Yosemite and Sierra Nevada Camping

Labels: Rafting

this is small pi

12 X 12

Winter View "the Captain"

Storm

We are in the middle of a huge storm, Snow, rain and wind do not travel into the Sierras unless you have to. Stay home and wait for this to clear.
http://www.wrh.noaa.gov/hnx/severe.php
URGENT - WEATHER MESSAGE
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE SAN JOAQUIN VALLEY - HANFORD CA
421 AM PST FRI JAN 4 2008

.A LARGE PACIFIC STORM WILL BRING VERY STRONG WINDS TO THE AREA
TODAY AND INTO TONIGHT. WINDS WILL STRENGTHEN EARLY THIS
MORNING...WITH THE STRONGEST WINDS FROM MIDDAY TODAY INTO THE
EVENING. GUSTY WINDS OF 50 MPH WILL BE LIKELY IN THE SAN JOAQUIN
VALLEY...SIERRA NEVADA FOOTHILLS...AND KERN COUNTY MOUNTAINS AND
DESERTS. WINDS ARE EXPECTED TO TAPER OFF LATE TONIGHT AND INTO
SATURDAY MORNING.

CAZ089>095-098-099-042030-
/O.CON.KHNX.WI.Y.0001.000000T0000Z-080105T0600Z/
WEST CENTRAL SAN JOAQUIN VALLEY-EAST CENTRAL SAN JOAQUIN VALLEY-
SOUTHWESTERN SAN JOAQUIN VALLEY-SOUTHEASTERN SAN JOAQUIN VALLEY-
MARIPOSA MADERA AND FRESNO COUNTY FOOTHILLS-
TULARE COUNTY FOOTHILLS-KERN COUNTY MOUNTAINS-INDIAN WELLS VALLEY-
SOUTHEASTERN KERN COUNTY DESERT-
421 AM PST FRI JAN 4 2008

...WIND ADVISORY REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 10 PM PST THIS EVENING
FOR SIERRA NEVADA FOOTHILLS...KERN COUNTY MOUNTAINS AND DESERTS...

A WIND ADVISORY FOR SIERRA NEVADA FOOTHILLS...KERN COUNTY
MOUNTAINS AND DESERTS REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 10 PM PST THIS
EVENING.

A VERY STRONG PACIFIC STORM FRONT WILL CROSS THE REGION TODAY AND
TONIGHT. STRONG WINDS WILL DEVELOP EARLY THIS MORNING ACROSS
INTERIOR CENTRAL CALIFORNIA...AND WILL STRENGTHEN LATER TODAY AND
CONTINUE INTO THIS EVENING. SUSTAINED SOUTHEAST WINDS OF 25 TO 35
MPH WITH FREQUENT GUSTS TO 50 MPH WILL BE LIKELY. LOCALLY HIGHER
GUSTS OF UP TO 60 MPH WILL BE POSSIBLE BELOW PASSES AND THROUGH
CANYONS.

A WIND ADVISORY MEANS THAT SUSTAINED WIND SPEEDS OF AT LEAST
35 MPH OR GUSTS OF 45 MPH OR MORE ARE EXPECTED. WINDS THIS STRONG
CAN MAKE DRIVING DIFFICULT...ESPECIALLY FOR HIGH PROFILE
VEHICLES. SMALL BRANCHES OR SHALLOW ROOTED TREES COULD EVEN BE
DOWNED BY WINDS OF THIS MAGNITUDE. CONTINUE TO MONITOR THE LATEST
FORECASTS FROM THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN HANFORD.

$$

WEATHER.GOV/HANFORD

Labels: Snow, storm, whiteout

Big Buck in Back Yard

Rockfall causes road closure in Yosemite Valley

The Associated Press

Article Launched: 12/19/2007 12:47:22 PM PST

YOSEMITE NATIONAL PARK, Calif.—Park managers have closed off part of a main road through Yosemite National Park after a rockfall launched granite chunks onto the valley floor.

Rangers say they heard the sound of falling rocks starting Tuesday afternoon, and rocks continued falling overnight. No one was injured and no buildings were harmed.

The section of Northside Drive between Camp 4 and the Pohono Bridge is expected to remain closed through Christmas, or until visibility improves once the storm system clears.

Park spokeswoman Adrienne Freeman says rockfalls are common in the winter months, when precipitation and recurring freeze-and-thaw cycles cause soil to loosen.

Moon Beam on the Falls

This is the famous Yosemite moon beam glow on the falls. Great shot, I'm not sure where it came from, as I would like to give them credit.

Labels: falls, Moonbeam, Yosemite

New Website

This is a new Wordpress blog I am working on
http://www.campingsierra.com

Yosemite Ice Rink Open

Yosemite National Park, CA – November 2007 – Yosemite’s Curry Village ice rink, one of the last remaining outdoor ice skating venues still operating in California, officially opened on Thanksgiving Day (Thursday, November 22) for the holidays and 2007-2008 winter season.

A long-time favorite for Yosemite’s winter visitors, the Curry Village ice rink was first established in 1928 when the Yosemite Winter Club flooded an unused parking lot. Now a permanent fixture, the rink is located in the western part of Curry Village, below the cliffs of Glacier Point.

“The picturesque views from our ice rink of Tenaya Canyon, with North Dome and Washington Column on the left, and Half Dome and Clouds Rest on the right, are truly breathtaking,” said Sean Costello, Manager of Rental Operations for DNC Parks & Resorts at Yosemite, the park’s official concessionaire. “The natural beauty that surrounds this ice rink is unparalleled. Adults, teens and children alike can skate in the crisp, mountain air, while gazing skyward 3,000 feet straight up at Glacier Point. It’s an experience that creates memories lasting a lifetime.”

Despite its long history, the Curry Village rink boasts all the amenities of a modern skating surface. A large supply of rental skates is maintained, and skaters can take advantage of a warming hut and cubbies for shoe storage. Between each session, a professional Zamboni machine keeps the ice surface fresh for new skaters. For those not skating, a warm fire pit adjacent to the rink is perfect for socializing, watching other skaters, sipping hot cocoa, apple cider or coffee, or just reveling in the beauty of Yosemite in winter.

Daily skating sessions (subject to weather conditions) are offered from 3:30 to 6 p.m. and 7 to 9:30 p.m. weekdays. On weekends and holidays, the rink is open for an additional morning session from 8:30 to 11 a.m., afternoon sessions from noon to 2:30 p.m. and 3:30 to 6 p.m., and an evening session from 7 to 9:30 p.m.

Ice-skating in Curry Village is $8.00 per adult, per session, and $6 per child. Skate rental is $3.00 per session. Helmets are available at no additional cost.

For more information on winter activities and lodging in Yosemite, visit the DNC Parks & Resorts at Yosemite web site at www.YosemitePark.com or call 559-253-5676. For current ice rink conditions and lodging reservations, call 209-372-8319. For road and weather conditions, call the automated National Park Service information line at 209-372-0200.

The Curry Village Ice Rink, The Ahwahnee, Yosemite Lodge at the Falls, Wawona Hotel, Curry Village, and Housekeeping Camp are all operated by DNC Parks & Resorts at Yosemite, a subsidiary of Delaware North Companies and the authorized National Park Service concessionaire overseeing lodging, dining, guest recreation, retail and transportation for Yosemite’s 3.5 million annual visitors.

Labels: Ahwahee Hotel

Bracebridge Dinner at the Ahwahnee

Bracebridge is a national cultural treasure, a three-hour-long
holiday banquet and concert, conceived by the famous Yosemite
photographer Ansel Adams, that occurs in the world-famous
Five Star Ahwahnee hotel Dining Room.

Approximately 30 seats each night for this highly sought-after
event have been packaged with lodging at the luxurious Yosemite
View Lodge for the nights of December 18, 19, 21 and 26. Each
dinner seat is $376 per person, including the seven-course gourmet
feast and musical pageant. Rooms at the Yosemite View Lodge vary
from $142 to $210 per night, a 20% savings offered specially for
Bracebridge guests. Call at once as this package will sell out fast.

Reserve your Bracebridge Dinner tickets and hotel room package,
call 1-800-321-5261

Labels: Ahwahee Hotel, Thanksgiving

Free California Guide

Get your free California Guide Book, just sign up at this Link:This is a very interesting and colorful book. The price is right. FREE

Yosemite National Park (U.S. National Park Service)

Yosemite National Park History

Yosemite National Park is an amazing place both physically and culturally but the physical history is much longer than its human history. Geologically, the park was not much more than a few gentle rolling hills with a maze of streams and rivers. Over time, a series of earth upheavals formed California’s Sierra Nevada creating mountains. This in turn shifted the Merced River west, which caused deep carvings into the rocks creating v-shaped canyons.

During the ice age, over time, glaciers formed and again carved away the v-shaped canyons effectively creating a u-shaped valley that we see today. The glaciers created hanging valleys and tributary creeks fell of shear cliffs effectively creating the park’s first waterfalls that it’s now famed for. With sediment washing down of the high country to fill Lake Yosemite, the valley was born.

As far as the cultural history goes, there has been recorded activity in this region for thousands of years. The Ahwahneechee people were amongst the first Native Americans to live in this area between 7,000 to 10,000 years ago. Different tribes lived in the area during this period. The Miwok tribe was the most recent of people and they named the valley Ahwahnee – ‘Place of the Gaping Mouth’.

The Native Americans used these areas for hunting and fishing, but all that changed when the white settlers in the 1800’s came to the area for gold mining. The white settlers angered the Natives and the two groups battled when eventually the Mariposa Battalion captured the tribe. The Natives returned to the valley and it was named after them.

In 1855, Abraham Lincoln signed the Yosemite Grant; influenced by Californians; to make the park a state supervised public reserve. Tourists had been arriving for nine years prior but some tourists had been using the area for timber interests and so in 1890, congress set aside the park as a national park.

Later on, the areas in Mariposa Grove and Wawona, which was once a Native American encampment, were set aside for building more amenities for tourists such as Clark’s Station that served as a stop for visitors and Wawona Hotel, which is still operating today. This area focuses on the human history of the park and so has the Pioneer Yosemite History Center that educates people on the human history.

Overtime, more amenities were added including The Ahwahnee hotel, enormous and beautiful in structure, now a National Historic Landmark.
©Ted McCaleb

Tioga Pass Road looking East

Labels: Tioga

Tioga Pass Road

Looking West on Lake Tenaya near the Tioga Pass Road

Fresno Dome Camp Ground

We were at Fresno Dome last weekend (about 45 minutes from home) there were only 3 camping spots being used. The Camp Host seems to think it has something to do with the price of petrol. Maybe, there doesn't to be as much activity in the Central Sierra's this year. Here are a few photos of the area. This is Dustin landing a 10" rainbow trout. Dustin is a expert fly fisherman and is a catch and release angler.
So this rainbow is back in the water waiting for the next angler.

Labels: fly fishing, fresno dome

Having Fun in Yosemite

There are a number of fun activities available to see and do at Yosemite National Park. Apart from the numerous trails one can take such as hikes on the meadow loop in the south or the walk down from Inspiration Point to Bridalveil Falls and take in the breathtaking view of this beautiful sight, you can take various drives, see the historical center or take various bike rides.

One can take a drive to Inspiration Point and see an amazing view of El Capitan, one of the largest exposed Granite blocks and Half Dome both standing out very high and proud for all to see.

Hiking up through Mariposa Grove (pdf file and map) to see Giant Sequoias is very popular with hikers to see an impressive 7 mile stretch of Sequoias, or one can hike up Chilnualna Falls to watch the water plummet over the boulders. This is also a good place just to relax and watch the water while having lunch.

Another good activity to undertake is biking. It’s great exercise and cheap option. There are several bike rides available with amazing scenic routes. You can try a ride along the Yosemite Valley Bike path that loops around east of the valley to Mirror Lake with stop off options. Bikes can be rented from Yosemite Lodge for about $20 per day.

If hiking, biking, or diving is not on the menu for you or your family, there are several more tranquil activities you can do. There are several evening programs that take place with talks, presentations, movies at campgrounds and hotel amphitheaters. There are several traditional campfire programs in the summer months.

The Pioneer Yosemite History Center (pdf)is an amazing center for knowledge and one can find interpreters dressed in period costumes that explain the rich, cultural history of the park. The center is open everyday. There are also Native American cultural programs available where people explain some customs of the native people of Yosemite. This is available during the summer months only.

Yosemite Theater creates shows and theater productions presented by the Yosemite Association at the Visitor Center on several evenings for your enjoyment and pleasure.

For younger visitors, there is a Junior Rangers program that is offered to children 8 to 10 where the children can join a park ranger and go through the adventures of the park in search of secret places. A similar program is offered at Tuolumne Meadows and Wawona.
©ted mccaleb

Labels: Giant Sequoias, Hikes, Waterfalls

GPS Hike Yosemite

GPS Hike

1. 37 Degrees 43' 30" Latitude

2. 119 Degrees 38' 00" Longitude

3. Look up, What do you see?

Willow Creek Near Soquel Meadows

Here is a link to a map (pdf) of the valley floor with the points interest.
Yosemite Valley Map

Things To See At Yosemite

Yosemite is home to countless waterfalls. Yosemite Falls (2,425 ft) flows from winter through early to mid-summer. Yosemite Falls, one of the world's tallest, is actually made up of three separate falls: Upper Yosemite Fall (1,430 ft), the middle cascades (675 ft), and Lower Yosemite Fall (320 ft). You can walk to Lower Yosemite Fall in just a few minutes. A hike to the top of Upper Yosemite Fall is a strenuous, all-day hike.

Ribbon Fall (1,612 ft) flows during the spring only. Staircase Falls (1,300 ft) flows in spring, cascading down various ledges from near Glacier Point to Curry Village.

Half Dome can be seen throughout eastern Yosemite Valley and Glacier Point. El Capitan is opposite Bridalveil Fall and is best seen at the far west end of Yosemite Valley at Bridalveil and El Capitan Meadows. Sentinel Rock, like a sentry, overlooks Yosemite Valley, along the opposite side of the Valley From Yosemite Falls.

Yosemite Point prominently juts out just east of Yosemite Falls. Glacier Point is perhaps the most famous viewpoint in Yosemite. Massive and ancient giant sequoias live in three groves in Yosemite National Park. Olmsted Point, along the Tioga Road, looks down on Yosemite Valley from the east--and from a very different angle. Tunnel View is one of the most famous views of Yosemite Valley. From here you can see El Capitan and Bridalveil Fall rising from Yosemite Valley, with Half Dome in the background. El Portal View, 2 miles up the Glacier Point/Badger Pass Road from Chinquapin (intersection with the Wawona Road). Pothole Dome, at the west end of Tuolumne Meadows, along the Tioga Road, affords many visitors’ first view of Tuolumne Meadows.

There are many vistas including: Bridalveil Meadow, which has views of both Bridalveil Fall and El Capitan. El Capitan Meadow, which provides a view straight up El Capitan. Valley View, which looks up Yosemite Valley from alongside the Merced River. The area around Sentinel Meadow and the Yosemite Chapel is a favorite place to stop to look at Yosemite Falls. Sentinel Bridge is famous for its views of Half Dome and Yosemite Falls.

Yosemite Lodge and Lower Yosemite Fall provide a closer view of Yosemite Falls. The Yosemite Museum, next to the Yosemite Valley Visitor Center, has displays that interpret the cultural history of Yosemite's native Miwok and Paiute people from 1850 to the present.

The historic Yosemite Cemetery is located across the street and just west of the Yosemite Museum. A Guide to the Yosemite Cemetery is available at the Valley Visitor Center.

Very few lakes are easily accessible in Yosemite National Park. Rivers flow through Wawona, Yosemite Valley, and Tuolumne Meadows and numerous seasonal creeks flow in places throughout the park. Yosemite Valley, Tuolumne Meadows, and Wawona have some of the more popular meadows in the park, but you can find meadows throughout the middle and upper elevations of the park.

©ted mccaleb

Soquel Meadows

Labels: Boondocking, RV

When To Visit Yosemite

Yosemite National Park enjoys a Mediterranean climate, which means whatever time of year you go, you can enjoy the season you’re in. dependant on which month you visit, you see beautiful wildflowers, gushing waterfalls, or go skiing.

Spring runs through the months of April and May. It’s the perfect season to see beautiful gushing waterfalls with even the smallest creeks filling with water. The climate tends to be quite variable with warm days but the occasional winter storm can happen too. It’s quite necessary to bring tire chains and it’s essential to know how to use them, regardless of the motor vehicle you have. In spring, some roads are closed due to snow. Tioga and Glacier Point Roads are closed until May while Yosemite Valley and Wawona remain open all year round and accessible by car.

Summer by far is the most popular season to visit. It runs between the months of June to September. Beware though as places tend to get quite crowded and reservations are needed for most places. The entire park is accessible by automobile. The climate tends to be warm to hot in most places with some rain. The waterfalls are not as full as in spring are some decrease to only a trickle, but some run all year although can slow down by late summer.

Most of the wildflowers are visible and in full bloom during summer. You can see Redbud, Sierra Onion, Lupine, Mariposa Lily, Pentstemon and Flowering Dogwood in this season. Subalpine flowers bloom in late summer.

Visiting the park in fall, which runs from October to November time, is becoming a popular alternative to visiting in the summer. You can still see lots of the park but with less people around. Most of the park remains open for vehicles although the Tioga Road is closed after September and tire chains may still be require for your vehicle. The climate assumes a variable hot to cold, dry to snowy atmosphere.

Waterfalls tend to be only trickles during this season so it may not be the best time of year to see them, although some run all year round such as Vernal, Nevada, and Bridalveil. Due to the fact that most of the trees are evergreen, spectacular fall colors should not be expected although big-leaf maples and black oaks are quite impressive still.

Winter is the time to visit for complete solitary and snowy wilderness. Running from December to March, most of the roads are closed while Yosemite Valley and Wawona remain open. The Glacier point gets replaced with the Badger Pass Ski Area where one can ski downhill and cross-country. Of course, due to the extreme cold climate and snow, tire chains are a must.

© Ted McCaleb

Labels: camping, vacation, Yosemite

Texas Flats Campground
This is an outstanding group campground, a group is considered to be 10 campers or more. The road into the camp ground is a little rough but I have seen Honda Civics there. This camp ground will also accommodate horse's so if you have a group that likes to ride this may be the place. Here is the camp link: Texas Flat Group Campground.