More great suggestions. Thank you. I've added all of them to my plan. If the weather is good, I should be able to visit all of these places!by RobE - General Discussion
The Sentinel Pass hike sounds like another winner. Five stars on trip advisor, even.by RobE - General Discussion
Good to know that bear spray may be available at the hotel. Actually, I was thinking of asking the front desk if they have any. I bet a lot of visitors leave their's behind before they get on the airplane. If they are selling, it may not be available for free.by RobE - General Discussion
Thanks for the recommendations. We are looking for day hikes for this trip, so the first two look excellent. Great trip reports, BTW. You mention preparing for bear issues. What did you do to prepare? Thanks!!by RobE - General Discussion
I'm planning a trip to Banff, Jasper, and the area for this summer. Any additional thoughts? Recommended laces to stay? Day hikes? We will be taking a hiking tour for part of our trip. http://www.backroads.com/trips/WCNI/canadian-rockies-hiking-tour Any other forum(s) that would have more info? Thanks!by RobE - General Discussion
The link to the article no longer works, so I have to ask... Regarding the ice rink, what is the plan to replace the ice rink? Will it be a meadow or a parking lot? What problem are they trying to solve? A number of things exist in the winter to increase visitation. The park tries to shift usage away from summer. The ice rink and events at the Ahwahnee fit in this category.by RobE - Yosemite and the Sierra Nevada. News & Discussion
Quoteplawrence Cool links. I wish they had information on the Hetch Hetchy Railroad too. . The best information I've seen on the HHRR is in Ted Wurm's book _Hetch_Hetchy_and_Its_Dam_Railroad_. (His title, not mine!) The book is out of print. But copies can be found if you search for used copies.by RobE - Yosemite and the Sierra Nevada. News & Discussion
I have some news on dining in Groveland and Buck Meadows. Having three pizza joints in Groveland was apparently one too many. PJ's is now a Chinese restaurant. I am not a Chinese food expert, but I would give it a "GOOD" rating based on one visit. Before converting their food had gone from "GOOD" to "BAD", so this is definitely an improvement. The Buck Meadoby RobE - Yosemite and the Sierra Nevada. News & Discussion
The rangers can be uber-strict about chains. Some years ago at Chinquapin, we were being inspected before ascending to Badger Pass. I was carrying chains and had M+S tires on. Chains were required (R2) and I was driving a Honda CRV 4WD. The ranger asked whether this was a 4WD or AWD vehicle. He insisted that AWD was not TRUE 4WD, and would require chains on. After some discussion, I showedby RobE - Yosemite and the Sierra Nevada. News & Discussion
Amtrak runs its own buses. Perhaps you are only seeing their bus and not the YARTS bus.by RobE - Yosemite and the Sierra Nevada. News & Discussion
Thanks for posting this info. We were able to get up there over the weekend, and it was great to skate on Tenaya Lake! There were quite a few people there with the same (or better) ideas. One large group were sitting on chairs on the ice, had coolers with beer, and were watching their families playing hockey. They had brought all the gear including goals. A ranger had recommended theby RobE - Yosemite and the Sierra Nevada. News & Discussion
I have a heavier camera that requires recharging its batteries fairly often. I may never take it on a longer trip - but I think about it. The photos with it are superior. So I am considering the idea of bringing a solar charger. Or a very long extension cord. Generally I just take a smaller camera and a spare battery. Plus the GPS, cell phone (emergencies only) and a two way radio (also fby RobE - General Discussion
It looks like the public inputs period is essentially over. http://www.nps.gov/yose/parkmgmt/upload/Merced-River-Planning-Roadmap-V4_1wbk.pdf It is worth a look at the materials they have developed to communicate the environmental issues http://www.nps.gov/yose/parkmgmt/mrp.htm I have heard of plans in the past to reduce/eliminate auto access to the park and bus visitors in from surroundiby RobE - Yosemite and the Sierra Nevada. News & Discussion
I think the decision of extra batteries vs solar charger depends on the length of the trip. If the trip is long, then the number of batteries increases and at some point the weight/volume of the batteries becomes too large. When you consider that there may be other devices on the trip, a solar charger is even more attractive if it can keep both (or all) devices charged and limit the number ofby RobE - General Discussion
Has anyone any experience with products from this company? http://www.goalzero.com/ They are rather expensive. My need is to charge camera batteries, which require a special charger. I found some inexpensive chargers on amazon that have a DC 12V input. Solar PV panels could charge that directly. Has anyone tried this?by RobE - General Discussion
I would plan on taking highway 140 into the park traveling from the south. Tioga Road is questionable at this time. As for hiking, I would consider the Valley Loop Trail as suggested. I would consider Mirror Lake, and I would also try Vernal/Nevada Falls. For the latter, you can always turn around if it gets snowy or icy.by RobE - Yosemite and the Sierra Nevada. News & Discussion
Thanks for all the suggestions. Your responses are still relevant and helpful.by RobE - Yosemite and the Sierra Nevada. News & Discussion
..and Great Western Bank was bought by Washington Mutual in 1997, which was bought by Chase in 2008. Dennis Weaver looks quite young. That looks like 1980's vintage to me.by RobE - General Discussion
Bob Pease was a very well-known analog electronics expert who wrote a regular column in EDN magazine. They were always titled "What's All This XXXXX Stuff, Anyway?". The topic varied, and it was usually about electronics. I always found his columns entertaining. In fact, I read the mag mainly for those columns. I use the past tense, because, sadly, Mr. Pease passed away recentby RobE - General Discussion
In recent years, with > 150% of normal snowpack, one or more HSCs have been closed. By "recent years" I mean since 1998. In 1998, the Sunrise HSC did not open. As I recall, this was due to a high water table, and the fancy toilets cannot function with a high water table. The other HSCs were open. Snowpack was 156% of normal in April. In 2005, none of the HSC's opened. Seeby RobE - Yosemite and the Sierra Nevada. News & Discussion
Very cool. I guess the dam is spilling over right now. I wonder if the Preston Flat trail is above water. It runs along the river upstream from there.by RobE - Yosemite and the Sierra Nevada. News & Discussion
Some years ago, I visited the Guiness brewery in Dublin, and enjoyed the local brew. I did notice that Guiness tasted better in Ireland than it does here. I also noticed that it seemed to be possible to drink a lot more without feeling the effects. I had the opportunity to meet and chat with Pete Slosberg, of Pete's Wicked Ale fame. I asked him about this, and he said that the formula isby RobE - General Discussion
Quotechick-on Random comments: - if you want to see Half Dome look on the webcam - couldn't see HD from Turlock... but tried... (did see the Silo) - always amazed at the amount of camera equipment and people taking photos when driving thru the valley... but seems few share... - always wonder what the deal is with the 3rd bullet I was amazed at the number of photographers-with-tripods that Iby RobE - Yosemite and the Sierra Nevada. News & Discussion
The technique I use to avoid blown highlights is to monitor the histogram. Adjust the exposure if needed to keep the curve away from the right hand side. It is better to lose some shadow detail than the highlights.by RobE - Photography advice, critiques and tutorials
I don't understand why this is not clear to all. For the casual photographer, JPEG may be enough. For any serious photographer, that photographer will edit (GIMP, Photoshop, Lightroom) the photos. The art of photography has always been twofold: capturing the image (front end) and processing (back end). The vast majority of photographers know little of the back end. It has been this was sinby RobE - Photography advice, critiques and tutorials
Deer are more dangerous because they are plentiful, stupid, and love to jump through windshields. Bear are far more rare and mostly avoid people.by RobE - General Discussion
My friends in Groveland say that the best pizza in town is at Two Guys Pizza. It's on Ferretti Road a short distance from 120. Another good place to eat is Priest Station Cafe. Excellent burgers! Just tried it a week ago. Owned and operated by a local family who restored the place.by RobE - Yosemite and the Sierra Nevada. News & Discussion
This is a great thread. I recently hiked this trail, but only made it as far as Hotrod. It was not apparent how to proceed at the switchback. There were many rockfalls to cross, which made my hiking companion rather cross. So we went no further. Still a fun hike, with a great view.by RobE - Yosemite and the Sierra Nevada. News & Discussion
Similar works can be found at the Stanford Museum. Not many, but a few. (If you are interested in the history of the transcontinental railroad, check out the rail spikes while you are there.)by RobE - Yosemite and the Sierra Nevada. News & Discussion
The San Andreas fault is around 800 miles long. Portions of it have moved since the '06 quake. The two major quakes since then were the 1989 Loma Prieta earthquake, which I remember very well, and the 2004 Parkfield quake. We are due for another very large quake on the San Andreas fault (and others like the Hayward fault). The reason is that the small quakes that have happened have noby RobE - General Discussion