Warm weather’s spring snow melt is fueling Yosemite’s waterfalls and I couldn’t resist a drive up to Yosemite Valley to check them out. And, what about those dogwoods? Were they blooming yet? Where: Yosemite National Park Distance: About 10 miles to drive my Yosemite Valley Loop, but you can also walk it or take the free shuttle to explore it ...

Written by David Novell – Orangie arranged Teddy, Kitty Kazoo, the Pandas, Webster Webfoot, Sammy the Squirrel and all the other stuffed animals that he and Butch possessed between them — twenty-three in all — in the red wagon that was tied to Butch’s tricycle for a monumental trip the boys had planned. Orangie had felt compelled to do a ...

Written by Tuolunme Winter Ranger Laura Pilewski – YOSEMITE — This is our last post of the winter 2018-2019 season and it is time for us to migrate south to our summer range in Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks. It has again been a great honor and pleasure serving the public as the Tuolumne Meadows Winter Rangers. No two ...

MADERA – April is Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Month and the two-legged folks at the Madera Animal Shelter are saving the lives of more four-legged creatures than at any other time in the organization’s 50-year history. Innovative new programs supported by a large volunteer base have helped the shelter to make dramatic improvements in its “live release” rates in ...

By Bob Labozetta —  Whether you sowed seeds in late February/early March or you purchase plants from a nursery or the Mariposa Master Gardeners Annual Plant Sale, make sure your transplants are young, stocky seedlings instead of larger plants. They will establish more quickly and suffer less transplant shock, soon catching up in growth to larger plants. “Harden off” your ...

A great workout with beautiful flowers and a ton of history! This hike was right up my alley on a cooler day between raindrops. Where: Bureau of Land Management (BLM), Merced River Recreation Management Area Distance: About 9 miles roundtrip to the gate but you can go shorter or longer Difficulty: Moderate to Strenuous Elevation Range: 1,138′ – 2,835′ Date: ...

NORTH FORK — More than a dozen artists gathered in a local native garden this week, tools of their respective trades in hand, poised to capture the magic as a soft breeze blew and the Sierra sunlight gently dappled the grounds around them. When we heard that members of Yosemite Western Artists would convene for a plein air day at ...

Written by David Novell – Orangie woke up early, even though it was summer and he could sleep in if he wanted to. Today was Sunday, and the house was quiet except for the sound of his dad’s electric percolator making coffee and the occasional rustle of the morning paper’s pages being turned. And then he remembered! His best friend ...

Written by Tuolunme Winter Ranger Laura Pilewski – YOSEMITE –  The weather and ski conditions this week were nearly a carbon copy of last week. We still have not had an extended period of high pressure ridging to bring warm/dry weather to the central Sierra this ski season for more than just a few days at a time. There were ...

Puppies and poppies, both being an entirely worthwhile addiction, we loaded the former in the car and set off to see the latter. We had been told that the bloom was like nothing we’d ever seen before. But there were billions of things we’d never seen before and so we couldn’t help but wonder which one it would turn out ...