Dr. Suess

"And will you succeed? Yes indeed! Yes indeed! Ninety Eight and Three Quarters guarenteed!"


Wednesday, August 02, 2006

Welcome to Blogger's Anonymous!

Hello, Welcome to Bloggers Anonymous! Thank you Dr. A for letting me host this weeks meeting. I do hope everyone finds it enjoyable. If you don't catch the tour bus with the first group, another will be along shortly, I've asked that they drive back and forth all day to make sure everyone gets to come! Our first stop along the way is not our actual destination. We are meeting here in Mariposa, California on our way to Yosemite National Park.
Yes, I know, I live in Oklahoma, but I was raised in Mariposa and would much rather take you to my home than where I live now. :) Mariposa is a very small community that's primary role is to be the 'Gateway to Yosemite.'

The history of Mariposa County was far more glorious than the town (not even declared a town by the census) turned out to be. Mariposa County was one of the original counties of California, created at time of statehood. It was the largest of the state's original counties, but territory that was once part of Mariposa is now in twelve other counties: Fresno, Inyo, Kern, Kings, Los Angeles, Madera, Merced, Mono, San Benito, San Bernardino, San Luis Obispo, and Tulare. Thus, Mariposa County is known as the Mother of Counties. Part of the county's territory was given to Tulare County in 1852, to Merced County in 1855, to Fresno County in 1856 and to Mono County in 1861.
Mariposa Main Street

Mariposa is also known for it's Courthouse, the oldest FUNCTIONING courthouse in California. It is a beautiful piece of history.

MariposaCourthouse

Ok ... Let's hop on the bus and head out of town, but before we do, let's stop here to get drinks. The resteraunt was once our only fast food place. It was an A&W ... before we moved a way, it went through being an A&W Serve You, to a Hawks Dog (owned by the Hawkins family, friends of ours, who served killer foot longs with tomatoes and sourcream! YUM) and several other re incarnations. Whatever the name on the door, the food is guarenteed to be good and the service friendly.

Load up, and let's head on up the highway!

Wildflowers in Midpines

Enjoy yourself on the ride, read, talk amoungst yourself, watch a DVD on the screen up here. There is pop in the ice chest and a picnic basket full of various snack (chips, candy etc)like things if you didn't get something at the resteraunt.

Look! Out the window! It is the beautiful Merced River

Merced River
Dr. A, lean back in the window of the bus! These mountain roads have sharp turns and steep inclines! The river can be seen INSIDE Yosemite as well as from the road. Geesh!

Cathy and Moof, see if you can entertain
Dr. A and keep him contained till we get there. Get him a lap top so he can blog while riding this bus!

Our first stop in Yosemite is going to be Yosemite Valley.


YosemitefallsfromYosemiteValley

If you get here before I get back to give you the itenerary, entertain yourselves with playing frizbee, looking at the wildflowers

Yellowstarthistle

Neonursechic ... Dr. A is feeding the Bears! Get him a laptop!

Carbear
Ok ...back with the Itenerary (after a bit of a delay ... got chased by a bear myself ... AOL froze with one sentence left in our BA meeting!)





There are several things planned today!
Activities:
Hiking

Popular Hiking Trails

Vernal Falls
Nevada Falls
Taft Point/Sentinel Dome
Half Dome
Yosemite Falls
The Panorama Trail
The Four Mile Trail
Mirror Lake
Ostrander Lake
rock climbing
BACKPACKING
Biking
Swimming and rafting on the Merced River
Swinging Bridge and the Vernal Falls pool are common locations for swimming. For those who do not like the cold water, a few heated pools are available. Rafting ranges from drift rafting on the valley floor where guests can rent rafts for $15 (per person) for a slow and gentle 1 hour or more ride down the river. The other option is White Water Rafting on the Merced River. Pk here ... in all my years living in this area, my mom NEVER told me that white water rafting was available! Why?? Mary Anne and I are headed over there ..anyone want to join us?
Horseback riding

Lea ... I can take you to just outside of Yosemite if you want, to El Portal where there are some good Running spots. When I was in 6th grade I ran my first long distance run ... I won 5th place ribbon and a T shirt that said I Ran El Portal! We trained for WEEKS in the hills in Mariposa before, and we still were shocked by the steep mountains and the difference in running and walking them.


You can always go check out some of the beautiful waterfalls in Yosemite ...Vernal and Nevada are always breath theives!
VernalandNevadaFalls

A popular fall here, is Ribbon Falls, many people see it on postcards, pictures, greeting cards all over the country and never know what they are looking at.
yosemite ribbon falls

yosemite Let's sit here at the base of El Capitain and have our picnic lunch. A childhood friend and Park Ranger has arranged for us to have a picnic of fried chicken, Potato Salad, green salad and all the fresh California fruit we can stand! Heartlander's ...if you have never had California fresh fruit, you're in for a surprise ...there is nothing quite as tasty and sweet and juicy as a California apricot, or orange, or cherry, blackberry's ..just about anything you can imagine. The rolls ...those, those are fresh and made from a bakery in Mariposa that is owned and operated by the parents of a friend of mine from the third grade! I've asked for regular, whole wheat, honey wheat and rye ...so dig in. Something to please everyone!

Moof, No! No gingerale and Jim Beam! Put that away! We don't want anyone falling off a cliff or into the river! Trust me, I have plenty of drinks ordered for dinner ...including Grateful Deads.

Someone get Moof a Laptop! She's sneaking the Jim Beam anyway!

Ok, when we take off, stay in pairs for safety, these are mountains and people fall ..or get hurt by bears etc all the time. Also, if you each carry laptops, and anyone gets elevation sickness, or starts doing something really risky and rediculous ...you can hand them a lap top to help settle them down ...a few minutes of blogging and they'll be just fine! So all of you, watch your partners for the need of emergency blogging!


Ok ... for those that would like to take a tour with me of MY Yosemite ...let's head on out!

First we'll head up to Tioga Pass
TiagaPass2
Wolfbaby ... I think you'll find some lovely things to sketch up here!!
Then we'll go on over to Chilnulna Falls. Chilnualna_Falls Yosemite National Park




Yosemite
Ready to rest? Pull out your travel chairs. We can just sit and take a seista or blog. Or, how about sitting and watching the wild life.
Golden-crested_Ground_Squirrel-

Mule_Deer_near_Wawona_in_YNP

And if you see one of these ...don't FEED IT!
YosemiteBlackBearTagged_wb
Before we head on to our dinner meeting place, let's head up to Lambert Dome to look at Tuolumne Meadow's (Tow Wall Oh Me)
Tuolumne_Meadows_from_Lambert_Dome-1200px

Let's Head on down to Mariposa Grove for dinner ... where we have waiting a delictible dinner prepared. California Tri Tip, artichokes steamed to perfection, green salad with raspberry vinegerette, and all the fresh rolls you can imagine! For those who don't like red meat, just tell the caterer, they have a caterer truck around the grove, and have access to other foods to suit your fancy.

Along with dinner is every imaginable drink, including Ms Moof's Greatful Dead's! Have no fear, Trams are taking us to the campground tonight!


Before we head out in the morning we will all go look at Yosemite's Pride and Joy HALF DOME

HalfDome

And before we all leave, my Ranger friend (TIM) has arranged for everyone to take a commmerative picture of Yosemite from Tunnel View

yosemite

Welcome Wanda's Wings to her first BA meeting!
I hope you enjoyed your Blogger's Anonymous Meeting ...I sure enjoyed hostessing it!

25 comments:

  1. ohh whoo

    wolfie doin the happy dance

    for once im not only on time

    yahhhhooooo

    I'm early!!!!

    wooo whooooo

    wolfie doin the happy dance!!!!

    wow Pk you did alot of work

    beatiful pics!!!

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  2. Wow, this is a great BA meeting. I'm going horseback riding at Yosemite. Toga pass looks beautiful!

    I hope someone is around to get me off this horse when I'm finished. The meal sounds good and so does those "grateful deads." Trust me , Moof about killed me with one a few days ago. its good we're all spending the night.

    I love that these meetings take us to all sorts of beautiful places.

    I'll be back some time in the late afternoon, when my horse has had enough. I'll make sure I'm here in time for dinner.

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  3. Wolfie and Cathy ... welcome! Glad you could make it and so early!!


    I hope you enjoy my home! It was a wonderful backyard to have as a child growing up!

    Enjoy you horseback ride!
    Cathy, if was wintertime, we could go up to Tioga Pass and ski ... and then come back to the valley to ice skate in the outdoors and sing and roast marshmellows for our hot chocolate by the fire.

    However, Yosemite may be in the mountains but it still gets warm ..so no ice skating outside in the summer. Sigh.

    But the hiking and horseback riding is good!

    Don't forget to take your laptop for emergency blogging incidences!

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  4. When i was younger a friend of mine and I would race this one trail on horse back sometimes bare back and the trick was to see how fast we could go through the twistng corners of the trail without getting hit by stray brances etc... you couldn't lie about it either cause the brances left a mark and so did the poisen ivy it was a blast.. got any trails like that????

    Im up for a challenge.

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  5. i want toi go to the resturant with the funny food that i didnt understand what it was but thought it might be intersting. What an awesome place to live brilliant absolutely brilliant.

    Amelia

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  6. Pk, this is AWESOME! You host one fabulous BA meeting girlfriend!! I'm heading for the white water rafting, myself...and maybe some horseback riding, too. (We got no horses in southwest Alaska!) I was sitting next to Dr. A on the bus, and had ahold of his feet so he wouldn't go out that window on the turns *grin* And the food--divine! The thing I miss most in Alaska is truly good fresh fruit, especially the soft stuff--peaches, plums, apricots. Wow--I think I'm in heaven...

    OK, back from rafting; four hours without a laptop was pretty rough, glad mine is safe in my backpack so I can have a quick hit. (My name is The Tundra PA, and I am a blogaholic...) *whew* better now. Hey Moof! Can I get one of those Grateful Deads? This is pretty thirsty work, ya know! My dog would like one too, if that's ok; his name is Bear, and he's a blogaholic too. Hope no one minds that I brought him, he's a real friendly guy. Watch out, he might lick you to death, and if you're under 6' tall he can reach your face when he stands on his hind legs.

    *woo...* TPA and Bear do a little dance, wolfbaby joins in... Dr. A is playing the guitar while Carrie sings us a broadway lullabye. Cathy is catching lightening bugs; Moof makes sure no one wanders off in the dark... Maybe it's time to find my tent. Sweet dreams, everyone! Thanks, Pk! Really fun meeting!

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  7. Such beautiful scenery it took all thoughts bloggy clean away...horse riding for me, I don't think I'm adventurous enough for the other activities and I forgot to pack my swimmers! Great meeting, thanks for hosting.

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  8. Looks like I'm a day late, but the scenery is still here for me.

    Thanks for hostins such a scenic and natural BA meeting. I feel so refreshed!

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  10. Wow -- I'm sorry I had a busy day yesterday & missed all the fun...I'll enjoy everything through your terrific pictures.
    A
    (this is the same comment I accidentally deleted -- that's what I get for trying to multi-task!)

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  11. so beautiful. my brother lives in that area. i just love yosemite.

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  12. ok ...if I forget someone ...forgive me ... I'm not used to this many comments!

    First off ...this BA meeting is taking place from Midnight Thursday August 3rd to sometime August 4th (Friday)whenever people decide to head back to reality ...So, no one is late ...you guys who thought you were late were actually FIRST ... you thought you missed the party and you were early! Ya caught the FIRST bus!
    :D

    I am so glad you're all enjoying yourself! I love this place, such a wonderful beautiful place to be refreshed and renewed.

    JIP ...isn't it incredible? You know, Falling Angels LIVES nearby here right? (totally jealous Pk here)

    Tundra, thank you so much for dropping by! So glad you are enjoying the party ....er ...BA meeting! It really is a great place to unwind and have a ball! You need to bring us to Alaska!
    Thank you for bringing your dog! I had to leave my cats! Especially Freckles ...he's only about 5 months, but I think he'd eat a bear! (the real one, not your dog ...lol)
    Carrie, your singing is lovely!

    Mary Anne, like I said, you weren't late, you were early! I'm all for the white water rafting! I hope we don't get lost finding the take off place, that's the one thing I'm unfamiliar with around here! I never knew about it growing up!!! (why WOULD my mother keep that from me??????)

    Lea, you were just on first bus!! I am so glad you feel at home! Hope you are enjoying your day!

    Artemis ... this is the perfect place to be on a week your kids are at camp (kamp?) enjoy!

    kt ...so jealous of your brother!!!
    my father lives in that area too. We've been to see him a couple of times, but not since my 14 year old was 2. He normally comes here. Just too expensive to travel. Health gets in the way too.

    This is my favorite place on the planet, I've told God I want Yosemite in my backyard when I get to Heaven. ;)

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  13. BEAUTIFUL! That is what keeps coming to my mind. BEAUTIFUL!

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  14. Wow Pk! That was an absolutely amazing meeting!!!

    I think I left my bottle of Jim Beam back at the foot long hot dogs though ... you think maybe we could go back there and, um, pick it up? *blink!*

    Oh! I found Dr. Anon ... he was laying across the back seat with a lap top on his belly - snoring away. What did you feed the poor man? >;o)

    You've done a really bang-up job on this post! Amazing pictures ... and so much work!

    I can see why you miss it out there ... what beautiful country!

    By the way, where are the Grateful Deads? *GRIN!*

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  15. I don't know ...maybe you didn't leave the Jim Beam at the HawksDog place! Maybe He got ahold of it and passed out after the river incident?

    So glad you're enjoying the meeting! Grateful deads are being served with Dinner at Mariposa Grove. (here in Yosemite ..not to be mixed up with the 'town' Mariposa)
    (I'm having issues ...having done some research for this to make sure I got what I needed, finding out that the census does not consider my home town a town was a bit unnerving!!!) lol AND there was white water rafting????

    Wanda ...I'm so glad you like it! Let's go see Yosemite Falls ... I don't think I put up a picture. But you saw a couple at my mom's ..when we had to call an ambulance that night and I was ignoring her and pointing out all the yosemite pictures to you :D

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  16. Great pics! But I don't actually live near there...well, nearer then you do! I'm actually a good 6-7 hours away. I live an hour due north of San Francisco. Raine is about 1 1/2 - 2 hours away though!

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  17. Wow, My horse back ride was so good. I saw so much scenery. I'm ready to move out here. I'm sure I will be walking bowlegged for about 2 weeks now.
    I'm really hungry PK and dinner sounds wonderful.

    I'm going to eat, see if Moof will mix me one of those grateful deads, and then I'm going to pass out looking at this beautiful place you have brought us.

    Great job, PK!!

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  18. THAT'S RIGHT! It's Raine who lives nearby! Whoops!

    Cathy ... meet ya in Mariposa Grove. Save me a seat UNDER the tree. I Love sitting inside that tree! It was one of my favorite places as a kid.

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  19. Wolfbaby curled up with TPA's dog Bear over by the big tree... Pick one anyone... snoring away with the lap top inches from her finger tips....

    That was alot of dancing snoorrrrrrrrr

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  20. Hey Peggikaye...

    Love the location.

    Love the scenery.

    Love the food and drink.

    Love the company...

    Wow.


    What a wonderful place! It's so peaceful here...


    So many blogaholics and laptops in one place.

    I've never seen such a sight.


    Does anyone ever get cured in this organization?

    later...

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  21. TJ ...sooo glad you like it. It really is serene.

    Are we going for a cure here?

    ;)

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  22. Are we going for a cure here?

    Sorry.

    My bad.

    Wrong meeting.

    *wink*

    later...

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  23. What a beautiful part of the country....just beautiful. I love Yosemite. I have been there, and I have pics of El Capitain. It is my brother's dream to climb the face of that someday.Hopefully, he'll get to! Thanks for sharing this special place. I enjoyed it so much.

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  24. Well, at least now I know what happened to Dr.A . . .I think he got into Moof's Jim Beam and fell out of the window . . .you are right about the bear!

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  25. Sorry, I'm late for the meeting. I was away and w/o internet (see my post today). I'm just catching up. I'll be back here soon for my own observations of the meeting soon. Nice pics!

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