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Have a library card? You can visit a fabulous California state park for free
TRIBUNE CONTENT AGENCY
It’s not hard to get into most California state parks. You just arrive, open up your wallet and fork out some cash. This generally ranges from $10 to $20 per car, depending on the park.
But what if you want to go without paying anything at all? Well, here’s a tip that most people don’t know: You can get a pass from your local public library that will get you into 200 participating state parks for free.
Seriously. Free. Anyone who has a public library card can get one.
There are only a limited number of these passes available at any one time, so you have to check them out as if they were books. Probably a good idea to call ahead and make sure they have one available.
This program is called, amazingly enough, the California State Library Parks Pass. What a surprise.
To use it, you’ll need to apply for a library card, which is gen-
erally free. You’ll ask at the desk, and then need to show some ID and also typically something that proves where you live, like a utility bill. (If you want a library card in an area where you don’t live, you
might have to pay to join, depending on the library.)
But you’ll want a library card anyway, because you can get a surprising number of benefits from using it.
The pass gives you free entrance to one passenger vehicle with nine people or fewer to many of the most popular parks, beaches and historic sites. It doesn’t include camping fees.
Redwoods? Check. Beaches?
Check. Historic places? Check.
Learn more at www.parks. ca.gov/?page_id=30806
Now, here’s the catch. You knew there was a catch, right? This is only good for California state parks that are operated by the state. National parks (like Yosemite) or federal or county recreation areas aren’t included.
Some parks also exclude them-
selves from the deal, such as Santa Monica and Corona del Mar state beaches and Hearst Castle. Sorry.
But there are still plenty of places to go, including Huntington, San Clemente, Carlsbad, Carpinteria, Malibu Lagoon and Leo Carrillo state beaches, plus historic parks, woodlands, forests and more. Big Sur, anyone?
Each library system might have slightly different rules for how you can use your pass. For example, it might be good for one week or two weeks, then must be returned. Some will allow you to put a pass on hold, others won’t. Check your local branch. And note that, in addition to county library branches, larger cities usually also have their own public libraries. You can find your local library here: library.ca.gov/branches.
MARK RIGHTMIRE/ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER/TNS
Doheny State Beach in Dana Point is on the list of California state parks to visit with the library pass.
Connecting Suisun Valley to Fairfield critical
DAILY REPUBLIC STAFF DRNEWS@DAILYREPUBLIC.NET
uests at some of the larger hotels in Fairfield receive a “wine pass” for deals at some of the Suisun Valley wineries.
Maps that guide visitors to what the region has to offer also are handed out.
It is just some of the ways Visit Fairfield wants to strengthen the connection between the city and what was recently announced as the No. 1 wine region in USA TODAY’s 10Best Readers’
Anand Patel, chief executive officer of Visit Fairfield, said a survey conducted between June 1, 2023, and May 31, 2024, showed that about 23,000 guests at a select nine hotels had visited at least one of nine select wineries in
That represented nearly 11% of the hotel guests.
“We have such a good opportunity to increase that,” said Patel, adding his group is working with the vintners on just how to do that.
The number of hotels and wineries involved in the survey was due to the limitations of the app platform that was being used, Patel said. The promotions group is looking to update that survey with an expanded reach in
It also has organized gatherings so front desk employees at the hotels can meet with the tasting room employees to discuss what each side can do to encourage guests to visit the other.
They are, after all, the
people who engage with the visitors the most.
In the case of the hotels, Patel said, the goal is always to have the winery visitors stay overnight.
“The goal is that once they are here, we educate them on what is available in Fairfield,” Patel said.
Patel said there is no specific data that reveals how many Suisun Valley-specific visitors opt to stay overnight, but there is testimonial information that indicates some people do just that.
“Just by word of mouth, some of the wineries have said they have had guests who said they only intended to stay (for the day) and decided to stay for a day or two,” Patel said.
Those people are then likely to visit local restaurants and other local sites, such as Jelly Belly.
Of course, Suisun Valley has a vision of having more restaurants and even some retail shops in the valley, but Patel only thinks that will build an environment in which Fairfield also will benefit.
While Suisun Valley is not part of the city, like most wine regions, there is a neighboring connection to nearby cities.
Patel said the Suisun Valley vintners have always had a place at the table when Visit California, under a different name, was first formed. He said they have always seen the value of being part of developing the city’s tourism market.
For more information on visiting Suisun Valley and to explore its award-winning wineries, go to visitfairfield.com.
AARON ROSENBLATT/DAILY REPUBLIC FILE (2017)
Jennifer Owen of Fort Bragg talks to family members during a wine tasting at Wooden Valley Winery in Fairfield, Nov. 24, 2017.
HOLD the MAYO A potato salad recipe that’s perfect for picnics
Potato salad, a signature summer dish, is defined by its maker. My grandmother’s salad was substantially swathed in mayo, while a German aunt crowned hers with crisped bacon and plenty of dill. My neighbor tosses in olives, tomatoes and peppers for a light, bright Italian twist.
It’s one of the easiest dishes to make, but success depends on a few basic tenets — starting with the right potato.
Choose small, firm, waxy potatoes — fingerling, Yukon gold, Yellow Finn or any of those mixed baby potatoes. These all hold their shape when cooked. Avoid russet potatoes; they’re too floury and fall apart. Cut the potatoes to the same size in halves or quarters before cooking to be sure they’re done at the same time.
Cook the potatoes in boiling water that is as salty as the sea. This ensures the potatoes absorb the salt early on so you’re not oversalting after they’re done. Don’t crowd the pot, they need room to bubble away independently.
Watch the pot! Start checking after about 10 minutes. The potatoes should be tender, but not too soft and mushy. Insert a knife into the center; if the potato slips off, it’s done.
Drain the potatoes right away, transfer to a bowl and, while they’re still hot, sprinkle with the vinegar you’re using in the dressing. This ensures they’ll absorb that snap and zing that gives the
salad a lift.
Once the potatoes have cooled a bit, dress them with a heavy hand. They take in flavors quickly and can become bland. Toss in the other vegetables and herbs after the potatoes have cooled, so the crisp addi tions stay crisp. Be sure to taste before serving, adding in vinegar, salt and pepper and red pepper flakes as needed. Make the salad early in the day, then enjoy a slice of summer.
PICNIC-PERFECT
POTATO SALAD
Serves 6 to 8.
This light, bright salad relies on a sharp vinaigrette for zing and olives for vigor. No worries about mayonnaise sitting out in the sun. Make it in the morning so the flavors have a chance to marry, and pile on the herbs. From Beth Dooley.
2 lb. new or waxy potatoes, sliced to be the same size
Salt for the water
¼ c. white wine vinegar, divided
1 tsp. Dijon mustard
½ c. extra-virgin olive oil
¼ c. thinly sliced green onions, white and light green parts
¼ c. pitted, sliced green olives
¼ c. sliced cherry tomatoes
¼ c. diced red or orange bell peppers
½ c. fresh spinach, torn
¼ c. chopped basil
2 tbsp. chopped parsley
Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
Pinch red pepper flakes, to taste
Put the potatoes into a pot and
Picnic-perfect potato salad has a medley of herbs and vegetables as well as a little spice.
add enough water to cover by 2 inches; add plenty of salt. (It should taste briny as the sea.) Set over high heat, bring to a boil, reduce the heat to a simmer and cook until the potatoes are just tender, about 10 minutes. Drain and turn into a bowl. Toss the hot potatoes with about 1 tablespoon of the vinegar.
In a small bowl, whisk together the remaining vinegar, mustard and oil. When the potatoes have cooled to room temperature, toss in the vinaigrette, then the onions, olives, tomatoes, peppers, spinach, basil and parsley. Season to taste with salt, pepper and red pepper flakes. Allow the flavors to marry for at least an hour before serving.
ASHLEY MOYNA SCHWICKERT / FOR THE MINNESOTA STAR
You can make this ahead, cover and refrigerate overnight, but be sure to bring it to room temperature before serving.
Beth Dooley is the author of “The Perennial Kitchen.” Find her at bethdooleyskitchen.com .
Beth Dooley
TRIBUNE
You’re more likely to win Powerball 100 times than do what this mom did
GINA FERAZZI/LOS ANGELES TIMES/TNS PHOTOS
of Becoming Infected with West Nile Virus
TRIBUNE CONTENT AGENCY
An Apple Valley mother just went 4 for 4 on her kids all being born on the date 7/7.
Just before Nauzhae Drake, now 26, delivered her firstborn, she called her mother while driving to school. She told her that she saw a license plate that ended in four sevens – her lucky number. Drake’s mom took it as a sign.
“She was like, ‘Yep, that’s because he’s coming on that day’,” Drake said. “And I’m like, no, he’s not.”
But on July 7, 2019, Drake delivered her oldest, Kewan.
Two years later, on the same date, she delivered Na’Zaiyla.
Kailowa Boone, born July 7, wears a necklace with the number 7.
And in 2022, on the same date, she delivered Khalani.
And a few weeks ago, on July 7, Drake delivered a baby boy, Kailowa.
None of her babies were induced and none of them arrived on their due date. Drake
feels that it’s a “sign from God at this point,” she said.
Drake is currently in nursing school, graduating in December. She said she went through all of her clinical rotations carrying Kailowa.
“They’re telling me to stop doing this and that because I’m doing a lot, they’re like, ‘you’re going to make yourself go into labor,’ ” Drake said. “But I ended up finishing all of my clinicals and all of that, and I’m like, ‘I’m still pregnant!’ ” Some mothers have tactics for inducing labor – eating spicy food, exercising, driving down a bumpy road.
For Drake, decorating for her
See Mom, Page 6
A number oftypes of sources found within residentialneighborhoods are capable ofproducing enough adult mosquitos to bother not only the residents of one home but a number of homes in the area. These mosquitoes are also capable of transmitting West Nile virus! Water left standing for seven to ten days can produce mosquitoes during warmer weather. There are a number of simple precautions that can be taken to prevent this from happening...
Nauzhae’ Drake’s children Kewan, 6, left, Na’Zaiyla, 4, Kailowa, two weeks and Khalan, 3, all have the same birthday – July 7 – in Apple Valley, July 25.
From Page 5
kids’ birthday party seems to do the trick.
“I would be doing a balloon arch,” she said. “And every time I do the balloon arch, like two hours later, when I lay down, my water breaks or I start having contractions.”
Drake usually goes all out for her kids’ birthdays, renting an Airbnb home with a pool and throwing a big party, along with visits to amusement parks like Sesame Place, SeaWorld and the San Diego Zoo. This year’s birthday party was circusthemed, but it didn’t go as planned.
“My mother, my grandmother actually was in the delivery room with me and they had on like clown suits because they were ready for the party,” Drake said. “And I was ready for the party too, until I went into labor.”
Some kids get jealous when a sibling’s birthday rolls around and all the attention turns to the birthday child. Drake said her
kids love sharing a birthday, and they’re especially excited for this year’s present, another sibling.
“They fight over him already,” she said, of Kailowa. “They’re so helpful. It’s been amazing.”
So what are the odds of something like this happening? According to Randall Swift, chairman of the math department at California State Polytechnic University at Pomona, you are more likely to win the Powerball lottery 100 times than to have four children born on the same date.
Instead of four siblings, he calculated using an instance of four independent individuals at a grocery store. The probability of these random strangers all having the same birthday is about 0.000000000056349%, he said.
But he said these odds may be higher for a mother giving birth on the same date, depending on personal habits and health patterns.
But to Drake, this coincidence is a blessing, she said. Seven has always been Drake’s favorite number, but it has a new meaning to her now.
“It’s perfection, completion,” she said.
LEFT: Before her first child was born, Nauzhae Drake says she saw a license plate that ended in four sevens – her lucky number.
GINA FERAZZI/THE LOS ANGELES TIMES/TNS PHOTOS
Sudoku puzzles are formatted as a 9x9 grid, broken down into nine 3x3 boxes. To solve a sudoku, the numbers 1 through 9 must fill each row, column and box. Each number can appear only once in each row, column and box. You can figure out the order in which the numbers will appear by using the numeric clues already provided in the boxes. The more numbers you name, the easier it gets to solve the puzzle!
1 FUN BY THE NUMBERS Like puzzles? Then you’ll love Sudoku. This mind-bending puzzle will have you hooked from the moment you square off, so sharpen your pencil and put your Sudoku savvy to the test!
COLUMN
Holding tight one paper clip at a time
The man of the house is tall, lean and so bald that his head shines almost as much as his smile. He worked law enforcement all his career. As a state trooper, he once rescued the Beatles from crazed fans after a St. Louis concert.
He worked for the federal government as well, something to do with organized crime and explod ing body parts. I don’t ask for details; I just nod. He served with the Secret Service under Presidents Ford, Clinton, “Daddy Bush” and Vice President Dan Quayle. Barbara Bush was his favorite even though she wasn’t a president.
smile he wore when he yelled, “MOVE IT!” at the Beatles.
Not even he uses the paper clips. “Those are special,” he says. “I won’t use them. I’m still emotional.”
The paper clips were a gift when he was diagnosed with advanced cancer and underwent 40 radiation treatments. The clips were linked together and hung on the kitchen wall. After each radiation treatment, he and his wife would return home and, because he was so utterly exhausted, she would remove a paper clip. Each blast of radiation was followed by one less paper clip.
He’s retired now, mastering the art of gardening and the go-to guy if you have concerns about a tree. Rabbits eating the bark off your dogwood? Call him.
It didn’t look like progress at first. Slowly, gradually the chain began to shrink.
They monitored it when they sat down for a meal, skipped a meal because he was too sick to eat, or when they walked to the garage to head out for another treatment.
Writing is his chief enjoyment. He’s written 29 books, none of them published. That doesn’t diminish his enthusiasm one semicolon, nor should it. A lot of good writers are never published, and some published writers aren’t all that good. He prints out his manuscripts, tucks them in three-ring binders and passes them among friends who receive his creations with delight.
At the center of his writing room sits a stately desk with a brass lamp, a desk pad, a pencil holder and a day calendar. The desk sits in front of windows that frame lush greenery and channel oceans of soft, natural light.
One of my most beloved theologians, Ray Stedman, once wrote, “Suffering is part of the program.” Who was better acquainted with suffering than Christ? It was the path to resurrection and life after death.
Most of us subconsciously acknowledge that suffering is part of the program – particularly for others. Then we are shocked when we find ourselves in that equation.
The center desk drawer is organized with precision. A divided tray holds a solar calculator, Post-it notes, mechanical pencil refills, scissors, a pink highlighter, a magnifying glass and a small compartment in the middle containing 40 brightly colored paper clips: turquoise, sky blue, hot pink, lime green, white and neon yellow.
Nobody touches the paper clips. He says that with a smile, probably the same
Nobody escapes this life unscathed. Everybody goes through something. When darkness falls, your steps falter and the path ahead is frightening, keep inching forward, keep believing, keep praying.
The path through suffering is one paper clip at a time.
Lori Borgman is a columnist, author and speaker. Her new book, “What Happens at Grandma’s Stays at Grandma’s” is now available. Email her at lori@ loriborgman.com
Lori Borgman
WORD SEARCH
Find the hidden words vertically, horizontally and diagonally throughout the puzzle.
FARMERS MARKET
PEACHES PICKLES PLANTS PUMPKIN SAMPLES SCALE
SEASONAL SIGN STRAWBERRIES SYRUP TOMATOES TOTE SOLUTION ON PAGE 11
CROSSWORD
ACROSS
1. Spiritual leaders
7. Salt
13. Fortified wine
14. Edible mollusk
16. They precede C
17. A way to compare
19. State lawyer
20. “Game of Thrones” actor Ciaran
22. Eighth month (abbr.)
23. Very willing
25. __ ex machina
26. Satisfies
28. Mountain in New Zealand
29. A doctrine
30. Popular Dodge truck model
31. Dekagram
33. Naturally occurring solid
34. Company officer 36. Villains
38. Cricket frogs
40. One of the founders of modern psychology
41. Endured
43. A female domestic
44. You can get stuck in one
45. Partner to feather
47. Passive optical network
48. French ballet dynasty
51. Employee stock ownership plan 53. Bottom layer
Sound 56. Yankee great Judge 58. Dickens character
59. Late beloved TNT sportscaster
60. South Dakota 61. Exposing human vice or folly to ridicule 64. Gold
Longtime Braves hurler Julio
Humor
Shawl
Hospital unit DOWN
Animal disease
Commercial
Necklace materials
Containers
Investment account
Colorado Heisman Trophy winner
Dipped down
Head injury category (abbr.)
Lay about
Intestinal
Not yes
12. Caused to be loved
13. Muslim spiritual leader
15. Showing sincere conviction
18. Not in
21. Number above the line in a fraction
24. Lawn pest
26. Pouch
27. Ancient language in India (abbr.)
30. Start over
32. Wild white flower
35. Fourteen
37. Visual way to interact with computer (abbr.)
38. Side by side and facing the same way
39. Religious conflicts
42. Touch lightly
43. “Boardwalk Empire” actress Gretchen
46. Violent seizure of property
47. One who supports the pope
49. Malaise
50. Body fluid
52. Inauthentic person
54. Title of respect
55. Chilean city
57. Japanese city
59. Silk garment
62. Draw from
63. Automobile
66. The man
68. Top government lawyer
Largest campground at Yosemite reopens after $26M renovation
TRIBUNE CONTENT AGENCY
Summer has returned to Yosemite National Park’s High Country. The snows have melted along the park’s famed Tioga Road. The lakes provide a stunning backdrop to massive granite domes.
But one common fixture has been in short supply in recent years: Campers.
That’s about to change. The largest campground in Yosemite National Park – and one of the largest at any national park in the United States – is reopening after being closed for three years for a major upgrade.
Workers have finished construction on a $26.2 million renovation of Tuolumne Meadows Campground. It reopened Aug. 1.
Located at 8,600 feet along the Tioga Road more than an hour’s drive from Yosemite Valley, the campground has 336 campsites that serve more than 140,000 campers a year, offering a key starting point where generations of hikers, backpackers and other visitors have set out to explore Yosemite’s wilderness of sub-alpine meadows, Ponderosa pine forests and scenic granite peaks.
The campground originally was built in 1934 by President Franklin Roosevelt’s Civilian Conservation Corps. Back then, the goal was to stop people from parking randomly in the fragile meadows. The facilities they built created countless vacation memories over the decades. But time took its toll.
“This is a well-loved campground,” said Kathleen Morse, Yosemite’s chief of strategic planning during a recent visit.
“It has a historic and more rustic atmosphere than Yosemite Valley,” she said. “But it was getting pretty dilapidated. Drain-
age was poor. Sites weren’t level. It was a free-for-all with parking.”
Crews rebuilt the campground’s aging water and sewer systems. They upgraded electrical equipment. They replaced every picnic table, fire ring and food locker at 336 campsites. They renovated the outdoor amphitheater, repaved the access road, added disabled parking spaces, and moved 21 sites out of the floodplain of the Tuolumne River.
“Yosemite gets 4 million visitors a year,” Morse said. “That’s hard on infrastructure. We want to protect the natural resources so they are here forever, and provide a good visitor experience. This is a crown jewel park. We want to have crown jewel facilities that the public can be proud of.”
The Tuolumne Meadows Campground is more than a stop on one of the most famous mountain roads in the American West. It’s also a critical access point for the public.
With campsites for cars,
groups and walk-in users, Tuolumne Meadows makes up nearly one-fourth of the roughly 1,500 campsites in all of Yosemite National Park. It has been closed since 2022 for the construction, which could only take place in summer months because the area is buried in up to 6 feet of snow during winter.
On Thursday, a few early visitors wandered in to see its rebirth.
“This is one of the nicer places we’ve seen on our trip,” said Kevin Thurston, who was visiting with his wife and two sons from Houston. “If we lived closer we’d come up here more. Definitely thumbs up.”
Nearby Meg Henry, from Los Osos in San Luis Obispo County, visiting with her husband, Bill Henry, and their two nieces, remembered how the old campground had aging facilities and a scattershot parking system.
“There used to be cars everywhere,” Meg said. “Instead of cars you see nature.”
Campsites at Tuolumne Meadows are $36 a night. Reservations for all Yosemite hotels and campgrounds can be made at recreation.gov
The upgrade is the latest in a series of major renovations at Yosemite in recent years. Last year, the park built a new $12.5 million visitor center in the heart of the valley near the Village Store, and completed a $19 million renovation of the trails, restrooms, parking lots, signs and wooden boardwalks around Bridalveil Fall.
In late July, crews broke ground on a $220 million project to rebuild the park’s 45-year-old wastewater treatment plant at El Portal.
The money for the Tuolumne Meadows Campground, the El Portal upgrades and several other key projects came from the Great American Outdoors Act. That law, signed by President Trump during his first term in 2020, provided $6.5 billion in new funding to the National Park Service
and $3 billion to the U.S. Forest Service, Fish and Wildlife Service and other federal lands agencies to upgrade long-overdue maintenance projects.
Republicans who have in recent years voted against similar environmental efforts embraced the bill after two Western senators, Cory Gardner, R-Colorado, and Steve Daines, R-Montana, were up for re-election in 2020 and urged the White House to embrace a major parks bill they were supporting to help their chances. Daines ended up winning his election. Gardener lost to Democrat John Hickenlooper.
The money, however, continues to fund projects across the United States and the West. In California, it has paid to rebuild water lines at Sequoia-Kings Canyon National Park, for a wastewater system at Furnace Creek in Death Valley, and to repave roads and build a new drainage system at Yosemite’s Glacier Point.
Frank Dean, a ranger at Yosemite from 1990 to 1995, also served for 10 years as president of the Yosemite Conservancy, a nonprofit group in San Francisco that has raised private donations to fund hundreds of projects to improve the park’s facilities and restore its environment.
Dean said that although Yosemite Valley receives most of the attention and visitors, Tuolumne Meadows and the park’s higher elevations are singularly beautiful.
“Yosemite Valley is incredible,” Dean said. “Everyone should be able to see it at least once in their life. But to get into the heart of the park’s high country is really special. If you haven’t been up there you should go. The meadows are flat. You can walk along the river. You can see iconic peaks. It’s an amazing place and it is easy to get to. It’s very special up there.”
RAY CHAVEZ/BAY AREA NEWS GROUP/TNS
Visitors contemplate the Lembert Dome as seen from the Tuolumne Meadows Campgrounds in Yosemite, July 23.