COARSEGOLD — Sunny blue skies and a relatively mild weather forecast were expected to help draw at least 4,000 or 5,000 people over the long weekend to the annual Labor Day Peddlers Fair at Coarsegold’s Historic Village. The event provides an opportunity for vendors specializing in antiques and collectibles to display and “peddle” their exotic wares. There’s also plenty of ...

OAKHURST — Sharon Fitzgerald, board president of EMC SPCA, shared a progress report this week regarding the organization’s new no-kill animal shelter off Highway 49 in Ahwahnee. Fitzgerald, the organization’s driving force for nearly 30 years, is the owner of The Cat’s Meow in Oakhurst. She also operates the EMC SPCA Thrift Shop next door to her store. The 2,000-square-foot ...

The Twenty Lakes Loop trail led my dog Sally and I along beautiful lakes in the Hoover Wilderness. Lakes and tarns reflected snow covered mountains and those columbine were blooming like crazy! Where: Inyo National Forest, Hoover Wilderness Distance: 9 Miles Difficulty: Moderate Elevation Range: 10,094′ – 10,360′ Date: August 6, 2019 Maps: Falls Ridge and June Lake Topographic Quads ...

Dana Plateau is not an easy hike by any means but if you are up for it, you will be blown away by the landscape, textures, colors, views and wildflowers that call this land that escaped the glaciers their home. If you go now and climb up through the white, bouldery wash, you will see beautiful columbine blooms which are ...

Are you up for an easy hike to the old mining town of Bennettville? How could I not ponder what it must have been like back in 1882 when a new town with a population of 50,000 was envisioned and that they would be striking it rich as soon as they hit “The Great Silver Belt?” They worked and lived ...

Five days of camping in the Tioga Pass area gave Sally and myself plenty of time to wander, fishing some of the high lakes and creeks in the area. We had some bites. Some were from mosquitoes and some were from the fish! Where: Hoover Wilderness, Inyo National Forest Elevation Range: 9,552′ – 10,286′ Date: July 15 – 19, 2019 ...

MADERA COUNTY – Following are details from the Madera County Sheriff’s Office of reports taken locally from Monday, July 1 to Sunday, July 7, 2019. Oakhurst coroner’s case On Tuesday, July 2 at 10:56 p.m. a deputy responded to a coroner’s case on Nelder Heights Drive. Man Drowns While Boating On Bass Lake Coarsegold found property On Wednesday, July 3 ...

First day that Tioga Road was fully open and we headed to lakes that we hoped would still be iced over, even in July. Lots of history in this area and I can’t help thinking of the people who made that history. As we know, most miners did not strike it rich and some do not have happy endings. I ...

Tioga Road wasn’t open yet but those high lakes were calling me and it was well worth it to me to take the long way around to get there. Tioga Road through Yosemite National Park will soon be open but here is a sneak peek from my adventure over there June 5 and 6 this past week. So I drove ...

Stevenson Creek Falls had really been coming down the week before but would it still be roaring when I was able to see it a week later? You betcha! Where: Sierra National Forest Distance: 7.25 Miles Difficulty: Moderate Elevation Range: 1,182′ to 1,914′ Date: May 29, 2019 Maps: Auberry Topographic Quad, Sierra National Forest Dog Hike? Maybe We headed out ...