Tioga Road is still open

We’ve had very little rain, which means the Sierras have received very little snow. No snow means (besides the ski-resorts hurting) all the roads over the Sierra passes are still open. In particular, Tioga Road through Yosemite is still open and it usually closes for the season around Thanksgiving. In fact, according to this document […]

Alabama Hills arches, 2011

The boulders of Alabama Hills and Mt. Whitney

Just west of Lone Pine, the Alabama Hills are a picturesque range of boulders of all sizes. In fact, it is so picturesque it has been used for location shots in hundreds of movies, mostly westerns. A pamphlet available at the visitor center describes a […]

Death Valley after Christmas 2011

I have never been to Death Valley (except for a very brief visit to Eureka Dunes), so a visit has been high on my to-do list. Karen, however, has not been enthusiastic and whenever I brought the subject up she usually talked about alternatives like Mammoth, Bend, Grand Tetons, Smokey Mountains, or White Mountains (the […]