Dan's Outside

I go, I see, I do, I walk, I think, I like…

E85 Fuel. Why?

I keep hearing about the E85 (corn based) fuel in discussions of global climate issues. But I don’t understand why.

I do understand that biofuels would reduce the need to import foreign oil. I also understand the concerns about converting food-producing cropland to the production of oil. But the biggest disconnect for me is understanding how E85 has any positive effect on CO2 emissions.
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March 31, 2007 Posted by | Commentary | Comments Off on E85 Fuel. Why?

Two-Heel Drive on the Move

Literally.

Tom of Two-Heel Drive has just completed a move from his mountain top lair above Santa Clara Valley to a location in the valley and closer to his work. After a brief break from blogging he is back with a series of posts.
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March 31, 2007 Posted by | Commentary | Comments Off on Two-Heel Drive on the Move

Two Oaks, Spring

TwoOaksCalero2007|03|18: Two Oaks, Spring. Calero Hills, California. March 18, 2007. © "Copyright G Dan Mitchell". ("sales") keywords: two oak trees spring calero hills santa clara county park california black and white photograph

Two Oaks, Spring. Calero Hills, California. March 18, 2007. © Copyright G Dan Mitchell. (Sales)

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March 29, 2007 Posted by | Photography: Calero | Comments Off on Two Oaks, Spring

California 2007: Drought or No Drought?

The 2006-07 rainy season in California has been something of a bust. From the Central California coast to the Sierra Nevada, we seem to have received about 50-60% of normal precipitation. We had above normal precipitation during the previous two seasons, so it seems that the climatological pendulum is swinging back the other way.

News reports ask whether we are entering another drought period. On one hand, a season of half-of-normal precipitation is normal in California, in the sense that it falls within the historical range of variation. Things become a bit less normal if the situation continues over several years. Even that would not be surprising – we just had two above normal years, why couldn’t we have a couple below-normal years? Along these lines, water experts are quoted as saying “we don’t have a problem.” Yet. Reservoir levels are still high after the two previous wet years.

But having sufficient water available in reservoirs for human use does not negate the fact that the state is in a drought condition now. The natural world is clearly affected by this: the spring growth is subdued by comparison to the past two years, and things looked downright arid in Southern California a few weeks ago. The lack of rainfall will certainly affect the state’s natural environment this year.

Being a hiker and backpacker, I’m always interested in effects that may alter my experience during the upcoming season. It seems quite likely to me that:

  • The high country will open up earlier this year. (See my earlier note about opening dates for Tioga Pass road.)
  • Spring skiing isn’t going to last very long – go now!
  • Yosemite Valley waterfalls will be spectacular as always – but earlier, not for as long, and you may think “they were better last year.” Don’t wait until June to visit.
  • It may be possible to backpack over the higher Sierra Nevada passes a week or two earlier this year – go early and avoid the crowds.
  • With luck, the peak of the mosquito season will come earlier and not last as long. But they’ll still be awful in the wrong places at the wrong time…
  • By August many seasonal streams will dry up. During the last couple of years many of these streams kept flowing later in the season or never dried up at all.
  • High country fall will seem to come earlier. One day in mid-to-late August I expect to be sitting on a rock in the Tuolumne Meadows area and get hit by the feeling/realization that the end of another summer season is just around the corner. Vegetation will begin to change color and go dormant earlier.
  • Oddly, while fall will seem to start earlier in the high country, it will also seem to last longer and some of the changes may be stretched out over a longer period.

It will be fun to look back at this post next October… :-)
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March 29, 2007 Posted by | Commentary | Comments Off on California 2007: Drought or No Drought?

My New Adventure Vehicle

Back in August I wrote about my search for a vehicle to replace my Dodge Durango. The Durango was a great vehicle for travel to the Sierra and beyond in all seasons – with four-wheel drive it could get me through snow and dirt/gravel roads, it was large enough to carry a bunch of fellow adventurers, and I could even camp inside. But it sucked gas. I was getting about 13 mpg in normal driving (maybe 14 mpg if I was very careful) and only 15-16 mpg on longer trips.

In the end we settled on a Subaru Outback. I got a nicely equipped model with the smaller non-turbo engine that is supposed to get 22-28 mpg. Guess what? It really does. Typical mileage in normal driving for me is about 25-26 mpg. On longer drives I consistently do get 28 mpg, and sometimes even a bit better than that. On a recent drive from Souther California to the SF Bay Area we actually got better than 29 mpg on the return trip.

I can’t vouch for its performance on dirt and gravel yet, and this winter I haven’t even had a chance to drive in real snow. (I did drive a bit in Seattle snow, but that is a more urban sort of thing.) By all reports it is not going to be as capable as the Durango, but I still think it will be fine for my use. More reports on that later…

Much to my surprise, I even discovered during an Autumn fall color trip to the eastern Sierra that I can sleep in the back of the Outback. With the middle seat down there is just enough room for me. Typically, I would prefer to set up a tent and sleep out in the fresh air, but there are times when I arrive at the end of a longish drive and it is just easier to roll out a sleeping bag and go to sleep.

March 25, 2007 Posted by | Commentary | , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Comments Off on My New Adventure Vehicle

Tioga Road Plowing – The Video

I just found a neat little video about the work of the road crew as they plow across the Olmsted Point area above Tenaya Lake: http://www.nps.gov/yose/planyourvisit/upload/olmstedplowing.mov

(Meanwhile, my thoughts are turning towards Death Valley… :-)
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March 25, 2007 Posted by | Sierra Nevada | Comments Off on Tioga Road Plowing – The Video

When Will Tioga Road Open?

Spring begins and many of us start to speculate on this years opening date for Tioga Pass Road. The Park Services maintains a web page (Tioga Road Opening and Closing Dates) that offers some guidance, but in the end it depends on a bunch of variables.

According to this record, the earliest date has been April 29 – on two occasions. The opening has also been as late as the beginning of July. I recall driving over the pass on July 8 in 1998, the year when it opened on July 1. It felt more like winter than spring up there. People were still trying to ski is spots, the creeks were running as high as I’ve ever seen, and Tuolumne Meadow was more accurately described as Tuolumne Lake.

Typical opening dates are in May or June. According to the Tioga and Glacier Point Roads Plowing Update page plowing will begin on April 16 this year. This being a drier than average year, I’m guessing that the road might open by mid-May, barring any unforeseen challenges like large rockslides.
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March 25, 2007 Posted by | Sierra Nevada | Comments Off on When Will Tioga Road Open?

Indoor Weekend… Sigh

It is a special time of year for this college faculty member… the week before finals. I’m buried under papers that demand to be read and graded. Now. So, despite the beautiful spring weather I’m staying indoors and trying to avoid too many distractions until I finish.

I keep reminding myself that after finals I have a whole week of spring break as compensation. :-)
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March 24, 2007 Posted by | Commentary | Comments Off on Indoor Weekend… Sigh

Mystery Snowman Builder Outed

Actually, he outed himself. (Hey, if I had done what he did I think I’d want to take credit, too! :-)

Read more at Yosemite Blog or read the first person account:

The Snowmen Maker Reveals Himself.

So if you’re curious about the snowmen that mysteriously appeared on the Yosemite Association webcam one day in early March you’re going to want to check out Adam Long’s website.

Adam Long: “On March 5th, 2007, I cross-country skied 10 miles to the location of the remote camera and created two snowmen in this idyllic location across Yosemite Valley from the monolithic and unforgettable Half Dome.”

[Yosemite Blog]

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March 21, 2007 Posted by | People | Comments Off on Mystery Snowman Builder Outed

Oak Branches

OakBranchesBW2007|03|18: Oak Branches. Calero Hills, California. March 18, 2007. © "Copyright G Dan Mitchell". ("sales") keywords: oaks oak trees branches spring grass sun sunlight calero hills santa clara county park california black and white photograph

Oak Branches. Calero Hills, California. March 18, 2007. © Copyright G Dan Mitchell. (Sales)

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March 20, 2007 Posted by | Photography: Calero | Comments Off on Oak Branches

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