West Side Trail: Where the History of Logging, Railroads, and Taco Bell Intersects
Working with people who have lived in Tuolumne County for many/all of the years of their lives results in lots of impromptu history lessons. Like someone will casually mention Mr Bell’s ill fated railroad Amusement park in the City of Tuolumne. You know, like Mr. “Taco Bell”, franchise restaurant owner and railroad affectionado… No I don’t know, but you bet I was about to find out! The West Side Cherry Valley Lumber…
Upper Mariposa Grove & Wawona Point: Past, Present, & Future
The Southern end of Yosemite gets no love, or at least not from me. I’ve been living here for over 4 years now and I still hadn’t visited the Upper Mariposa Grove – which is a little pathetic considering taking the tram to the museum and this upper reach of sequoias is an obligatory tourist stop for some… that is those who part with $26.50 per person far quicker than I do, but…
Skiing the El Portal Fire – Snow, Fire, & Historic Yosemite Railroads
Last winter on my first/only ski of the season I traveled through the Rim Fire area to reach the Rockefeller Grove. This year for my first ski trip of the season (but hopefully not the last!), Curtis suggested we take a short little trip in the area of Crane Flat affected by this summer’s El Portal Fire. The El Portal fire lasted from July 26th until August 10th this last summer, burning just…
Santa Run Sacramento: This is what its like running in a festive felt suit
Yesterday Curtis, Trails + fam, and I took an early morning trip to downtown Sacramento for the 2nd annual Sacramento Santa Run. Trail’s had invited us along, and thanks to a coupon code it seemed like a pretty good deal for a “Themed Race”… you know those races where everyone pays a large registration fee to run, usually dressed up, through mud or colors or suds or idontknowbacongrease(it’s-probably-happened). Plus it’s hard to be a…
Hiking Old 49 to the Drowned Town of Melones
The winter rains have finally started here in the Motherlode – in fact today I went skiing up at Crane Flat! It is exciting to finally see water falling from the sky! Although, As the rain started I immediately regretted all the wasted drought opportunities which I thought about but didn’t get around to this year. Don’t get me wrong, we need the rain… but so see the old reservoirs…
The Melones Dam Overlook & DamNation Documentary: For a Rainy Sunday
This Sunday I went for a walk down by the New Melones Dam, an area with a lot of Bureau of Reclamation signage. Curtis joked about trespassing, but this geocache owner says that a Bureau of Reclamation ranger said it was okay to walk in this area. I’m not saying it is for everyone, but if you are looking at visiting the New Melones/Peoria area trails I would recommend checking out the…
Final NaBloPoMo Thoughts on Litter
While Curtis and I were backpacking in Molybdenite Canyon this year we came across a heart balloon in the willows. Curtis made an off handed comment about the surprising number of balloons you find in the forest: Our National Forest, it’s where ballons go to die. Curtis works for the Forest Service, so he has some level of expertise in this assertion. And it makes sense, if you bundle in…
Ostrander Lake, Yosemite: Find Some Peace on this Long Day Hike
With Curtis out of town the other week I had time to do one of Yosemite day hikes he has been less than enthusiastic about. I have really been getting down to the last few day hikes (although there are still some major ones, like the Mist Trail, which I have never blogged about) – and I admit I might have avoided these for a reason. Often the remaining trails…
The Foresthill Bridge: A Bridge over a Reservoir that Never Was
Earlier this year I had fallen into an internet search blackhole, learning about dams in California, and the sometime bizarre “recreation” opportunities they provide. I think it had started with looking up dams that were hoping to profit from the passing of Proposition 2. It was like a cemetery of hopeful but ill-fated large expensive dams, now forgotten except by the local politicians still clinging to old plans. In my search I found the…
Hello! I am a 30-something outdoors-lady, backpacker, and resident of Groveland, California - 
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