Tag: arts & culture

community, events

On The Road To A Renaissance Here In The Heart Of The California Alps

JT Chevalier (Alpine County’s PIO and Econ. Dev. Advisory Committee Chair) and I were yakking a couple weeks ago about the vibe in town due to the many new things that are happening here in Alpine County lately, and he suggested that we’re kicking off somewhat of a renaissance in the least populated county in California.

AS we like to say “One person per square mile, and you!”

MRS. California Alps and I, and Momma CA Alps (that’s her on the left), tend to agree!

NOW that spring is beginning to actually spring (after one or two more – knocky-knocky – doses of the white stuff), and knowing that some of you may already have planned your visit, or might do so after reading this post, let me whet your appetite and regale you with a list of things-a-happenin’ here from the East Slope (Woodfords and Markleeville) to the West Slope (Bear Valley and Kirkwood).

The Alpine County Resource Advisory Committee

THE renewed (there was one back in 2010 or so) Alpine County Resource Advisory Committee, “the RAC”, held its second meeting last month, and representatives, including yours truly, spent about three (3) hours reviewing six (6) projects, and I’m thrilled to say, approving five (5) of them!

  • Camp Like a Pro Program
  • Forest Service Recreation Technician
  • Scotts Lake Dispersed Campground Vault Restroom
  • Scotts Lake/Faith Valley Kiosks
  • Woodfords Visitor Information Kiosk

WITH approximately $115,000 available now, and more funding to follow, we voted to fully fund these projects, with priority given to the first four (4). Expect to see them bearing fruit starting in 2024.

LEARN more about the RAC here and read this post for some additional context.

Arts And Culture Alpine County

CHECK out this post from last month for more info. Suffice it to say things are moving along nicely. It’s getting closer to being an official entity with a brick & mortar location! Soon a name will be selected. IMHO it doesn’t matter a whole lot what it’s called yet some of us have our preferences. A rose by any other name, right?

MORE importantly, the group already has some event and gallery ideas in the works.

ALPINE County will likely see the fruits of their labor this summer or early fall, so stay tuned!

Markleeville Farmer’s Market

zucchinis and artichoke in plastic crates

SPEAKING of fruits (okay, those are veggies but we’ll have fruit, too), the county has put out an RFQ for a farmer’s market manager and we hope to see our first “fruit, veggie and crafts (including local artists) expo” in June.

COMING our way this summer…Woo, hoo!

FINGERS crossed, there might even be a market around the Deathride weekend.

Alpine County Chamber Of Commerce And Visitor’s Center

MEGHAN Wolff, Manager, has really taken charge of things since she came aboard in the fall of last year. She’s got a couple marketing professionals (one for the Chamber/VC and one for the Deathride) already hard at work, and with the help of two part-time employees, Graham and Virginia, both locals, is staffing the Visitor’s Center seven (7) days a week.

SHE and her team (that’s Meghan talking up the crowd) held an amazing mixer the Thursday before last at the Outwest Cafe (thank you Danelle and Joey) and we had the highest attendance (about 30) that a Chamber event has had since I can remember.

JT commented that it was about half the population. 🙂

Not too far off, JT!

CHECK out the newly revamped events page for some upcoming adventures from Kirkwood to Bear Valley and points in between. I hope to see you at one or more of them in the coming weeks and do stay tuned for more exciting things to come from the “ACCOC & VC.”

New Look And Feel

THE Chamber and the County have been working closely together on some re-branding efforts, including new logos and some fantastically produced videos (think “Are You Alpine?”), and those in attendance at that mixer got an early preview.

WHILE the new logo(s) haven’t been finalized, in fact we’ve got another version in the works with a Washoe artist, here’s a glimpse at one option, side-by-side with our current logo on the left. What do you think?

Renaissance Indeed!

THESE are just the new things. We’ve still got fishing (Fishmas is next month), the Bear Valley Music Festival, Hermitfest West, and East, the Deathride, Sierra Stargazing, and more. There’s so much going on this summer and fall that I’ve likely missed something. The Chamber’s Events page will capture it, though, so bookmark that sucker and make plans to be in Alpine County, and take in the Alpine-vibe, soon.

Six snowflowers in bloom on a little side trail near Sawmill Road. Taken during a hike up to the Thornburg Trail.
Phlox spilling over a rock. Taken while on a hike in Hope Valley.

WILDFLOWER season is approaching too!

ONCE the snow melts we’re sure to see some good color. Don’t miss it!

advocacy, community activities, deathride

Updates From Markleeville – Caltrans, Deathride, Grover, and Arts & Culture Alpine

ADVOCACY. It’s THE reason we (Mrs. California Alps and I) founded California Alps Cycling. Not just for cycling and cyclists, or mountain biking and gravelleurs, but for the all of those that are Alpine; or wish to be Alpine, if only for a little while.

SURE, our primary mission is to “spread the gospel of cycling, all types of cycling,” yet it’s also about stewardship of the Sierra; helping to ensure that we, and others, have skin in the game, if you will.

CHAMPIONING for the area has become a passion. One that I’m reminded of everytime I ride a bike, or go fishing, or hunting, or birding.

Caltrans District 10 Bicycle Pedestrian Advisory Committee (BPAC)

AFTER five (5) meetings we’re getting to know each other better and our relationships are getting stronger. The committee, comprised of members of the public from the eight (8) counties in District 10: Alpine, Amador, Calaveras, Mariposa, Merced, San Joaquin, Stanislaus, and Tuolumne, and Caltrans staff, has had productive conversations about rumble strips, how they effect cyclists and potential alternatives.

WE’VE begun exploring bicycle event permits, how they’re handled and the financial impact they have on the mostly non-profit local groups that host these events, including Mr. Frog’s Wild Ride, the Ride & Walk4Art and the Deathride.

THERE have been frank conversations about unsafe intersections in Stockton (for pedestrians) and missed stretches of sweeping on some highways within the district. The Caltrans Team has been oh so gracious, and inviting of the criticism.

COMMITTEE Chair, Charles Carroll, has been instrumental, at one point reaching out to me to set up a meeting with leadership and legal, so we can continue exploring the idea of allowing bike and pedestrian (including wheelchair) access to Ebbett’s Pass or Monitor Pass, here in Alpine Co., after the roads are plowed but before they’re open to vehicles.

rock formations

YOSEMITE does something similar on Tioga Pass most years and I’ve had exchanges with their team to learn more about how they do it.

CREDIT to Krishna Rao for this post, by the way. It pointed me in the right direction.

WE still have a few things to work through/understand: liability, is one example, the possible use of permits, another.

Thank you Caltrans. We’re building bridges, and we’re all being heard.

We Continue to Adopt

HARD to believe it’s been five (5) years of pickin’ but it has. Holy detritus, Batman!

WELL, the work will continue for another five; we’ve just renewed our commitment to toiling on the turnpike. Not much work to be done presently, though, due to so much snow on the highway. Dang. 😉

The Deathride Is In Excellent Hands…Again

YOURS truly moved up here to Markleeville because of the Deathride. Since that fateful day in the fall of 2016 I’ve ridden in it three (3) times, doing all the climbs once. I joined the Alpine County Chamber of Commerce board back in 2019 because of the ride. For those who are not aware, the Chamber owns and operates (with a LOT OF HELP) this one of kind ride.

I’m currently the Board President, and along with my fellow “Boarders” – we all volunteer – and our amazing manager, Meghan, with institutional knowledge (and assurance) provided by our former Executive Director, Becky DeForest, we’ve begun working on this year’s ride. Professionals are the name of the game and so we’ve again inked a deal with Corey Bolton, last year’s Ride Director, to fufill the same role this year! We’re also very excited to have Di Bolton, the other half of the Bolton Team, taking on the role of Logistics and Volunteer Coordinator. We’re blessed to have these two fine individuals (key members of Curtis Fong’s Bike The West Team for many years) as leaders of ours.

MICHAEL Bayer, who’s headed up Alta Alpina Cycling Club’s (AACC) Alta Alpina Challenge for many years, and was part of some of the original AACC Deathride teams, has been instrumental too, and is guiding us on so many levels this year.

SPEAKING of Alta Alpina, the Club is hosting a training series this year. You can register for it when you register for the ride. For a nominal fee you can get some training in with these local experts so be sure to take advantage!

VOLUNTEERS, including our intrepid Kate Harvey, Boy Scouts, and more, help complete the team. Pacific Grade will again be the double-feature this year. We had such great feedback from riders regarding the course last year so it was a no-brainer for the 2023 ride.

Blue, green or ??? Samples of some of the artwork we’re considering for the 2023 Deathride logo.

OVER 600 riders have already registered and we’re grateful. Check out the website for more information.

BE sure to get your training in. For on the road training, if you’re looking for organized ride options, I suggest you funnel as many ducats as you can to those club-run or non-profit-benefitting rides like the Wildflower or Mr. Frogs. These events are often their biggest fundraisers.

We’ve published some posts on that very subject, training that is. Click here or here for a couple suggestions, or search this website yourself if you’re so inclined. For indoor training, Fulgaz is our go to; there are rides we’ve filmed available for your suffering, including all five (5) climbs of the “DR classic course.”

Coming Soon To Alpine County

THE Resource Advisory Committee (RAC) has received proposals for six (6) projects and we’re looking forward to reviewing them. From wayfinding to “Camping Like a Pro,” we’ve got some good juju focused on our local forests. Check out this recent post for more on the RAC.

MARKLEEVILLE’S water company, known as the Markleeville Water Company (who’d a thunk it?), on which I volunteer on the board, and am our webmaster, is hoping to finally get things flowing on a major project this spring. We’ve been working with the state for some time now on a grant to replace the core of our infrastructure, with new water lines for the town and surrounding residences. Timing is key because after that project, comes another for the town.

HOT Springs Road repaving would be it. The partial redo of one of the two (2) main roads in town, this one on the way to Grover Hot Springs State Park, will give us some buttery pavement on which to walk (and ride) and some wider shoulders to do it on.

SPEAKING of Grover…While the hot springs themselves are doing what they have for thousands of years, the infrastructure that funnels that hot, mineral-rich water into a walled pool, is not.

Camping is open on a first-come, first-served basis, and will continue to be, including for the Deathride, but the plumbing (among other things) is in need of repair and a start date is unknown at this point.

WE continue to communicate with the state, and fingers crossed we’ll come up with a solution soon.

BRIDGES? We’ve got bridges. And we’re working on them. Well technically it’s Caltrans and their contractors that are but we’ll reap the rewards. There are approximately five (5) in the county that are on the list, a couple of which have been started, including the bridge just south of town and the one on Highway 4 near Silver Creek.

LAST, but definitely not least, is the Arts and Culture initiative. Our former District 1 Supervisor, and Club-Mom, January Riddle, is heading up the effort. Our mentor, and sponsor, Arts and Culture El Dorado, has been instrumental in guiding us and will continue to be our partner. Work has begun on a tentative program to kick things off, and the team is forming its board and getting ready to file that “(c)(3) paperwork” with the state and the Feds.

THESE last few years have been a bit of a wild ride here in the heart of the California Alps.

HEY, the rest of the world has been experiencing its challenges too.

IT’S not just us. It’s all of us.

NONETHELESS, while we may still be grieving a bit over what was lost in the Tamamarack Fire, and the ensuing natural disasters that followed, we are NOT WALLOWING. In fact, as you have read, we’re rising!

MORE surprises are in store so stay involved and keep visiting, especially this spring and summer. We’ve got a good one (or ones) queued up for you!