Our plan was to take a blooming Dogwood adventure in Yosemite Valley. First stop were the Half Dome Village dogwoods, then the Mirror Lake Loop dogwoods and the finale was the pink dogwood near the employee housing but we also had a few surprises along the way with a trail issue and some romantic critters. Where: Yosemite National Park Distance: ...

OAKHURST — If you’re one of the people who’ve been wondering what business would land in the historic Mountain House building at the junction of Highway 41 and the Road 222 turnoff to Bass Lake — wonder no more. Locally owned, newly expanded and rebranded, Sierra Nevada Motorsports is now the building’s sole occupant. The business previously known as Sierra ...

This month’s mystery is one I am often asked about. When and where did President Teddy Roosevelt and John Muir first meet on their trip to Raymond and on to Yosemite? They traveled in May of 1903 so we celebrate the historic trip 115 years later. There are several theories, so it will be fun to see what folks come ...

Wildflowers were celebrating Earth Day at the Striped Rock Conservation Preserve, one of the Sierra Foothill Conservancy’s special areas that you can only visit with one of their docents. Where: Sierra Foothill Conservancy, Striped Rock Conservation Preserve Distance: 4.49 Miles Difficulty: Moderate Elevation Range: 1,720′ – 2,160′ Date: April 22, 2018 Maps: Ben Hur Topographic Quad Dog Hike? No I ...

MARIPOSA – The Mariposa County Arts Council invites the public to the opening of both Ann Harris: Celebrating a Life’s Work and Stories and Sequences: Images from F/STOP at the Treetop Gallery on May 3 from 4:30 to 6 p.m. Ann Harris: Celebrating a Life’s Work is a retrospective exhibition exploring the rich body of work created by Ann Harris ...

O’NEALS — Stop by Minarets High School on Friday, Apr. 27 for a very special event, as Minarets takes on Caruthers on behalf of the U.S. Military. Minarets Baseball will hold its third annual Military Appreciation Game in honor of all who have served. The event is being organized by junior Aaron Hall, who was recently awarded the honor of Military ...

Frogs were singing and turtles were basking on logs at the Stockton Creek Nature Preserve where I learned how to identify some of our local amphibians and reptiles with the Sierra Foothill Conservancy. Where: Sierra Foothill Conservancy, Stockton Creek Nature Preserve Distance: 2.21 Miles Difficulty: Moderate Elevation Range: 2,250′ – 2.406′ Date: April 15, 2018 Maps: Ben Hur, Buckingham Mountain ...

How do you read a wine label?  What are the real facts about the wine and what’s just marketing glitz?  Is there any way to ensure that a wine is good from the label on the bottle?  These are the most common questions asked by wine novices.  If you don’t have access to the wine maker or at least a ...

NORTH FORK – These guys are my heroes! Advanced Tree & Property Services. These two awesome gentlemen came to my house and rescued my daughter’s beloved cat from an oak tree where she had been stranded for nearly three days. When “Cat Benatar” disappeared on Tuesday morning, we assumed the worst – that she had been eaten by something and ...

FRIANT — Wine consumers and lovers of the Earth can celebrate Earth Day by tasting organic wines and learning more about sustainable and organic practices at Fäsi Estate Winery. One of the award winning wineries on the Madera Wine Trail, Fäsi is located in the heart of California in the Madera Appellation Wine Region. The Earth Day celebration takes place ...