Escape to the mountains to this absolute gem of a town. Get the skinny on things to to in Pinecrest, California!
Terry Sargent is one of our 2021 Cooks of the Year.
Adults and kids compete in a variety of backyard games including water balloon relays, jumbo beer pong, slosh ball, dodge ball, wheelbarrow races and more!
Our favorite hike around Pinecrest Lake passes the trail junction to a very famous swimming hole on the Stanislaus River, Cleo's Bath. The summer before last I tried to find it, but the river was a raging torrent and I figured I missed Cleo's because it was under 10-20 feet of water. Well, no. Here's the rest of the story..... After an early stop at Andy's in Miwok to fortify ourselves with Cinnamon Rolls for the day ahead, we (Super Nephews S and G and me) arrived at Pinecrest. It was a lovely morning hike around the lake to the trail junction to Cleo's bath. Not far along we met a group of backpackers heading up the trail. Like a complete dummy I told them I had missed Cleo's on my hike the summer before. They said, no, the trail ENDS at Cleo's. That should have been my first clue, but we continued happily on our way. Intrepid explorers! The river is barely running now, waiting for winter to be replenished. G led the way around many wind falls. The trail is mostly a gradual climb. Ummm, I remember all of this, but where is Cleo's? Not far ahead the river flows over a steep mountain. When it's really roaring the water falls are visible way down the trail. I said to S, Cleo's can't be up there, I'm not climbing that mountain! The trail guides warn to expect some boulder hopping. I assumed that meant 'horizonal' boulder hopping, as in from the trail over to the river. No problem! What soon became clear even to me was the the boulder hopping would be VERTICAL! This was fast becoming a great adventure to S and G; not so much for me, but there was no turning back. G scrambled ahead and then waited to help me up the many crevices that passed for a trail. Lucky for us there were strategically placed ducks (piles of rocks) to mark the way; along with some faded green spray painted arrows on the granite. (I know, it's bad to spray paint granite; still I was grateful!). We climbed for what seemed like an hour, but in hind sight was probably only 15 or 20 minutes to a table with a great view back to Pinecrest. (It's that tiny blue dot in the middle of the pic!) Finally there was the trail to the river. As expected, it was very low with virtually no flow. The green arrow (only appropriate!) marks what appears to be the normal water line. It was clear this would be a spectacular swimming hole earlier in the season. (That's Pinecrest again in the distance). We weren't disappointed; it was fun to see the granite formations that would normally be under water. Looking up stream across the pool the water backs up into a narrow canyon. Above the little canyon, the water falls steeply creating 'holes' in the granite as it swirls through. Most rivers in the high Sierra have these same holes and are the best fun to sit in on a hot day! And we even found a tiny trickle of water. After some more exploring and a near miss with my walking stick (and G!) sliding off the slick rock, it was time to test the water. S sat on a rock dangling his feet, while G dived right into the pool. It was cold! I'm wondering what the water temps are earlier in the season. It's down in the 30s at night now, so am guessing that's why the water in these small pools is so cold. The hike up had taken longer than we expected and it was pushing lunch so we headed back down the trail. Surely it would be easier than the climb up! As S walked under a very cool balanced rock, it sorta looks like a dinosaur peaking over the mountain. Climbing back down the steep section, G and S were a great team. Two rocks created a squeeze too narrow to pass wearing a pack, so G passed them down to S. And then waited to help me down too! This was really the hardest climbing I have done for a long, long time. Lots of lifting with arms and long reaches with legs. It's not for a solo hiker. Or for dogs. The depth perception is lost in the pics; just try to imagine a 8 - 10 foot drop here. It was 1 pm by the time we hit the junction at the lake trail. G decided to run back. S stuck with me for awhile but then took off too. Couldn't blame them, Grandma and Auntie were waiting at the picnic area with sandwiches, chips and cookies! And that's the rest of the story.
From refreshing chilled pies, to easy no-bake pies, to pies that highlight the best fruits of summer, here are our best summer pie recipes.
On my first hike during our vacation this year at Pinecrest Lake, I decided to try to get up to Cleo's Bath once again. I attempted to go up here last year but decided the route I had chosen was too much of a scramble and called it off. This time around I located the correct route and while still a little bit of a scramble, the going was much easier than last year and I was glad I called the hike short the previous year knowing I was indeed on the wrong track. The trail starts on the shore of Pinecrest Lake. Follow the Pinecrest Lake Trail counter clock wise from the campground for the shortest route to get to the Cleo's Bath Trail. Once you are on the trail, it follows the South Fork of the Stanislaus river for a couple of miles until it crosses a stream or wet part of the trail. Keep your eyes open for this as it may be dry later in the year. Right after you cross the wet part of the trail you should see an arrow painted on a rock directing you to go up-hill at this point. Follow the arrows and cairns up to Cleo's Bath which are little pools in the river that people swim and soak in, in the summer. Bring plenty of water, a couple of liters at least as this is a hot trail in the summer. Later in the year the river can actually stop flowing, so if it looks like its not moving, Cleo's Bath itself may be dry and or stagnant as well, so plan accordingly. On the hike out, return along the lake the way you came in for a shorter hike, or continue on counter clock wise to see the rest of the Pinecrest Lake Trail. Round Trip, about 8 miles. The haze in some of the photos is from the Knight Fire that was burning about 20 miles away.
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As strength of the US dollar continues to worry politicians and market analysts, we see it as an excellent excuse to travel. Here are five countries where your US dollars will go further in the summer of 2019.
This custard-filled pie showcases the sweet peach and will soon become one of your favorite peach desserts. This is a great choice is you are looking for a make-ahead dessert. Get the recipe for peach custard pie.
Dixie Cup Windmills My daughter often comes up with the ideas for our projects together. Sometimes her inspiration comes from seeing something in a book or something from school or sometimes like with today’s craft, it just comes out of nowhere. We were playing restaurant together when she stopped & very confidently said, “Mama, I […]
Trail marker is off the north side of Pinecrest lake. Pleasant trail through forest and rocky switchbacks at high elevation. Opens up into river, wading pool and waterfall area. Great views of Pinecrest Lake.
#1: I made this peanut butter chocolate cake a week or so ago. Yep. It was pretty darn good. But I NEED to stop baking! Ack! Oddly enough the recipe includes directions for a fluffy chocolate frosting but doesn't mention how much of the ingredients you need. So, I just used a chocolate frosting recipe from one of my cookbooks. #2: We had our Cub Scout Pack Meeting last week and had an international theme. The assistant Cubmaster found this fun craft for the kids to do, African Drums from styrofoam cups... The kids loved making them. #3: Erin, the assistant Cubmaster (yep. Both the Cubmaster and the assistant are named Erin...kind of funny)also made a really yummy Italian Lemon Ice. It was deliciously tart. I think we've found a new family favorite. #4: In honor of Cinco de Mayo, we had mexican food for dinner last night and even added a colorful centerpiece to our table. I found the instructions for these fun tissue paper flowers Here. The kids had a great time trying out different color combinations. And even my 3 yo could make these. Luckily I had some bright vases to put them in. #5: Also...we made our own pinata! It was so much fun. I used THESE directions. When it was all nice and dry, we painted glue on it and then stuck tissue paper scraps left over from the flowers. We love how it turned out! We hadn't popped the balloon yet in that picture. And I'll tell you what, that was probably the best part! The kids loved watching the balloon "disappear" when I poked it with a push pin. But sadly, we didn't smack the pinata yet. My handsome cowboy had to work late. He was busy lighting fires (he works for the BLM and they were doing a controlled burn). And I didn't want him to miss the crazy good time with a blindfold, a bat and our homemade fun. http://erinshakespear.blogspot.com/2011/04/thrifty-thursday-funky-spray-painted.html
I recently went solo camping and brought supplies to make smores. My friends couldn't believe that I would make smores when I am camping all by myself. Why not? I mean, I love to share
Nawet nie wiem kiedy, ale minął już miesiąc i przyszła pora na kolejny projekt z serii Dziecko na Warsztat. W jego tegorocznej edycji wybieramy się w podróż po świecie. Zaczęliśmy lokalnie…
Creamy no mayo added vegan potato salad coated with a beautiful green herbed tahini sauce made with tahini, fresh herbs, almondmilk, lemon and Dijon! A gorgeous and delicious take on traditional potato salad! This recipe is in partnership with Almond Breeze.
Once summer hits, you'll want to make these fresh corn recipes. Make a delicious corn salad or grill corn on the cob at your next cookout.
Kids will explore the phases of the moon using playdough, Oreo cookies, books, moon viewers and more fun & easy hands-on science activities!
Printmaking with CDs offers a variety of options and is easy for preschoolers to adults.
A couple weeks ago we had a Wild West theme. I haven't done this theme in several years and it was fun to get back in the saddle again. (Sorry -- couldn't resist!) One of our projects was making cowboy/cowgirl boots. I got the idea from Momstown Calgary. We pretty much followed their directions. I found a boot template from a quick google search, enlarged it to fit the paper bag and cut out a bunch of them from different colored construction paper. The kids decorated them with circle and star confetti/sequins. I also photocopied some spurs that I found in the July/August Teacher Idea Book. Those were glued on around the ankle and decorated as well. I had actually considered cutting out the bottom of the bags so the kids could wear them, but then I thought they would all get crushed and destroyed as they walked around. But paper bag boots fit their legs/feet perfectly, so it's definitely an option! I told the kids they could cut the bottoms out when they got home if they wanted to. Still love how they turned out, though!
Reuse an old CD to make a spinning top- an easy craft for kids and a great science lesson on physics! This STEM / STEAM activity if perfect for kids of all ages and meets the NGSS for Kindergarten on pushes and pulls!
Discover unique springtime adventures in Florida, from swimming with manatees to exploring tropical
Creative spring garden pots and planters to inspire you right into spring. Perfect for your porch or on your table, these combinations are easy and beautiful.
