CM #38: Lake Swimming, Museums, Bluegrass, Bakeries

Sep 02, 2023

Hi Friends!

Welcome back, and thanks for helping us kick off the first Saturday of September by returning. We have "6" excellent articles inside the newsletter today, so read on.

Be Well! Stay Safe!

Mark & Patti

P.S. Check out our other newsletter DelPaggio’s Cucina if you’re looking for some good homemade recipe.

1. Hardly Strictly Bluegrass 2023: Everything to know about the free SF music fest

By Emily Price, Special to SFGATE

The annual free music festival, which harkens back to a San Francisco culture of old, takes over Golden Gate Park from Sept. 29 to Oct. 1 this year —specifically in the park's Hellman Hollow and Lindley and Marx meadows. After the requisite COVID-closure years, 2022 saw the festival’s return and organizers are hoping to build on their momentum.

Listen More Here

2. I hiked Mount Whitney, the highest point in California — in a single day

It's just a quick 22 miles and 6,500 feet of vertical elevation gain…By Suzie Dundas, SF GATE

By most definitions, it’s hard to describe hiking through the moonless night and freezing wind at 3 a.m. as anything other than uncomfortable. But moments later, you’ll hear someone’s not-so-subtle “alti-toot” — an unavoidable consequence of high elevations and pre-hike carbo-loading — and it’s hard not to giggle like a 5-year-old as the experience swings back to Type 1. It’s this constant fluctuation between natural beauty and pitch darkness, shivering and sweltering, dazzling and boring, painful and pain-free, that defines hiking Mount Whitney.

Hike More Here

3. The 5 Best Museums Near Yorba Linda, California

By the California.com Team

Yorba Linda, California, a suburban gem in Orange County, is not only known for its picturesque landscapes and quiet charm but also for its proximity to some of the finest museums in Southern California. From historical landmarks to science and art, the area offers a range of cultural enrichments suitable for all ages. Here is a curated list of the five best museums near Yorba Linda, California.

Richard Nixon Museum and More

4. Yosemite has its own library. You're not allowed to borrow books from it.

By Eric Brooks, SFGATE

So can the Yosemite Valley branch of the Mariposa County Library, hidden off a side road among nondescript, identical buildings operated by the National Park Service.

You wouldn’t even know it was there if not for a small wooden sign out front and the occasional sandwich board with colorful writing displayed on days the library is open. The cozy, single-room sanctuary in the heart of Yosemite National Park houses over 3,000 books — with one dubious and haunting title more popular than the rest.

Check Out Books Here

5. Ignore the weird name: This Calif. lake may have the Sierra's best swimming

By Kendra Smith, SFGATE

The lake’s weird name is partly why Candice Abellon of Livermore and her friends ended up there a decade ago. “It made me laugh,” she told SFGATE. “I was like, ‘Hey guys, do you want to go camping at this place called Stumpy Meadows? ’”

For my family and me, the trip was more about finding an uncrowded lake to swim in and paddle on. It was a risky move: a three-hour drive to a lake on the western side of the Sierra that none of us had ever heard of. The goofy name didn’t exactly help.

Go Swimming Here

6. One of Calif.'s biggest water parks is hidden on a farm road near Sacramento

By Jessica Yadegaran, SFGATE

Just 20 minutes north of Sacramento, Wake Island is a massive obstacle course made of giant, interconnected inflatables on a lake. The 80-acre water park also features a zip line, a floating ninja course, giant hamster water wheels and one of California’s only cable-run wakeboarding lakes. But a lot of NorCal natives have never even heard of it. Wake Island is so hidden — off an otherwise deserted farm road in unincorporated Pleasant Grove — that even when we pull up to the parking lot just before noon on a Saturday, it's relatively empty.

Slide On In Here