well off the beathen path

Fall Color found... Originally uploaded by Gotfish --= Marc =-- 2009 FALL REPORT The autumn colors are lasting in California! Some higher elevation areas hit with snow (8000' +) have naked aspens w/ shedding dead leaves, but mid altitude canyons along Hwy 395 - have aspen groves glowing. Cottonwoods and poplars are also changing rapidly in the Eastern Sierra. Mammoth is OPEN Friday, that's tomorrow - OCT 16. Early season to enjoy! YEP, Free lift tickets on opening day. mammothmountain.com

June Lake Loop Sunday Originally uploaded by Jeff Sullivan (www.MyPhotoGuides.com) Autumn colors abound in the Eastern Sierra THIS WEEK. Get out to see the aspen groves changing along Highway 395 from Bridgeport down to June Lake, California. Great stream fishing on both Rush and Reverse Creeks at this time of year. Green Creek , near the Bodie ghost town turn off, should be exquisite about now . Numerous cabin rentals and lodges need your business, or you could brave the elements and camp out. Bishop lakes got a dusting of snow last weekend, so the winter has already set in above 8000' elevation. These fall colors, sunshine and temperatures will not last long. (This is a limited time offer.)

The ring of fire is moving again. While news stories bombard us on the recent earthquakes on the other side of the Pacific Ocean, we are soon reminded that here in California we are all connected via fault lines and tectonic plates. Four decent little earthquakes tonight in the Northern Mojave Desert, off Hwy 395, out near Olancha: Magnitude: 4.7 Ml Magnitude: 4.9 Ml Magnitude: 5.2 Ml Magnitude: 4.7 Ml

Autumn along North Lake Originally uploaded by danamight Do not wait until the last minute to see the autumn colors. The change can be gradual or fast; one week to one month, the weather is warm and then cold the next. The best places to check out fall colors in California is the Eastern Sierra, the North Gold Country & areas around Mount Shasta. Below are FALL DESTINATIONS for California: ASPENDELL BRIDGEPORT DOWNIEVILLE JUNE LAKE LEE VINING MAMMOTH LAKES MOUNT SHASTA OJAI PINE MOUNTAIN PONDEROSA REDDING

creek recreation includes fishing, hiking, kayaking, rafting, tubing, gold panning, and finding swimming holes. People love secluded lakes inside alpine mountains, well away from the city. Folks also love rivers and creeks - of all sizes. Most all of the California National Forest have recreation creeks running thru them. SoCal would be seasonal creeks - which means it often dry up annually, or goes underground. In the golden west, the desert's dryness reigns, and some smaller creeks are 'seasonal' and tend to dry up every year. The flow stops completely and you are bummed, cuz your hike isn't what you had hoped it would be. There are only a select few creeks for camping in Southern California. Drought conditions are often. Call ahead, ask the field ranger about your creek destination. The best streams & creeks are located in the higher elevation mountains. If you are seeking that hidden creek with a forest to hike or bike in, or a new fly fishing spot, you

Mount Whitney CALIFORNIA Mt Whitney hiking can only be done half the year, when the snow is minimal. All other seasons this is considered a 'mountaineering route' with ice crampons, snow axes, hard core mountain climbers. Not for the average hiker. Whitney is the tallest peak in the lower 48 states, so the demand for these trails is very high. So if you wanna hike this are, please check with the local rangers in Lone Pine or Whitney Portal for the availability, plus the permits needed. Mt Whitney Permits Weather Mt Whitney WHITNEY MAPS: topo trail maps Mount Whitney High Country Map Mount Whitney Zone Map Inyo National Forest Map Inyo National Forest Atlas Mt Whitney as seen from Alabama Hills. Lone Pine, CA

Santa Barbara coast is 40 miles away, but it's on fire again , so we usually bolt up to the Sierra Nevada mountains. Big rivers, hot springs, granite wall and zillions of dirt roads . Pieces of an email spawn new topics, spanning fresh ideas, friends sharing groceries today. Online, in the wild. Pretty much. My life, a silly hi-tech dream sometimes, is me working from a remote mountain village in SoCal, but too often in front of a computer -- on beautiful sunny days. Cool mountain breezes still make their way into my small office. My big dead line daily is to mail your maps, priority . Away from the city, deep in the woods. Minimal facilities, the mail leaves the hill at 3pm, sharp. No good restaurants, a small golf course, one crappy local pub w/ classic rock, black ice, winter snows and often, stuck on slow dial up (old skool, 56k internet connection, slow as molasses). This is what I do. I type, nearly every day or night, many 4 hour shifts...just to tell you about my