Category Archives: Yosemite

Lembert Dome and Dog Lake

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A few days ago, I decided to head back to Tioga Pass and hike Lembert Dome and Dog Lake.  I first did this hike when I was twelve years old and remembered hiking the last few hundred feet on a hot day in the middle of the summer.  I remembered the crisp blue sky and the whiteness of the dome but I forgot about the dramatic 360 degree panoramic view.

I first headed up to Lembert Dome from the Stables parking lot.  As with other hikes in the Tioga Pass area, there are wonderful mountain views as you climb.  The hike starts at about 8600 feet and climbs 900 feet.  As I hiked upwards, I saw several families with small kids.  This reminded me that this was a moderate hike.

The last part of the Dome hike is over the domes of granite.  It is steep but the granite is rough so it is easy to maintain traction.  The force and the whistling of the afternoon mountain winds are more noticeable at the top of the Dome.  Also, the winds and cloud cover helped keep temperatures comfortable.

The view from the top is one of the best in Yosemite National Park.  You can see an unobstructed 360 degree panoramic view.

That day, the weather was fair with both dissipating and building cumulus clouds.  Sometimes, Jeremy and I have been on top when there was thunderstorm activity off in the distance.  This was very beautiful, too.

On the way back to the Stables, I stopped by Dog Lake.  The water was calm and reflected the mountains in the background.

Spectacular View of Mono Lake

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This past Sunday, we drove to Tioga Pass in Yosemite National Park and hiked to Mono Pass and to Bloody Canyon.

This is a beautiful 7.5 mile to 8 mile hike that starts at about 9,500 feet.  The trail head is located just off of Tioga Pass road.  Even though Jeremy and I hike and bike regularly, we still needed to break a few times since this is a fairly large elevation change from where we live (at 3000 feet) in Groveland, CA.

The hike starts with a gradual upward slope.  Meadows give spectacular view points for the surrounding mountains.  Some of which still have snow in August!

At the end of the Mono Pass hike, we see the boundary for Yosemite National Park and Inyo National Forest.  It is worth hiking further on the trail to Mono Lake to see the view of the lake peeking out of the Bloody Canyon.  The hike reaches a top elevation of approximately 10,600 feet.

I looked up hoping to see gliders overhead since the cloud height and quality looked promising for glider pilots.  I was one of them overhead in this area just a few weeks before.  Unfortunately, I must have missed them:-)

Deepening My Understanding of Holism

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Over the past two years while living in Pine Mountain Lake, I have developed an understanding of the holistic philosophy that is much deeper than appreciating the beauty of Nature.  In the beginning of this period, we met the Oler’s who encouraged a natural approach to health.  At the same time, Jeremy was reading voraciously on the topic.  Both encouraged us to change out eating habits.  Now we eat more protein and fat – as our ancestors did.  We look more carefully at the sources of our food and buy as much as we can from local farms who farm responsibly.  We take supplements made from real food.  We incorporate natural probiotics into our diet.  We strive to eliminate sugar and other toxins from out diet.

Over this time, we’ve become healthier people.  We also came to understand the trickle down effects of departing from the traditional lifestyle (the lifestyle we evolved from) and how this impacts our health and the health of the environment.   Non-traditional behaviors include current industrial farming practices and industries that pollute our air, water and soil just to name a few.  Fueled by feeling great, we both strive to learn more and do more to have a positive impact on the environment, since doing so will eventually benefit our health–thus forming a positive feedback loop.

We now:

  • recycle our green waste
  • grow our own food (when possible)
  • buy locally grown food (eggs, cheese, milk, fruits, vegetables, beef, chicken, pork)
  • care for the woods on our property
  • give to charities
  • support our health through holistic means [this feels self-referential]
  • communicate our knowledge and ideas through this blog
  • meditate daily

We value businesses that are responsible to the environment.  We value leaders that see the connection of today’s actions on future generations.  I now understand that it is NOT ONE thing but instead it is EVERYTHING that matters.  One change to the system, our planet, has cascading effects that can impact each of us.

I have gained a greater appreciation of the whole of holism.  I now see how my choices in what I do and how I spend my time can give me a greater of connection to the whole and have a positive impact on our future.

Manzanita Trees

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The Manzanita is my most favorite California trees.  They are a notable contrast to the pines that populate most of the wilderness in the Sierras.  I first noticed Manzanitas when hiking through Pinnacles National Monument near Hollister, California.  They stood out from the rocky, orange colored landscape.  And now we enjoy a grove on our property at Pine Mountain Lake.

The blue-green oval-shaped leaves contrast the native orange-red soil and the rose-colored tree bark.  In the spring, you can see the pink urn-shaped flowers that are often inhabited by bees and hummingbirds.  Later in the season and early summer, the flowers turn into berries.

The tree shape looks exotic with a smooth tree bark texture that twists into unusual shapes.  Trees tend to grow in clusters and can grow as high as 20 feet.

When traveling through the southwest last summer, we found some recipes that actually use the Manzanita berries.  They are used to make flour, jams and cider.  I may have to try ones of these recipes this summer (if the birds leave me enough berries).

In addition to their interesting look and being a food sources, they are survivors.  They survive the Sierra winter snows and the summer droughts.  They are evergreens that thrive in our region.

The Shortness of Life

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Recently I was informed that my best friend, Karen Greig – died of a heart attack at the age of 37.  I could never have imagined such a thing could happen.  We grew apart as our lives changed and now I will always regret that this happened.

Karen and I met as undergraduates navigating M.I.T..  We were two women – both technically inclined and adventurous in spirit.  I remember chatting with her several times in the hallways of the Infinite Corridor and on the sidewalks along Memorial Drive.  I told her that we should be friends because we had so much in common.  Unfortunately, M.I.T. kept us both very busy and there wasn’t much time to socialize.

When I headed out to Stanford University for graduate school, I remembered she had gone out to the same area to work for Applied Materials.  The first thing I did when getting to campus was to look her up.

We immediately became close friends.  Almost every weekend, we would go to dinner and a movie and then to the Printers Inc. to talk about life and navigating our 20s.  I was impressed by her intelligence.  She had an in depth knowledge of a large number of areas.  As she spoke, her thoughtfulness came through.  She often considered various points of view when discussing topics.  I found her openness to ideas to be a rare quality.

We spent a lot of time laughing.  She had a way of timing and phrasing things that made the unfunny things quite amusing.  Her charm shinned through and captured the interest of others.  A good example of this was during a camping trip to Yosemite National Park in the Spring.  We started the trip with just the two of us.  We ended it by hiking and then having dinner with two handsome English tourists.  (I did mention that Karen was a Jane Austin fan;-))

We spurred each other on to do things that would scare most people.  This included: skydiving, rafting the American River, SCUBA diving, and walking on flowing lava in Hawaii.  We encouraged each other to get our pilot’s license.  This is still only a fraction of our adventures.

Karen was a driven individual.  She was accepted to the Air Force Academy but she was disqualified for a history of eczema.  We started M.I.T. together and then majored in the same engineering field.  After having a successful job at Applied Materials, she went to Northwestern University where she earned a Masters in Engineering and an MBA. Afterwards, she became a Program Manager at General Electric.  She earned her private pilot certificate in airplanes and then earned her instrument rating.  She was also working on a rating in gliders.  She was a world traveller.  She was devoted to her church and her family.

Her flame burned strong for 37 years.  I know she had a close relationship with God and did not fear death.  Very sadly, a bright light in the world has dimmed.

Jeremy and I are working to start a soaring scholarship in her name.  It seems right that we help fuel another woman to soar to honor Karen.

We love and miss you, Karen.

Winter Flight Over Yosemite

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Today was a beautiful, clear day in February. There were few clouds in the sky.  The temperature on the ground was around 60F. Winds were light.

We took our Light Sport Airplane (Flight Design CT) out of the hangar and taxied to runway 27 at Pine Mountain Lake Airport. After lining up on the runway and throttling up the engine, we were off the ground in short order.  I circled over the airport to gain about 2000 ft of altitude and then flew “IFR” (I Follow Roads) towards Yosemite Valley. I followed the contours of highway 120 and continued on a steady climb to 12,000ft.

It was a beautiful day for the flight. The air was crystal clear. We could see the white jagged peaks to our south as we flew to the valley. We also noticed snow on Tenaya Lake.

As we approached the valley, we took pictures of Yosemite Valley and specifically Yosemite Falls.

We circled over the top of Half Dome. It’s hard to put into words what it feels like to be circling over such a majestic world. I can say for a moment that I felt as if I were circling overhead – independent of the airplane.

You can see all 210 photos we shot (the good and bad) in the  February 2012 Yosemite Flight album.

Walking on Tenaya Lake

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We have been frequent visitors to Yosemite National Park since moving up to Pine Mountain Lake. Typically, we see visitors of all ages, races and nationalities at rest stops, overlooks and campgrounds.

However, today was different. A group of people came together to experience an unusual occurrence. Tenaya Lake is completely frozen over  and is accessible from Tioga Pass. Once we arrived, we looked out to the open spaces and saw dozens of people standing on the lake. People were playing hockey, kite surfing, picnicking, and skating with ice skates, chairs and walkers!

We joined the group as we shuffled along to the center of the lake. We occasionally heard a loud pound followed by a vibration. We also heard strange groans that sounded most like singing whales. As we walked, we looked down and saw interesting stress patterns and cracks in the ice.

We saw trapped bubbles that trailed throughout the thickness of the ice which varied from six to twelve inches. In some places, we could clearly see the bottom of the lake.

We took pictures of the surround Sierra Nevada Mountains, which somehow looked different from this point of the view. We also joined the chorus of “oooh”s and “ahh”s as we admired what nature had created.

We walked the lake’s edge which showed ice curved upwards and extending onto the land. Drift wood laid trapped at the lake’s edge. This was clearly one of those magical days that a group of strangers were brought together by their appreciation of the miracles and beauty of nature.

The Move to Pine Mountain Lake

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Pine Mountain Lake and Airport

To move up to Pine Mountain Lake (PML) full time, we needed to check on the availability of essential items at our new home.  These included a well-stocked grocery store, health care (for humans and kitties), reliable Internet service, along with several other items.

The Main Street Market in Groveland is very well stocked and a five minute drive from our house.  Since we expected to go into the Bay Area at least one time per week we could stop by Trader Joe’s, Safeway or Costco as needed.  In addition to the market, there is a weekly Farmer’s Market and also multiple CSAs which offer fresh eggs, milk, honey, and seasonal produce.  We currently get all of our meat from local farms.

The area does have some very good restaurants (Groveland Hotel, Charolette’s, Priest Station, The Grill) however, there is not nearly the same diversity and choice that we have in the Bay Area.  This has encouraged us to cook more with the added benefit of saving money and huge benefit to our health:-)

Groveland has limited health care options.  However, this has encouraged us to explore Oler Chiropractic.  We will discuss this topic more in future blog postings.  As a preview, interactions with the Oler’s has had (and will have) a significant impact on our lives (in particular our health).

As far as our pets go, Groveland does have a vet clinic with an on-site vet one day a week and technicians available the rest of the time.  Their main office is down in Sonora, which is a 40 minute drive and has a more extensive infrastructure (including emergency care for both humans and pets).

Internet service in Groveland is worth of a whole separate posting, but the options have improved greatly in the last year.  We have three choices now, two of which we actively use.  DSL service is available from AT&T (or provides like sonic.net and Motherlode Internet) if you live close enough to the main entrance. Cable service, which now includes an Internet option, is provided by Sierra Nevada Communications. And there is also wireless service available from Sonnet Wireless.

Though we’ve made some compromises to live in our dream location, the new location definitely encourages a healthier life style. Since there are limited restaurants, we have learned to cook with a wide range of mostly fresh ingredients.  At this elevation, the air is clean and clear.  Where ever we go, there are steep slopes to walk and a good workout for the heart.  I see the benefits in the residents who often appear to be ten or fifteen years younger than their age.

Moving Up to the Mountains from the Bay Area

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Over a year ago, Jeremy and I moved up to our dream house in our dream location.  We moved out of our town house in San Jose and up to our much larger and more private home out in Pine Mountain Lake (PML) near Yosemite National Park.

Living in the Pine Mountain Lake has been a dream of mine ever since I discovered it during a trip to Yosemite about 7 years ago.  During that trip, I was considering moving to Houston, TX to take a post doctoral position at Johnson Space Center.  The job opportunity was a very interesting one, but unfortunately I would be living in Houston.  At the time, there were few opportunities for a fairly new graduate.  In addition, before seeing PML, it was difficult to persuade myself that I could have a comfortable standard of living in CA.  After being a poor graduate student at Stanford University for years, I was craving a better lifestyle.

At an auspicious meeting at the Big Oak Cafe, I went on a limousine ride with Doyle who took me on a tour that would alter my future.  First, he took me to the airport where there had recently been a landing accident.  (Since then, the airport conditions have been improved.) I remember being impressed by the views of the surrounding foothills and seeing the Sierras off at a distance.  We walked around.  Doyle pointed out the various kinds of aircraft parked at the surrounding airport homes.  These included twin engines, small jets, helicopters and even gliders.  I could see that it would be a great place for an aviation enthusiast to live!

Next on the tour was a view of Pine Mountain Lake.  As we drove around, I was impressed by the houses within the PML community.  The houses were of different styles (not like the condos I had seen in the Bay Area).  Each house had a generous plot of land which looked like the forest I’d seen in Yosemite.  The Ponderosa Pines were all around, standing tall at over 100ft.  Deer and fawn were spread throughout the area.  I had the sense that these houses were plopped down into a forest.

During the tour, we saw the Lake.  It was blue and appeared well maintained.  I also noted there were several public beaches. I asked Doyle about the price of these houses.  He said that in some cases they were $200,000.  Wow!  I thought I could live here!  I would be 20 miles from the entrance to Yosemite (one of my favorite National Parks).  (See the picture of Tenaya Lake above.)  I could commute to the Bay Area for work via airplane (I was working on my Single Engine Land rating) and have a good size house and some privacy.

That would be a dream come true.

A few years later, I met my husband (another dream come true:-)).  I shared my dream with him which soon became our dream.  In 2007, we bought our house in Pine Mountain.  In 2010, we moved up to Pine Mountain full-time.