Archive for the 'Northern California' Category
First look: Rock Band Live tour coming to Knott’s Berry Farm and California’s Great America
March 5, 2010 9:01am
Concept art for Rock Band Live reveals the characters and hints at a storyline for the new musical show coming this summer to Knott’s Berry Farm and California’s Great America.
The “concert-like” show — touring U.S. theme parks beginning in May — features live singers performing karaoke-style to songs from Rock Band video games.
Yosemite: Half Dome hiking permits sell like hot cakes
March 2, 2010 6:02pm
Warning, weekend hikers: If you’re planning an assault on Half Dome in May or June, your time has just about run out.
In their first 48 hours of peddling hiker permits, under a new system designed to relieve weekend and holiday crowding on Yosemite National Park’s popular Half Dome Trail, park concessionaires have sold nearly all of the 5,700 available spots. Permits went up for grabs Monday morning. As of 3:19 p.m. Tuesday, park spokesman Scott Gediman said, just 69 were left, all of them earmarked for Memorial Day, May 31.
The permits carry a processing fee of $1.50 each. Park officials turned to this temporary system after four deaths in four years near the top of the trail, where summer hikers use a pair of cables on stanchions to steady themselves for the final 400 feet of ascent on the granite.
U.S. Highway 395 road trip: Take along a free audio tour
February 28, 2010 8:31am
If you’re going to be driving the 395 Eastern Sierra Scenic Byway anytime soon — en route to California’s Mammoth Lakes, June Lake or Independence, perhaps — a free CD is yours if you want it.
From Lone Pine to Walker, Calif., visitor centers, chambers of commerce and museums are serving as pick-up locations for the Roadside Heritage 395 project and Mono County’s “Eastern Sierra Audio Tours — Traditions, Travels, and Tales” CD, which offers educational stories about the history of the region along U.S. Highway 395.
March marks the third CD’s release from the project, made possible by a 2007 grant from the National Science Foundation in support of a three-year program that links local youth with media professionals. Full CD downloads are also available online.
— Leslie Anne Wiggins, Special to the Los Angeles Times
Photo: The unusual tufa rock formations of California’s Mono Lake are among the many sights that attract tourists and photographers traveling U.S. Highway 395. Credit: Luis Sinco / Los Angeles Times
Yosemite National Park: You’ll need a permit to climb Half Dome on busy days
February 18, 2010 1:15pm
Hikers who want to stand atop the iconic Half Dome at Yosemite National Park in California will soon need a day-use permit Fridays through Sundays and on federal holidays. The new policy will go into effect as soon as the cables used for the final ascent are put back up, usually the third Friday in May.
Officials said they expect demand to exceed availability, which will total 400 permits a day. Permits must be reserved at least one week in advance through the National Recreation Reservation Service at (877) 444-6777 or online; there is a nonrefundable $1.50 processing fee per person.
Permits for May and June will be available beginning March 1; July and August dates will open April 1.
— Benoit Lebourgeois, special to the Los Angeles Times
Photo: Half Dome at Yosemite National Park. Credit: Alex Gallardo / Los Angeles Times
After the storms, river rafters itch for spring
February 12, 2010 9:50am
For all the trouble and menace it has brought to this state in recent weeks, this storm season also has certain people in California feeling pretty good: the river-runners.
California’s Department of Water Resources estimates that by Jan. 31, statewide rain and snowfall amounted to 110% of the average for the date, leading outfitters to hope for a “stellar” spring and perhaps a longer summer of rafting.
George Wendt, founder and president of the rafting company O.A.R.S., used that word just the other day to describe his expectations for the Tuolumne River. And other outfitters, such as Bill McGinnis, founder and president of Whitewater Voyages, have similarly high hopes for other rivers, including the Kern, which is the nearest major river-rafting destination for Southern Californians.
“Because of this big snowpack, we’re going to start early. We’re going to start in mid-April,” said McGinnis, referring to his company’s trips on the Upper Kern.
Sonoma County pops the cork on first Restaurant Week
February 11, 2010 5:58am
Here’s good news for gourmets: Sonoma County, part of the wine region north of San Francisco that is also known for fine dining, will hold its first-ever Restaurant Week from Feb. 22-28.
Deal: Enjoy fixed-price, three-course dinners for either $19, $29 or $39, depending on the restaurant. Tip, taxes and beverages are extra. More than 75 places in Sonoma (pictured above), Guerneville, Healdsburg, Petaluma, Santa Rosa and other towns in Sonoma County are participating. They range from Mary’s Pizza Shack, a modest local chain, to the Michelin-starred Santé at Fairmont Sonoma Mission Inn & Spa.
This being Sonoma, the weeklong event has its own twists.
“There’s a strong emphasis on locally sourced ingredients,” said Justin Hayashi, tourism project coordinator for the Sonoma County Economic Development Board. Local wines will also be featured, some at a discount prices or even for free. Dry Creek Kitchen in Healdsburg, for instance, says it will include a “dessert wine pairing” with its $39 menu.
San Francisco Bay Area: Cavallo Point achieves LEED Gold certification
February 9, 2010 8:58am
Since making a grand entrance in July 2008, luxury hotel Cavallo Point, the 21st century’s first new national park lodge, has earned many awards and accolades in its still-short life. And now it can boast about its LEED Gold. The resort at Fort Baker in Golden Gate National Recreation Area said last week it achieved the status for its environmentally sustainable design and construction.
With the achievement of a LEED Gold standard, Cavallo Point joins the ranks of California hotels such as Montage Beverly Hills and Gaia Napa Valley Hotel.
The Gold certification applies to the entire lodge project, including its historic and new buildings and the overall site. The project’s green elements, a hotel statement said, include its use of solar panels in its metal roofing; low-VOC glues, paints and carpets, and materials such as bamboo and recycled wood.
The site’s open spaces near the endangered Mission Blue Butterfly habitat “were restored with more than 58,000 native plants, all raised from seeds collected from the surrounding parklands,” the statement said. Read the rest of this entry »
Southwest Airlines fare sale: Fly within California from $49 each way
January 26, 2010 11:39am
If Northern California beckons, you may find some well-priced airfares to get you there. Southwest Airlines has announced a sale for February and March travel, but you have only until Thursday night to book.
Deal: The current sale offers “Wanna Get Away” Web-only airfares starting at $49 one way. Destinations from Los Angeles (LAX) and Orange County (SNA) that can be reached at the $49 level are San Francisco (SFO), Oakland (OAK), San Jose (SJC) and Sacramento (SMF). From Burbank (BUR), you’ll find flights to Oakland and Sacramento at the $49 rate.
You must book your nonrefundable tickets on Southwest.com or Swabiz.com.
When: This short-lived sale ends Jan. 28 at 11:59 p.m. PST, and it is valid for travel Feb. 2 through Mar. 25, on any day except Friday and Sunday. A seven-day advance purchase is required.
How does it compare? Definitely research destinations and dates to make sure you’re getting the best deal out there, which can change from day to day or even hour to hour. Read the rest of this entry »
Snoopy kicks Spongebob to the curb at California’s Great America
January 16, 2010 10:06am
Snoopy and his ol’ pal Charlie Brown have vanquished Spongebob Squarepants and Scooby-Doo from California’s Great America in an animated shakeup taking place at theme parks across the country.
California’s Great America will remake the existing Nickelodeon-branded Nick Central kids area as Planet Snoopy, bringing the round-headed kid, his beagle, Peppermint Patty, Woodstock, Lucy, Linus, Sally and the rest of the Peanuts gang to the Santa Clara theme park.
Debuting March 28, the new Planet Snoopy themes for the existing Nick Central rides will include:
There’s snow time like the present for some Sierra RV parks
January 1, 2010 1:58pm
Most Sierra campgrounds and RV parks shut down in winter, but a few stay open to accommodate cross-country skiers, snowshoers, skiers and snowmobile enthusiasts.
“We put our water lines down deep enough so they don’t freeze,” says Wally Walker, manager of the 44-site Eagle Ridge RV Park in Graeagle, Calif.
Mammoth Mountain RV Park also stays open through the winter, offering about 130 campsites for motor homes and trailers. Water service is not available, but each campsite has 30-amp electrical and cable TV hookups. Two campsites also have 50-amp electrical service.
