The former 49er Restaurant moved to the Buck Meadows Restaurant site this season. The old Buck Meadows Restaurant closed several years ago. Last year it was a BBQ restaurant. For anyone who has not been, the food is good, the portions are large, and the beer is very cold. Recommended. It's a great place to go after a long hike or backpacking trip.by RobE - General Discussion
This interview with Yosemite's acting superintendent is very interesting... http://www.mymotherlode.com/news/local/491435/Yosemite-Acting-Superintendent-Questioned-On-Big-Meadow-Fire.html I certainly hope that they do a serious review of their process. It is clearly broken. This is not the first escaped prescribed burn in the area.by RobE - Yosemite and the Sierra Nevada. News & Discussion
Quotesnorkus We went on a hike to Gaylor Lakes on Tuesday. It was really a fun hike that my boys liked, even though we didn't see an entrance to the mine. The mine is literally just a hole in the ground. It is above upper Gaylor Lake, past the stone hut. It would be very easy to fall into it. Good to hear you had such a good time.by RobE - General Discussion
QuoteBee There are three main ATT cell sites in the Park: Sentinel Dome, Tuolumne Meadows & Curry Villiage. Are the CDMA (like Verizon) sites co-located with the GSM (ATT) sites? It's very useful to know where the cell sites are when you are trying to find a working spot. What about Mount Hoffman? Is that a cell site as well?by RobE - General Discussion
Quotebill-e-g Brilliant. This isn't the first time a prescribed burn has escaped. Brilliant indeed. FYI: The Old Big Oak Flat Road Trail is closed. Hardly surprising... I sure hope that they get this under control before the Labor Day weekend.by RobE - Yosemite and the Sierra Nevada. News & Discussion
He couldn't edit the video either!by RobE - Yosemite and the Sierra Nevada. News & Discussion
Quotebill-e-g See... I'm not full of dingleberries all the time: http://yosemitenews.info/forum/read.php?3,17267 Yep. Good news that the GCT trail is open.by RobE - Yosemite and the Sierra Nevada. News & Discussion
Wildcat fire acreage is now at 1235. http://www.uniondemocrat.com/2009082597633/News/Local-News/Wildcat-Fire-still-growing Although the park is using "wilderness ethic" in allowing the fire to take its course. I wonder how the Tuolumne River Canyon is going to look with snags where trees used to be.by RobE - Yosemite and the Sierra Nevada. News & Discussion
Here is another trail along 108. It's an old trail to see dwarf trees. http://www.uniondemocrat.com/2009082197612/News/Local-News/Dwarfs-good-hiking-companionsby RobE - Yosemite and the Sierra Nevada. News & Discussion
QuoteAlmostThere Pine Mountain Lake... never been there, as camping in the middle of a subdivision never seemed that much fun.... but it looks nice, though they don't apparently know the difference between a hawk and an osprey. Naw! It's on the edge of the development, not in the middle at all. I hear they have hot showers. It's a little more civilized than most campsites, which is both goodby RobE - Yosemite and the Sierra Nevada. News & Discussion
For the highway 120 corridor, west of the park, with car camping: Cherry Lake. Has mixed campsites, fairly crowded. Large beautiful lake, but with power boats. You could probably find a remote spot along the lake for relaxing. Dogs allowed. http://www.fs.fed.us/r5/stanislaus/visitor/cherry.shtml Pine Mountain Lake. Private lake. Has public campsites. Dogs not allowed at the lake.by RobE - Yosemite and the Sierra Nevada. News & Discussion
A portion of the Grand Canyon along the Tuolumne Canyon Trail has been reopened. http://www.mymotherlode.com/news/local/465826/Yosemites-Wildcat-Fire-Grows-To-957-Acres.htmlby RobE - Yosemite and the Sierra Nevada. News & Discussion
Quotedavidh I'm thinking the same time frame as our last trip may still be best for us...about the third week of June and then hope for an 'average' opening date for Tioga Road. Keep in mind that some recent years Tioga Road hasn't opened until late June or even July 1. There have been recent news stories predicting (observing?) El Nino conditions in the ocean this year, which could lead tby RobE - Yosemite and the Sierra Nevada. News & Discussion
East of Yosemite: There is Saddlebag Lake and the nearby lakes region. It's a must-see. Dogs are allowed (for a fee) on the water taxi. On the way to Saddlebag is Gardisky Lake. It's a steep climb, but at the top there is a large alpine area around the lake. West of Yosemite: Preston Flat Trail is along the Tuolumne River. It gets hot in the canyon in summer, but the dog can cby RobE - Yosemite and the Sierra Nevada. News & Discussion
Quotebill-e-g How many miles you want? More like 5-10, given some of the group may be a limiting factor. Has anyone tried some of these ex- logging railroad trails? They are shorter and flatter than I'd like. http://www.fs.fed.us/r5/stanislaus/miwok/hiking.shtml Eagle Creek sounds good. We could skip the shuttle. http://www.fs.fed.us/r5/stanislaus/summit/hiking.shtml Thanks fby RobE - Yosemite and the Sierra Nevada. News & Discussion
I have heard that there are some very fine hikes along Route 108, in particular around Sonora Pass. Anyone know of good day hikes in there?by RobE - Yosemite and the Sierra Nevada. News & Discussion
One way to simulate the full pack, is to bring your pack and fill it with large water bottles. You can always dump the water if it is too heavy.by RobE - Yosemite and the Sierra Nevada. News & Discussion
Portions of the Grand Canyon of the Tuolumne River trail are now closed, due to the Wildcat Fire. It's now > 300 acres. http://www.uniondemocrat.com/2009073197412/News/Local-News/Wildfire-continues-to-burn-in-Yosemiteby RobE - Yosemite and the Sierra Nevada. News & Discussion
Portions of the Grand Canyon of the Tuolumne River trail are now closed, due to the Wildcat Fire. It's now > 300 acres. So, Richard, you were even luckier than you think! http://www.uniondemocrat.com/2009073197412/News/Local-News/Wildfire-continues-to-burn-in-Yosemiteby RobE - General Discussion
Richard, Those are excellent photos. They make me want to get out there. It's a good thing you went when you did! There is a fire in the area now. http://www.uniondemocrat.com/2009073097399/News/Local-News/Fire-ignited-in-Yosemiteby RobE - General Discussion
I always fill up in Oakdale when driving 120 eastbound. There are a number of relatively cheap gas stations there. That's the last cheap gas.by RobE - General Discussion
Quotebill-e-g b) Tent - go without from July- thru Sept.. Buy a tarp ... you're seeing more and more of them... and then play with it so that you are comfortable setting it up. Chances are you won't need it and can just sleep outside on a ground cloth c) Boots - return them. Get some trail running type shoes. More and more are out there that have Vibram soles and cooshy insolesby RobE - Yosemite and the Sierra Nevada. News & Discussion
Plenty of skeeters at Elizabeth Lake yesterday. Enough to shorten our stay.by RobE - General Discussion
The rangers try to teach the bears to fear humans, but it sounds like the bears are only trained to fear rangers.by RobE - General Discussion
One man died last year from a head injury. Diving there is very dangerous. http://www.uniondemocrat.com/2008081793310/News/Local-News/Man-dies-at-Rainbow-Pools I am also aware of numerous accounts of minor injuries from slipping and falling on the slick rock(s).by RobE - General Discussion
Quotetomdisco eeek attempted to start a serious discussion (requesting input) awhile back regarding new format & topics for repeat questions/subjects but the responses became so off topic he gave up! I still think it has great merit. If he ever makes another try it would sure be nice if we gave him some constructive input. Jim I have two ideas: 1) FAQ-worthy discussions could be maby RobE - General Discussion
It's possible to find rental properties in the Groveland area for $99. One example: http://www.yosemitegoldvacations.com/site/Overview/PropertyID__5371/942/DesktopDefault.aspx Groveland is an hour's drive from Yosemite Valley. Some of these places require a full week's stay. I am not familiar with this particular property, it's just the first one I found. Given the economy, you mighby RobE - General Discussion
I would prefer they spend $5000 to preserve the historic buildings that are collapsing in the county.by RobE - General Discussion
Sorry for the delay in my response. I've been "off-grid" for a while. PLBs are satellite radios, which sometimes have built-in GPS. (You want the ones with the GPS also.) Yes, they must have a clear view of the sky to work properly, similar to a GPS. The difference is that a GPS needs 4-5 satellites to work correctly, and a PLB talks to a single satellite. The older typby RobE - General Discussion
I've written about PLB's on this forum before, but that was before the software upgrade. If you are out of cell phone range, this is the best way to get emergency help. One note, there are some older type PLB's that work on 121.5MHz only and do not support the 406MHz frequency. These are essentially worthless. Be sure to get the newer type. Interesting review of the SPOT deviceby RobE - General Discussion