Travel, Vacation, Sierra Camping, fishing, hiking, Yosemite

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 Between Fish Camp and Oakhurst runs Lewis Creek Trail.  This is a great trail  full of amazing sights and great scenery.  If you enjoy small waterfalls, this trail is for you. This trail is half way between Oakhurst and Yosemite, at about 7 miles from each. To get there, head north on Hwy 41.  About 7 miles past Oakhurst you’ll see a sign for the Lewis Creek  Trail, there is parking area for about a dozen cars.  Follow the sign and  Hit the trail and you’ll soon come to a fork. Turn right and you’ll head .3 miles to Corlieu Falls. Turn left and you’ll head 1.5 miles to Red Rock Falls. Corliue Falls is one of the tallest in Madera County and offers the more impressive views of the two falls. The trail itself will lead you to the top of the waterfall, where you can look down to watch it cascade. If you’re willing to scramble down some rocks you can see a nice view of the fall along with the nice pool that it flows into. Head back down the trail and continue to Red Rock Falls. The trail splits a few times, stay to the left.  From time to time you can hear cars drive by, as the trail runs parallel to the highway 41. Once you reach Red Rock Falls waterfall. Not  the most impressive, but it’s pleasant. It will be a great spot to pull out your lunch and enjoy it creekside.

December 2, 2009
For immediate release
Contact: Kitty Benzar 970-259-4616 wsnofee@gmail.com www.WesternSlopeNoFee.org

Forest Service To Eliminate Senior and Disabled Camping Discounts

DURANGO, CO – The U.S. Forest Service has announced it plans to eliminate the 50% discount at National Forest campgrounds that has traditionally been available to holders of lifetime Senior and Access (permanent disability) passes. The change will apply at campgrounds operated by private concessioners, which represent 50% of National Forest camping capacity and 82% of reservable campsites.

In a notice in the December 1st Federal Register, the agency outlined a new policy that would replace the half-price rule that has been in place since the mid-’60s with a 10% discount. The policy would also require Senior and Access passholders to pay a fee at National Forest day-use sites that are currently covered in full by their passes.

Seniors 62 and older pay a one-time $10 fee for their lifetime pass. Lifetime passes for the permanently disabled are free. Together, Senior and Access passes represent more than 78% of all pass sales.

Under current policy, concessioners are required to honor Senior and Access passes for campground fees under the same terms as if the Forest Service operated the facility directly, meaning that a 50% discount must be offered. Most highly-developed campgrounds are now concessioner-run.

As the concessioner program has expanded over the past thirty years, it has moved away from a small mom-and-pop business model to one dominated by a few large corporations. According to the published notice, those firms brought five specific complaints to the Forest Service: 1) the REA does not require the 50% discount, only Forest Service policy does; 2) the discount is too steep; 3) the 50% discount is non-negotiable and can’t be used as a “marketing tool to encourage off-peak use”; 4) as the baby-boomer generation ages, too many people are becoming eligible for the discount; and 5) prices to other campers must be increased to cover the discounts given to lifetime passholders.

The bottom line is, it’s hurting their bottom lines.

The move is possible only because of changes in the laws that authorize recreation fees on public lands. Until 2005 such fees were governed by the Land and Water Conservation Fund Act of 1965. That law established the Golden Age and Golden Access passes, entitling the holder to lifetime free entry to National Parks and giving a 50% discount on federal camping fees. In 2005 a new law called the Recreation Enhancement Act (REA) took effect, replacing the previous authority. Under REA, lifetime passes are still offered but the 50% camping discount is no longer required. The Forest Service had, until now, continued the discount as a matter of policy and had required concessioners to do so as a condition of their operating permits.

The REA specifies that pre-existing holders of Golden Age and Golden Access passes can continue to use them in accordance with the terms they were issued under “to the extent practicable.” That means they should be grandfathered-in for the 50% discount as long as the pass is not lost or stolen. But when the new REA-authorized Senior and Access passes became available in 2007, Golden passholders were encouraged to exchange their old paper pass for one of the new plastic ones, and according to the Forest Service many did. Now the Forest Service is claiming that keeping track of different discounts for Golden passholders than REA passholders is “not practicable.”

“The Forest Service is not showing good faith by changing the terms of the passes after the fact,” said Western Slope No-Fee Coalition President Kitty Benzar. “They encouraged people to turn in their Golden passes, which guaranteed a 50% camping discount, in exchange for an REA pass which does not, without telling them that they were giving up an important benefit. If they can’t find a practical way to distinguish between the two types of passes, the only fair thing to do is to continue to offer the 50% discount to both groups.”

Day-use sites managed by concessioners will also be affected. Under the new policy, holders of the annual America the Beautiful Pass would be entitled to free entry, but Senior and Access lifetime passholders would get only a 10% discount. This changes current policy which calls for all three passes to be honored equally at day-use fee sites.

The change is the latest in a long series of policy decisions that have transformed recreation on public lands from a public benefit into a market commodity.

“Until 1997, when the Recreation Fee Demonstration Program was implemented, it was government policy that public lands were to be available equally to all Americans, with modest fees only for a few highly developed sites and for entrance to National Parks,” said Benzar. “They were one of the benefits we enjoyed as citizens and all supported with our tax dollars. Since then there has been a systematic policy shift. Public lands are now expected to pay their own way in access fees.”

She pointed out that under previous policy, offering lifetime passes and substantial discounts to seniors and the disabled was a way of honoring their contributions to our nation and ensuring them access to the benefits of outdoor recreation. “I guess that’s out the window now,” she said. “No more special honors, no more special breaks. Pay up or stay home now applies to everyone.”

Benzar encouraged those who oppose the change to submit comments to the Forest Service and also to contact their congressional delegations. The Forest Service is accepting comments until February 1, 2010 at http://www.regulations.gov/search/Regs/hom…900006480a60f36. Congressional contact information can be found at www.senate.gov and www.house.gov.

Columbia was only one of hundreds of settlements that sprang up during the exciting years when the cry of "Gold! " brought Argonauts from all over the world to seek their fortunes in California. Located in the heart of the Mother Lode, a mile wide network of gold bearing quartz that extends 120 miles along the western edge of the Sierra Nevada, from Mariposa northward to Georgetown, Columbia yielded $87 million in gold at 1860’s prices.
Unlike many of these settlements, which have long since succumbed to fire, vandalism, and the elements, Columbia has never been completely deserted. Through the years it has retained much the same appearance as when miners thronged its streets.  On March 27, 1850, Dr. Thaddeus Hildreth, with his brother George and a handful of other prospectors, made camp near here. They found gold, and miners streamed in to share the wealth. Before the month was out Hildreth ’s Diggings, a tent and shanty town housing several thousand miners, was created. Its original name was soon changed to American Camp and then, because that sounded too temporary, to Columbia.
Meanwhile, Columbia ’s tents and shanties were being replaced with more permanent structures. Streets were laid out, and by the end of 1852 more than 150 stores, shops, saloons, and other enterprises were going strong. There was also a church, a Sunday School, a Masonic Lodge, and even a branch of the Sons of Temperance.
Wood had been the main construction material used in these buildings. In 1854, fire, the scourge of many mining towns, destroyed everything in Columbia ’s central business district except the one brick building. When the town was rebuilt, locally produced red brick was used for thirty buildings. Iron doors and window shutters, and bricks laid on the buildings’ roofs were additional fire protection.
In July of 1855 the New England Water Company provided piped water for firefighting and domestic use. Seven cisterns, each with a capacity of about fourteen thousand gallons, were built under the streets. Some still store water for firefighting. The early pipes were used until 1950, when the state installed a new water system.
In 1857 a second fire destroyed all the frame structures in the 13-block business district, as well as several of the brick buildings. Rebuilding began immediately, and the citizens decided to form a volunteer fire department. In 1859 the fire department acquired the “Papeete”, a small, fancifully decorated fire engine. Its arrival in Columbia was the occasion for much fanfare and celebration. A year later the Monumental, a larger hand-pumper, was added.

After 1860, when the easily mined placer gold was gone, the town began to decline. In the 1870s and ’80s many of the vacated buildings were torn down and their sites mined, and Columbia ’s population dropped from a peak of perhaps six thousand to about five hundred.
The town continued to survive, but not prosper for many years.  During the 1920’s ideas began to arise concerning the inclusion of Columbia into the new and growing California State Park System. By this time the town was quite run down. Many of the structures had become public nuisances and were falling down.
In 1945  the State Legislature passed a bill appropriating $50,000 to be matched by public subscription for the acquisition of lands and buildings in the old business section of Columbia. Thus, was Columbia State Historic Park born.

Open from May until October

Reservations:   http://www.recreation.gov/camping/Summerdale_Campground_Ca/r/campgroundDetails.do?contractCode=NRSO&parkId=73745

 Camp Hosts:   Marge and Bill

The camp hosts are very knowledgeable with lots of info about the local area. They maintain a beautiful campground with some of  the cleanest pit toilets in the Sierras , even raking around them in the morning.  You’re assigned a campsite based on your equipment (car, trailer, etc) at time of reservation, and the camp host may if possible accommodate  changes.   There is a beautiful creek (Big Creek) with a small waterfall, a meadow area, lots of high trees, and the usual outdoor pests.   Water outlets are available at several places with fire rings and picnic tables at each site.

There is a resident bear  hanging around .  There are no bear lockers at the sites.  The bear is looking for ice chests left out.  He has not tried to get into tents or cars at least when we camped there. This one-loop campground makes you close enough to take a short walk to your friend’s site.  Most sites are shaded, but a few do lack shade.

The Fish Camp general store is about a mile from the campground, stocked with ice, firewood, and ice cream and all the goodies of a small convenience store.  Oakhurst is a small town just about 30 minutes south which has all your amenities, groceries, Starbucks, auto repair, etc.  Also close by is the Tenaya Lodge.  This is an upscale five star resort with all the amenities.  Down Highway 41  a couple  of miles is the Narrow Gage Inn with perhaps some of the finest dining in the Sierras.   (Big Menu and excellent food)

Summerdale has been recommended by both Sunset Magazine and Michelins camping guide. So it is busy and reservations are recommended so make sure you book your reservations early.

Rafting along the Merced River is popular during summer. You can rent a raft during June and July, but rental times varies from year to year, depending on water level of the river. If you are interested in using your own whitewater equipment and gear an excellent place to obtain it is www.outdoorplay.com/ for best buys of quality kayaks, rafts and equipment

Inside Yosemite National Park, rafting is permitted on the Merced River between Stoneman Bridge (near Curry Village) and Sentinel Beach Picnic Area between 10 am and 6 pm under the following conditions: the river stage (depth) must read less than 6.5 feet at Sentinel Bridge and the sum of air temperature and water temperature must be more than 100°F. You must have a personal flotation device immediately available for each occupant of the raft. Enjoy this while you can as there is a plan in the works that may limit this type of activity in the park.

Rafting is also permitted on the South Fork of the Merced River in the Wawona area and depends on the water levels. There are no kayak or raft rentals in this area. So bring your own tube, air mattress or other floats, be advised the water in the Wawona area and the Merced River is very cold. Some visitors enjoy kayaking the calm waters of Tenaya Lake. Outside of Yosemite National Park you may whitewater raft or kayak at any time and almost at any place.

Fish Camp, CA & Buffalo, NY – August 2009 – Families can enjoy both a traditional and unique holiday season this winter at Tenaya Lodge in Yosemite National Park. The four-diamond rated resort, located two miles from the south entrance to Yosemite National Park, transforms itself into a magical winter wonderland for all ages. From sledding, ice skating and horse-drawn sleigh rides outdoors to hot cocoa, gingerbread house competitions and cookie decorating workshops, children and their parents are sure to make lasting memories.

Throughout the holiday season, guests can enjoy complimentary warm beverages while exploring Tenaya Lodge’s Grand Lobby, which overflows with wreaths, garlands and twinkling lights and a fully decorated 30-foot tree. Those hoping to journey through the Sierra National Forest can experience guided snowshoe walks or evening flashlight hikes just outside Tenaya Lodge’s front door. Inside, live entertainment, visits from Santa and his “Tenaya elves,” storytelling, and workshops keep kids busy for hours, while wine tastings, culinary workshops and spa treatments ensure adults enjoy a stress-free holiday.
This year, Tenaya Lodge is offering a variety of family-friendly holiday packages for guests to enjoy. These packages offer plenty of activities at affordable holiday prices and promise to be memorable. The 2009 Tenaya Lodge at Yosemite Family Holiday Packages are as follows:

* Kids Dinner with Santa Package: Starting from $235 per room, this popular package gives children ages four through 12 the unique opportunity to dine with Santa. Children will also spend their evening on a holiday adventure as the Tenaya elves lead them in special activities, games and crafts. The evening wraps up with a family photo with Santa Claus. Package available December 16, 18, 20, 22, 23.

* S’more Ice Skating Package: Starting from $239 per night, this package offers a one night stay in a deluxe room and includes a s’mores kit, an ice skating session and skate rental for two. Guests also enjoy a cozy welcome basket with a Tenaya Lodge blanket, mugs and hot cocoa mix to enjoy around one of Tenaya’s crackling outdoor fire pits. It’s the perfect way to warm up after a fun afternoon of skating amidst the Sierra National Forest. This package available December 1 through December 31.

* New Year’s Eve Package: Starting at $489 per room, this package pulls out all the corks for an evening packed with celebration for adults. The package includes one night’s accommodations in a deluxe room, gala dinner, live entertainment by the Wild Hare Band and TNT DJ and party favors, as well as a champagne toast and balloon drop at midnight. Guests will also enjoy a VIP 1 p.m. check-out and a New Year’s Day Champagne Breakfast for two at Tenaya’s Sierra Restaurant. This package is available December 31.

* Bring the kids to enjoy New Year’s Even as Tenaya’s Guest Services staff leads them in a night of fun-filled activities and dinner. Reservations required.

In the luxurious surroundings of Yosemite National Park, Tenaya Lodge is transformed for the holiday season. It’s something families truly need to experience for themselves. For more information on Holiday Packages and Special Events, contact Tenaya Lodge at 877-322-5492 or visit TenayaLodge.com/Holiday.

About Tenaya Lodge at Yosemite
Tenaya Lodge at Yosemite is a 294 room, Four-diamond resort nestled in the Sierra National Forest, just two miles from the south entrance of Yosemite National Park. Tenaya Lodge offers easy access to Yosemite’s most alluring attractions and all of the conveniences and services expected of a luxury resort property. For more information visit TenayaLodge.com