Dan's Outside

Sierra Road Closures

According to article in SF Gate all Sierra passes are closed today (except for highways 50 and 80) due to winter-like weather. The road to Glacier Point has also apparently been closed.

I was lamenting the fact that for the first time in quite a few years I’m home on Memorial Day weekend rather than in the eastern Sierra camping in the desert and skiing one last time at Mammoth. But perhaps I’m actually better off at home this time…

May 24, 2008 Posted by gdanmitchell | Commentary | Comments Off on Sierra Road Closures

Wondering About the Weather?

Heard just now on a SF Bay Area television news weather forecast: “Last night’s sunset will look a lot like what you’ll see tonight.”

Uh, yeah…

May 21, 2008 Posted by gdanmitchell | Commentary | Comments Off on Wondering About the Weather?

Bike to Work Day

I finally did it. Rode my bike to work. Again. For many years this was the way I normally got to work, but it has been several years since I last did this.

Although I used to be a very active cyclist – with several 10,000 plus mile years under my belt – I more or less stopped riding a few years ago. Once you stop doing something like this it is very difficult to get started again. I’m hopeful that I can build on today’s commute and get back into this.

May 15, 2008 Posted by gdanmitchell | Commentary | Comments Off on Bike to Work Day

Tioga Pass…

If I were a betting man, I’d bet that Tioga Pass might just open this weekend – perhaps even by Friday?. I’m pretty darn confident it will be open by next weekend.

(For the record, I have no official information – this is just my hunch. If you go up there and find it closed, remember that, OK?)

May 15, 2008 Posted by gdanmitchell | Commentary | Comments Off on Tioga Pass…

Heyday Books (or 'How Did I Miss This?')

I like to think of myself as being pretty aware of California history, natural history, geography, and so forth. I have shelves full of books on California history and photography and places – and not just the Sierra.

But somehow I managed to miss Heyday Books. Through a contact I made recently – more about that at a future date – I had a chance to look at the Heyday web site this evening, and I see that it is a tremendous resource for those interested in California and the West.

May 8, 2008 Posted by gdanmitchell | Commentary | Comments Off on Heyday Books (or 'How Did I Miss This?')

The High Country Starts to Open

(With apologies to back-country skiers and snow campers for whom it never closed…) Sierra roads and passes that close every winter are beginning to open. If I read correctly, Ebbets Pass may already be open (double-check me before you go!) and Sonora is probably not far behind. The road to Glacier Point is supposed to open tomorrow.

Tioga Pass Road is not yet open and there have been no announcements of an opening date. Historically, the average opening date has been right around the end of May.

May 1, 2008 Posted by gdanmitchell | Commentary | Comments Off on The High Country Starts to Open

First Yosemite Valley One-Day Blitz of the Season

Fortunately (or unfortunately, if you are of the opinion that I’m nuts for doing this sort of thing) I live close enough to the Sierra that by getting up at an absurdly early hour, knowing where all the Starbucks are located, taking a mid-afternoon nap in the car, and playing the radio loudly on the way home… I can do an occasional One Day Yosemite Valley Blitz when the photography demands it.

I did the first one of 2008 yesterday.

In the Prius and on the road by about 4:00 a.m. I arrived in the Valley before most people were up and certainly before much of anyone else had arrived in the park. The waterfalls were quite something. Not only are the usual waterfalls flowing impressively, but all of the smaller and seasonal waterfalls are also in full flow right now. Ironically, some of the “waterfalls you have never heard of” would probably be the centerpiece of a popular state park anywhere else – but here they become an interesting side show for Valley aficionados.

The last Valley event of the day for me was to NOT join the throngs at “Tunnel View,” which overlooks the Valley from the east end of Wawona Tunnel. Instead, I parked my car there and hiked almost a mile and a half up the sometimes steep trail to “Inspiration Point,” where the main Valley overlook was in the days before the tunnel was constructed. An old road (whose bed is still very evident) wound up this steep slope well above Wawona Tunnel.

If you attempt this at sunset, I have a few bits of advice. First, it is steep – though less steep as you climb higher. Take a flashlight or headlamp if you do it at sunset. Even if you leave the point by the time the last light leaves the peaks, you may be hard pressed to make it back to the parking lot before it gets completely dark. Finally, if you arrive at “Inspiration Point” and are less than inspired by trying to see the Valley through a thicket of trees, you are not quite there yet. When you arrive at the old road, head a 100 yards or so to your right and then descend a bit to get to open areas.

You will be inspired.

April 28, 2008 Posted by gdanmitchell | Commentary | Comments Off on First Yosemite Valley One-Day Blitz of the Season

One More Batch of Central California Spring Wildflowers

The wildflower season in the central section of coastal California is perhaps past its peak now, but there are still plenty of flowers and green foliage if you know where to look. A few photographs from this weekend:

This annual spring central California wildflower photography binge is just about to wind up as the weather is now heating up and drying out. Head on over to the wildflower section of my photography web site if you want to see more.

April 26, 2008 Posted by gdanmitchell | Commentary | Comments Off on One More Batch of Central California Spring Wildflowers