#currently it's named “tenaya lake”

[waffle-bubbles]

"Look. I know we forced you out of your original land and now we're trying to take the land we forced you on, but we named the lake after you. Doesn't that make you feel honored?"

"The lake already had a name. Pywiack. You are not honoring us by renaming it. To honor us would be to allow us to keep our land and all our names and customs. You are disrespecting our existence."

How I imagine Lafayette Bunnell (member of Mariposa battalion, writer) "consoled" chief Tenaya (of Ahwahneechee tribe)

[spacetimewithstuartgary]

Sols 4343-4344: Late slide, late changes

Curiosity is driving along the western edge of the Gediz Vallis channel, heading for a good vantage point before turning westward and leaving the channel behind to explore the canyons beyond. The contact science for "Chuck Pass" on sol 4341 and backwards 30-meter drive (about 98 feet) on sol 4342 was completed successfully.

This morning, planning started two hours later than usual. At the end of each rover plan is a baton pass involving Curiosity finishing its activities from the previous plan, transmitting its acquired data to a Mars-orbiting relay satellite passing over Gale Crater, and having that satellite send this data to the Deep Space Network on Earth.

This dataset is crucial to our team's decisions on Curiosity's next activities. It is not always feasible for us to get our critical data transmitted before the preferred planning shift start time of 8 a.m. This leads to what we call a "late slide," when our planning days start and end later than usual.

Today's shift began as the "decisional downlink" arrived just before 10 a.m. PDT. The science planning team jumped into action as the data rolled in, completed plans for two sols of science activities, then had to quickly change those plans completely as the Rover Planners perusing new images from the decisional downlink determined that the position of Curiosity's wheels after the drive would not support deployment of its arm, eliminating the planned use of APXS, MAHLI, and the DRT on interesting rocks in the workspace.

However, the science team was able to pivot quickly and create an ambitious two-sol science plan for Curiosity with the other science instruments.

On sols 4343-4344, Curiosity will focus on examining blocks of finely layered or "laminated" bedrocks in its workspace. The "Backbone Creek" target, which has an erosion resistant vertical fin of dark material, will be zapped by the ChemCam laser to determine composition, and photographed by Mastcam. "Backbone Creek" is named for a stream in the western foothills of the Sierra Nevada of California flowing through a Natural Research Area established to protect the endangered Carpenteria californica woodland shrub.

Curiosity is currently in the "Bishop" quadrangle on our map, so all targets in this area of Mount Sharp are named after places in the Sierra Nevada and Owens Valley of California. A neighboring target rock, "Fantail Lake," which has horizontal fins among its layers, will also be imaged at high resolution by Mastcam. This target name honors a large alpine lake at nearly 10,000 feet just beyond the eastern boundary of Yosemite National Park.

A fractured rock dubbed "Quarter Dome," after a pair of Yosemite National Park's spectacular granitic domes along the incomparable wall of Tenaya Canyon between Half Dome and Cloud's Rest, will be the subject of mosaic images for both Mastcam and ChemCam RMI to obtain exquisite detail on delicate layers across its broken surface (see image above).

The ChemCam RMI telescopic camera will look at light toned rocks on the upper Gediz Vallis ridge. Curiosity will also do a Navcam dust devil movie and mosaic of dust on the rover deck, then determine dust opacity in the atmosphere using Mastcam.

Following this science block, Curiosity will drive about 18 meters (about 59 feet) and perform post-drive imaging, including a MARDI image of the ground under the rover. On sol 4344, the rover will do Navcam large dust devil and deck surveys. It will then use both Navcam and ChemCam for an AEGIS observation of the new location.

Presuming that Curiosity ends the drive on more solid footing than today's location, it will do contact science during the weekend plan, then drive on towards the next fascinating waypoint on our journey towards the western canyons of Mount Sharp.

IMAGE: NASA's Mars rover Curiosity acquired this image using its Right Navigation Camera, showing the fractured rock target "Quarter Dome" just above and to the right of the foreground rover structure. The eastern wall of the Gediz Vallis channel can be seen in the distance. This image was taken on sol 4342—Martian day 4,342 of the Mars Science Laboratory mission—on Oct. 23, 2024, at 12:29:34 UTC. Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech

[swissimpact]

TENAYA  &  ANDRE DARLINGTON  |  AUGUST, 2019

TENAYA DARLINGTON

___________________________________________________

FROM | Philadelphia, PA (Switzerland: Greater Basel Region).

WORK | Professor, Cheese Director for Tria Cafe & Wine Bar.

HOBBIES | Photography, travel blogging.

RECENT BOOKS | Butter: A Rich History, by Elaine Khosrova; The Whole Fromage, by Kathe Lison.

FAVORITE FOOD FROM SWITZERLAND | Vacherin Mont d'Or.

FAVORITE SPOT IN SWITZERLAND | Lake Geneva Region.

ANDRÉ DARLINGTON

___________________________________________________

FROM | Philadelphia, PA. (Switzerland: Greater Basel Region).

WORK | Consultant and Freelance Writer.

HOBBIES | Hiking, Yoga.

RECENT BOOKS | Faces in the Crowd, Valeria Luiselli; The Forgiven, Lawrence Osborne.

FAVORITE FOOD FROM SWITZERLAND | The Basler Läckerli.

FAVORITE SPOT IN SWITZERLAND | Zürich.

What is your background?

André | I started out as a food and wine journalist, became a cocktail columnist and then owned my own bar. A few years ago, we decided to pitch a book together and now we’ve written three! It’s been an amazing journey.

Tenaya | By day, I am an English professor at Saint Joseph’s University, by night I write a cheese blog called Madame Fromage (madamefromageblog.com). I always like to tell the story about how our mother made a Swiss cheese board every Sunday when we were young – that’s why I love cheese. We always had Gruyere and Emmentaler, and it was very celebratory. We always had family friends over, and André and I were allowed to drink a little wine. The cheese board always included charcuterie, pickles, a baguette, and a bar of Swiss chocolate. Those Sundays started us off in hospitality and solidified our love of cheese and drink, for sure.

André | We grew up in Madison, WI and there you will find a Swiss community. When we moved to Madison there was still a radio station broadcasting in Swiss German. You will still find rösti and yodeling. And lots of brown cows. It’s heaven.

Tenaya | Our grandparents lived in Cleveland. They were part of the Swiss community and they only spoke Swiss German to each other at home. So, we grew up hearing a lot of Swiss German, always having raclette and fondue dinners around the holidays, and knowing all of our grandparents’ Swiss friends.

André | There was lots of yodeling and singing! My grandfather loved yodeling, and he could play the accordion pretty well.

Tenaya | So it was definitely in our blood. Both the food and the culture.

You’re hosting a dinner party for close friends, what will you serve? André | One of the things we talk about in our books is always making people comfortable right when they arrive by giving them their first drink. And usually that first drink would be something bubbly. It can be non-alcoholic, too, but we always serve something that is effervescent. Either champagne or Crémant de Bourgogne, or something like that. But French 75 is our go to, which is gin, lemon juice, and champagne together. Try it at the next party!

Tenaya | André and I love nothing more than having a party and serving French 75’s, but also a cheese plate. I think the French 75 is the most cheese appropriate cocktail, so I always make that for guests. I also love hosting raclette parties, and my friends ask for it any time of year, but usually I do it around winter. We grew up sitting around the table-top of oven and grilling cheese and potatoes all night. I have all my friends bring a different condiment, a different mustard or pickle, and then we play a game at the end that involves dice and Swiss chocolate that we learned from our grandparents. In fact, the next book I’m working on has a whole raclette party as one of the chapters on entertaining with cheese. We were very much influenced by our Swiss upbringing.

Has a favorite or most inspirational food/drink in Switzerland influenced you? André | Well, if we’re sticking to cocktails, it’s probably absinthe. Although, as a child I remember my parents having a bottle of William’s Pear with the pear in it, and I thought it was fascinating that a pear could get inside a bottle. So maybe that is the deep psychology behind why I now write about drinks. Because that was like having a preserved animal or organ in this jar -- but it's an edible fruit! Years later, my friends and I broke open one of those jars and we ate the pear -- so it came full circle, eventually. I would say, influences would have to be the raclette, fondue, and Gugelhupf. But also, every holiday our grandmother would send a full box of probably 12 different types of Swiss cookies. So, I always remember that as really the centerpiece of every holiday.

Tenaya | Definitely for me it’s been raclette. Really getting to understand through the cheese world the history of raclette (both the Swiss and the French). There’s also a wonderful Swiss cheese importer named Caroline Hostettler in Florida who I’ve gotten to know through attending cheese conferences and she has a very cool Adopt-an-Alp program that she runs through various cheese shops in the United States. Through cheese, I have become more connected to my Swiss heritage -- and for me that translates into a love for stinky cheese that melts well.

When and how did you start writing books? André | I was writing mostly about wine, and I had a wine column. And Tenaya was writing about cheese.  So we pitched a wine and cheese pairing book. Our publisher came back and asked us to write about cocktails instead. They liked our voice, they liked our sense of humor, but they wanted a cocktail book. From that, we were asked by Turner Classic Movies to write their entertainment guide. Afterwards, we pitched Booze and Vinyl, a book pairing music and cocktails. From an unlikely start it’s been a whirlwind 3 or 4 years.

Tenaya | I went to graduate school for writing, and in 2013 I published a book called House of Cheesewith the cheesemongers of Di Bruno Bros., the local specialty foods shop in Philadelphia. After that, I was hooked, so André and I pitched a wine and cheese pairing book together.

André | We both ended up in food & beverage, and then collided. I was living in the Midwest, and she was living in Philadelphia. This was like a hobby that exploded into a career. How long did it take to develop and write your books? André | The first book was a beast. That was 2 years in the writing. We started ‘The New Cocktail Hour’ in 2013-14 and it came out in 2016. That was our biggest book by far. It ended up being a bible for the industry and started the whole ball rolling. The other 2 books each took about 9 months to 1 year. Which is a really hectic schedule even with 2 people.

Tenaya | The brilliant thing about working together is that we work twice as fast. Which we are both discovering now working on our own books, how much work it is and how much work the other person was doing.

What are you currently working on? André | I’m working on a new global cocktail book. It will be 44 locations around the world. It’s a big project. Its working title is Booze Cruise. This fall, I’m traveling to 11 cities: Berlin, Kiev, Athens, Beirut, Dubai, Bangkok, Singapore, Hong Kong, Shanghai, Seoul, and Tokyo. Quite an undertaking!

Tenaya | I’m finishing a book called, 'The Milky Way: A Cheese Lover’s Guide to The Galaxy’, which will be published by Workman Publishing in Spring 2021. I’ve just spent the last year traveling to France, Switzerland, and England – all in the name of cheese!

For further information, please visit: https://www.withthedarlingtons.com/

We welcome your comments at philadelphia@honrep.ch

Thank you!

[bulgarianmermaid]

Before I visited Zion National Park, I had explored all the other national parks in Utah and I wondered what could be better, or different, or more impressive about Zion. It took my breath away and became my favorite park in Utah. Yosemite National Park had exactly the same effect on me in California. You haven’t seen a thing until you see Yosemite! #elcapitan #simplybreathtaking

PC: National Parks Conservation Association

We went to Yosemite on a gloomy day in winter when all park services were closed due to the recent government shutdown. We had only a day and the weather was not cooperating. Fog was enveloping all the peaks, Glacier Point was closed due to snow, and then it started raining. So what do you do when you are in a National Park without a ranger to give you information and without an opportunity to take photos or hike much? (Besides getting lost, which we sure did :-)) You drive around like crazy to see as much as you can, you do thorough research, and then you borrow photos from Google. For the first time in a long while, picture credit goes to numerous photographers on Google Images. I tried to select the best shots so you can understand the majesty of Mother Nature in the Eastern Sierras!

Yosemite is world renown for its granite cliffs, waterfalls, clear streams, giant sequoia groves, lakes, mountains, glaciers, and biological diversity.  Michael Shepherd wrote this about it and I couldn’t have said it better: “Not just a great valley, but a shrine to human foresight, the strength of granite, the power of glaciers, the persistence of life, and the tranquility of the High Sierra.”

PC: The Pew Charitable Trusts

First protected in 1864 by the Yosemite Grant (the single instance at its time of park land being set aside for preservation and public use by the U.S. Federal Government), it was a precedent for the 1872 creation of Yellowstone as the first national park. In 2016 Yosemite National Park set a visitation record of over 5 million visitors for the first time in history. It is the 3rd most visited US National Park, followed by Rocky Mountain, Zion, and Yellowstone.  (check the links to read more about my visits there this year) Considering how large the park is and how much there is to see, allow yourself minimum 3 full days to truly enjoy and explore Yosemite without feeling rushed.

About 10 million years ago the Sierra Nevada Mountains were uplifted and then tilted to form their relatively gentle western slopes and the more dramatic eastern slopes. The uplift increased the steepness of stream and river beds, resulting in formation of deep, narrow canyons. About 1 million years ago snow and ice accumulated, forming glaciers at the higher alpine meadows that moved down the river valleys. The downslope movement of the ice masses cut and sculpted the U-shaped valley that attracts so many visitors to its scenic vistas today. Almost all of the landforms in the Yosemite area are cut from the granitic rock of the Sierra Nevada Batholith (a batholith is a large mass of intrusive igneous rock that formed deep below the surface, hence very resilient to erosion).

PC: Outdoor Project

Yosemite Valley represents only 1% of the park area, but this is where most visitors arrive and stay. The Tunnel View is the first view of the Valley for many visitors and is extensively photographed. From here you can see El Capitan and Bridalveil Falls rising from Yosemite Valley, with Half Dome in the background.

PC: KP Tripathi via 500px

Glacier Point, some say, is the most spectacular viewpoint ANYWHERE. Most people agree that its breathtaking views of the high country and Yosemite Valley, including Half Dome and three waterfalls, are the most spectacular in the park. In the summer you can drive or hike to it, in winter you are left with xc skiing for over 10 miles 🙂 #bemyguest

PC: Yosemite National Park

PC: Sierra Star

El Capitan, a prominent granite cliff that looms over Yosemite Valley, is one of the most popular rock climbing destinations in the world because of its diverse range of climbing routes in addition to its year-round accessibility.

PC: Wikipedia

PC: National Geographic and Daily Mail – Free climb by Kevin Jorgeson and Tommy Caldwell

Half Dome and Centennial Dome rise 3,000-5,000 feet above the valley floor. Half Dome is seen from everywhere but closest view (unless you are climbing it 🙂 is from Mirror Lake. I found the hike too easy but be my guest if flat scenic loops are your thing!

PC: Travel Age West

Three Brothers is a rock formation located just east of El Capitan and consists of Eagle Peak (the uppermost “brother”), and Middle and Lower Brothers. Members of the Mariposa Battalion named the Three Brothers after the capture of the three sons of Chief Tenaya near the base of the Three Brothers.

PC: All Trips Yosemite

Cathedral Peak is one of the most stunning peaks in Yosemite. It is blessed with some great moderate climbing. The approach takes about an hour and is long enough from the road and hiking trails to give you a little peace. The summit is a small block big enough for a couple people to squeeze on. Down climbing off the summit block can be scary, but John Muir did it in 1869, so you can too. 🙂 It’s a great big lightning rod – get off ASAP if thunder comes your way.

OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA

PC: Fresh Air Junkie and Ryan Jenks

Yosemite is famous for its high concentration of waterfalls. Numerous sheer drops, glacial steps and hanging valleys in the park provide many places for waterfalls to exist, especially during the snowmelt season. I personally recommend visiting the park in May/June if you can to experience the park in its full splendor and water capacity, and to see the wildflowers in the lower alpine meadows.

PC: Yosemite.com

Yosemite Falls is the highest waterfall in North America at 2,425 feet (739 m). It is actually made up of three separate falls: Upper Yosemite Fall (1,430 feet), the middle cascades (675 feet), and Lower Yosemite Fall (320 feet). Highly recommend attempting to hike up to Upper Yosemite Falls even if you just reach the scenic overlook!

Horsetail Fall is famous for a natural wonder that happens once an year in mid- to late-February – it appears to be on fire when it reflects the orange glow of sunset. Horsetail is best seen from just east of El Capitan. (maybe I’ll go back this winter in late Feb 🙂

Sun illuminates Horsetail Falls at sunset. Yosemite National Park, CA

PC: Transair Travel and Dennis Frates

Bridalveil Fall is often the first waterfall visitors see when entering Yosemite Valley. In spring, it thunders; during the rest of the year, look for its characteristic light, swaying flow. You can walk to the base via a short but steep (up to 24% slope) trail in just a few minutes.

PC: MiniTime

  Vernal Falls is a strenuous climb along nature’s giant staircase which rewards you with close-up views of two waterfalls and numerous geologic features. Powerful and turbulent, Vernal and Nevada Falls will soak you in spring and impress you year-round.

PC: Yosemite.com

Where to Stay

Yosemite Bug Resort is not your typical cabins/hostel place. It is like a retreat in the woods with great massage/aromatherapy specials and yoga on weekends. I’d recommend getting yourself a glamping tent and fully indulging in the health spa, hot tub, sauna, and rain shower and then topping your evening off with a delicious meal from the cafe. It offers homemade breakfast, lunch, and dinner, they’ll pack you a trail lunch box and even have homemade chocolate cream pie…need I say more…yum 🙂

If you are staying at the Bug, a cute town close by to check out is Mariposa. During the early 19th century gold rush its rivers were panned and its veins worked deep underground. Nowadays, it lives up to its colorful past, full of cute little shops with local artisans and plentiful bars and restaurants!

A few more resources about the park I found useful and thought you could enjoy too:

Best places to view all the rock formations – https://www.nps.gov/yose/planyourvisit/formations.htm

If Kings Canyon or Sequoia National Parks are not on your current California National Park itinerary and you’d like to see some giant trees and experience the majesty of a sequoia grove, you can do that in Yosemite as well –  https://www.nps.gov/yose/planyourvisit/sequoias.htm

  Knowing my love for horses, you’d understand that I have to find the quadruples at every location. In Yosemite you can see Wawona Meadow and View Point on a guided mule ride (ok, I had to settle for mules, not horses here 😦 )

  If you enjoy reading and facts and stats, you may like this wonderful and informative comparison of Yosemite vs Yellowstone National Parks (two of my favorite parks)

Should you visit Yosemite in winter, you may want to stop by the Glacier Point Nordic Center for some xc skiing and snowshoeing!

PC: Travel Yosemite

    Yosemite – “El Capitan” of California National Parks Before I visited Zion National Park, I had explored all the other national parks in Utah and I wondered what could be better, or different, or more impressive about Zion.

[bizabert]

i was tagged by @bobkitten

rules: copy this post into a new text post, remove my answers and put in yours, and when you are done tag up to 10 people and also tag the person who tagged you… and most importantly, have fun!

a - age: 19 b - biggest fear: yeesh, the fact that I will inevitably die someday. Also that I will be hated by everyone I love c - current time: 8:02 PM d - drink you last had: water f - favorite song: oh man there are so many, for now lets go with Youth by Daughter g - ghosts, are they real: man I hope so, I love ghosts h - hometown: SB i - in love with: idk, adventure? j - jealous of: people who actually have their life together k - killed someone: indirectly - no with intention - no l - last time you cried: hmm, maybe a few weeks ago? but I almost cried this morning  m - middle name: Tenaya, its a lake n - number of siblings: 1 o - one wish: flight maybe?  p - person you last called/texted: my mom q - question(s) you’re always asked: what? (in response to something weird I’ve said) r - reasons to smile: friends, trees, art, music, a lot of things! s - song last sang: the will it blend theme song t - time you woke up: 6:30 am u - underwear color: white v - vacation destination: australia or somewhere in the mountains. gotta find bigfoot w - worst habit: procrastinating and a tendency to get angry quickly x - x-rays you’ve had: teeth and toe y - your favorite food: probably a sandwich from this one deli back home z - zodiac sign: capricorn

i tag: @syrianprincess @etherealellusion @yingodatone @tobio-osama @sockythedog @xander924 @cancertosociety @yadedaj @miaveeh @graffitisouls