Blog

   This is the "Year Of the Lake," no doubt about that. Clear Lake, California's largest natural lake inside state borders, is testimony to conditions across California and the Western U.S. right now. The lake is right up to the brim, clear and clean, thriving with big bass and birds galore. Many lakes will reach peak levels for Memorial Day Weekend and stay high through June and July. As water [...]

Everywhere you look, deer, birds and other wildlife seem to be in a population explosion right now. I was at Clear Lake this week and I can't remember seeing so many swallows, grebes and ospreys. Deer numbers are way up everywhere. The key is food. The wet spring and high soil moisture has given rise to an explosion of wild grass, budding plants and hardwoods and other browse. This provides [...]

If the great outdoors is so great, then why don't people enjoy it more? The answer is because of the time trap, and I will tell you exactly how to beat the time trap. For many, the biggest problem is finding the time to go, whether it is camping, hiking, fishing, boating, backpacking, biking or even just for a good drive in the country. The solution? The answer is to treat your [...]

Crews finished repairing the bridge at Wapama Falls at Hetch Hetchy this past week. The hike from O'Shaughnessy Dam to Wapama Falls and beyond, an easy 5-mile round trip with world-class pay-offs, is accessible again. Hetch Hetchy, of course, is the "hidden Yosemite." This is a second Yosemite Valley created by glaciers (and the Tuolumne River Canyon), much like the famous showpiece of the world, Yosemite Valley (and Merced River). From the [...]