile soil that you never step on. The ...

The Merced River Canyon’s Hite’s Cove Trail has reopened just in time for a glorious poppy extravaganza. It has been 3 long years since it was closed from the Ferguson Fire. If you don’t feel like going the distance that I did, the most concentrated area of poppies is within the first 1/2 mile or so. But that is also ...