fivespot cabin

intermittent closure of Generals Highway this winter

Road construction continues in Sequoia-Kings Canyon National Park. I believe they are replacing a bridge at Halstead Meadow. For fivespot guests, that means the General Sherman tree and trails at Lodgepole will be inaccessible, but the General Grant tree, Hume Lake, Big Baldy, and Big Meadows trails are open and within a 30-minute drive from the cabin. Here's the latest from the Park website:

Generals Highway (Lodgepole to Grant Grove)
Closed on 1/2/2012: From Wuksachi Lodge to Montecito Resort (8 miles south of Hwy 180). 
UPDATE: As of Saturday, 1/7: Due to limited snowfall, the road between the parks will be open only on upcoming weekends and holidays from 9 a.m. - 5 p.m. until measurable snowfall closes the road. After snowfall, the road is expected to be closed through April 1.

So, in brief, while there is no snow, Generals Highway is open on weekends and holidays. As of today (January 10) no snow/rain is expected for at least 7 days (this year's La Niña pattern is holding off any moisture). Hopefully that will change soon, and once it does, Generals Highway will be closed altogether until April 1.

Call the Park to get up-to-the-minute information: (559) 565-3341 (press 1, 1, 1) or (559) 335-2856.

napping in our national parks

The activity pictured here is recommended for all hikers regardless of ability, especially those who don't want to ruin a perfectly lovely mountain day with "exercise." Herewith is a collection of Bachrun's snoozing adventures in various locations and seasons in Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks. We invite you to come up and do the same!

 

 

 

The Hatchery Free Range Contemporary Art Exhibition

As if you needed another reason to visit the Sierras on the last weekend of October (when the road to Kings Canyon will close for the winter), now you've got another: a contemporary art exhibition called "The Hatchery Free Range." website

This will be a one-day-only event, Saturday, October 30, 2010, in Badger (about 10 minutes from Pinehurst). Art viewing is from 11 am to 4 pm. Then, a "bring your own bar-be-que" from 4-6 pm, and finally, live acoustic music from 6 pm until we're done.

Bachrun is one of 10 artists who will be showing work in a huge airplane hangar at Badger Creek Development, where his studio is located. This decrepit building has been re-named "The Hatchery", which also refers to the group of artists who have begun reclaiming it. The Hatchery, in its ruined state, is a fascinating backdrop for the art, and of considerable interest on its own.

Hope to see you on the 30th!

 

new photo album and blog beautification

Pinehurst has finally had a normal wet spring, after 3 years of drought conditions. Garden flowers are blooming, but they haven't had a spectacular showing this year, since spring snows crushed them several weeks in a row. However, wildflowers continue to carpet the green hills with color all the way up to Pinehurst on Highway 180 and Dry Creek Road.

We've been busy taking pictures, especially of the fivespot flowers in front of the cabin. The new banner photo was taken by our friend Elena Keller, who is re-locating to the West Coast from Florida. She is helping us out with spring tasks - including improving the look of the blog with her photography. Enjoy!

Badger Creek vacation rentals

In addition to fivespot cabin, Bachrun and I also manage vacation rentals at Badger Creek Development, a large property near Pinehurst in Badger (3000' elevation). Pictured above are a small cabin (for 1 or 2 people) and a large 3-bedroom, 2-bath home that sleeps 9.

Coming soon is an art studio, which can be rented for two weeks up to two months. The Sierras have long been a popular retreat for artists and writers who want to work in and explore this marvelous environment. In fact, Bachrun's art studio is in one of the old buildings on the property.

Badger Creek Development is a 377-acre spread, with scenic rolling hills, a seasonal creek and stocked pond, is home to huge old oak trees, manzanita, pines, meadows, huge boulders, walking paths, deer, wild boar, bear, bobcats, bass, and birds of all sorts.

Previously developed, the property is now owned by architect Reinhard Hesse and a group of investors. It is slated to become a sustainable, energy-efficient community of 170 LEED-certified homes, and commercial and office space. As a partner in the green energy firm Frontier Renewables, Hesse plans to convert an existing airstrip into a 3-megawatt solar PV plant.

So if fivespot is already booked, if your group is large, or you've got pets, you've got options at Badger Creek! It's a great place for kids and dogs to run around, and for bicycling, fishing, bird- and wildlife-watching. See more photos and descriptions on the pages listed in the left sidebar.

inside fivespot

Here's a quick tour inside fivespot cabin. It's not big - just 600 square feet - but full of little details that will make you smile and feel right at home. We've made an effort to provide maximum comfort, including wi-fi service, but excluding the television set.

Now is a good time to start planning your spring and summer vacation. Fivespot gets booked up quickly, especially in June and August, so please contact us soon, using the form in the green column on the right. We look forward to hearing from you!

above the fog

When it's not snowing, winter brings gorgeous, clear days, and sparkling nights to Pinehurst and the mountains above. From our 4000' perch above California, we look down on an ocean: it's Tule fog. Blanketing the San Joaquin Valley in the late nights, mornings, and sometimes all day in the winter, the fog looks like a vast sea from fivespot. Amazingly, there are islands too - the higher peaks of the Coast Ranges, as far as 140 miles from here.

You can glimpse this phenomenon from fivespot (a sunset view):

 

Bachrun and I (and other friends) often walk from fivespot to the Hogback - an infrequently-traveled county road with wonderful views. Here's what we saw on a partly-cloudy New Year's Day.

View to the southwest: the San Joaquin Valley and the Coast Ranges, with virga (rain that doesn't reach the ground) coming down.

Here are two views to the south of the Tehachapi Range. In the first, I zoomed in on the Tehachapis 150 miles away. In the second, it is as you would see it - no zoom, just a huge expanse of land from Hogback practically to L.A.

 

It wasn't the best day to get a good shot of the Sierras to the east. I will post more blog-worthy pictures of the Mineral King peaks and nearby Big Baldy, as seen from Hogback, soon. And learn more about California geography and weather from links I've posted on the sidebar.

where is Pinehurst, exactly?

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a walk in the snow

There's been a series of big storms in the Sierras this week. Here's proof: a snowy walk behind fivespot last Monday. Now it's raining in Pinehurst, but drive 15 minutes to Grant Grove for another-order-of-magnitude snowy day!

a wintry day in Pinehurst

 Six inches of snow isn't too much, but it's not nothing. Snowshoes or good boots will get you around in this weather; you'll need chains on the road. Bet there's a lot more up in the Park!

The back porch at fivespot is covered and weather-protected, so you can run out of the sauna and into the snow or the Adirondack chairs.