Saddlebag Lake Campground in the Tioga Pass area had just opened and I wasted no time heading up there to check out the high country. Four days of camping gave my dog Sally and me plenty of time to wander by the high lakes in the area and get some fishing in! Where: Hoover Wilderness, Inyo National Forest Distance: 9.08 ...
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Winery-Sage: Lucca And Tuscany
Lucca was a one day stop over between Cinque Terre and Tuscany, but it turned out to be a real find. It’s completely surrounded by medieval walls and the tops are wide enough for biking, which we did the morning we left. Our hotel was on the main piazza which took the shape of the Roman amphitheater that once stood there. ...
Read More »What A Pain In The… Foot! Healing Plantar Fasciitis
I’ve run into an amazing number of people recently suffering from plantar fasciitis (one of those Greek phrases meaning inflammation of the connective tissue on the bottom of the foot). I’ve had this condition and most people I know have either struggled with it themselves or are closely related to someone who has. It can take a year to fully ...
Read More »Hiking from Tioga Road to Devil’s Dance Floor
I had never hiked to the top of the Devil’s Dance Floor. I had tried but failed last year but we succeeded this year! We headed off trail and reached the top, a huge granite flat rock that looks like an aircraft carrier deck with views of Foresta, Bridalveil Fall and beyond! Where: Yosemite National Park Distance: 8.80 Miles Elevation ...
Read More »Day Trip to Wishon And Courtright Reservoirs
With my cousin Beverly from Dodge City, Kansas visiting, we wanted her to experience how great our high country is so we decided to take her on a day trip up into the mountains to see Wishon and Courtright Reservoirs. We loaded up the trusty Chevrolet Colorado with a picnic lunch and drinks, including a water dish for our traveling ...
Read More »Winery Sage: Next Stop Cinque Terre
Bergamo was great and we were really looking forward to Cinque Terre. Unfortunately, what we didn’t realize was — most of Western Europe had a three-day weekend and the UK had a whole week off and, you know what? They all descended on the highway between Bergamo and Cinque Terre. We fly for twelve hours to get away from California ...
Read More »Winery Sage: The Sojourn Continues In Italy
Day five and we’re in Verona. We’re here because the maître d’ at my favorite Italian restaurant in New York City is from Verona and said it’s a beautiful city and we had to see it. Karen, of course, adores me and so was willing to go along with whatever I suggested (I typed that after she proof-read it if you ...
Read More »Mariposa Grove Reopens June 15 and I Have Hiked it!
I got a sneak preview of the newly revamped Mariposa Grove in Yosemite National Park after it has been closed to the public since Spring of 2015. 250 acres with nearly 500 mature trees is a must see if you are visiting Yosemite. Reopening this Friday, parking at the Mariposa Grove Welcome Center and taking a shuttle up to Mariposa ...
Read More »Camping with Sally at Aspen Campground and a Short Walk up to Poole Hydroelectric Plant
Sally and I needed a break from weedeating and we escaped over Tioga Pass, camping along roaring Lee Vining Creek. Relaxing and reading were my goals but I walked back through history up to the Poole Hydroelectric Plant. Where: Inyo National Forest, Aspen Campground Elevation: 7,490′ Date: June 4-7, 2018 Maps: June Lake Topog Dog Friendly? Yes Sally and I headed ...
Read More »Winery Sage: Visiting Venice, Italy
The first day in Venice, we just walked around all day and got a feel for the city. There are over 400 bridges, each linking what was once an island to the next island. The Venetians slowly filled in the gaps between the islands so that only the canals remained. We split up for lunch because Justin and Allison saw an ...
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