Top Scoops (Scoop.co.nz)
Yosemite Valley is essentially a half-mile to mile wide, and seven-mile long canyon between vertical granite walls rising 1000 meters or more from the floor.

Groups hope to excite city kids to parks (El Paso Times)
YOSEMITE NATIONAL PARK, Calif. Jorge Castaneda knelt on a rocky ledge with a map of the Sierra Nevada spread before him. “There aren’t street names,” the 18-year-old city kid said only half-jokingly just before his first backpacking trip. “How are we supposed to read these maps?”

Mustangs top Redskins 14-4 in girls tennis (Visalia Times-Delta)
The Tulare Westerns Mustangs completed the first round of East Yosemite League girls tennis play with a 14-4 win over Tulare Union Monday at Tulare Western.

Yosemite Will Offer Free Admission On National Public Lands Day (MyMotherLode.com)
Yosemite, Ca — In recognition of National Public Lands Day, Yosemite National Park will offer free admission this Saturday, September 29. According to Yosemite officials, National Public Lands Day is the only time that entrance fees are waived systematically on public lands throughout the country.

Fall Foliage in California Ritual With an Itch (New York Times)
In Columbia, Calif., fearless citizens risk dermatological disaster in what may be the country?s strangest autumn ritual: the Annual Poison Oak Show.

UNLV graduate highlines Lost Arrow Spire above Yosemite Valley (Daily Vidette)
(U-WIRE) LAS VEGAS - Libby Sauter, a UNLV nursing school graduate, became the first woman ever to successfully highline the Lost Arrow Spire above the Yosemite Valley floor in Yosemite National Park, Calif. on July 17. The Lost Arrow Spire highline, which is a sort of Mecca for many high-liners, is 2,890 feet high and is equivalent to two stacked Empire State buildings plus 390 feet.

Monache knocks off Mustangs in volleyball (Visalia Times-Delta)
The Tulare Western Mustangs attempt to successfully defend their East Yosemite League girls volleyball title hit a snag Monday on the road in Porterville.

Tigers down Rangers in 3 (The Sentinel)
VISALIA — Valarie Gobby and Sarah Billingsley led a balanced attack with 10 kills apiece as Lemoore High topped Redwood 25-22, 25-13, 25-18 in a West Yosemite League match Monday night.

Yosemite National Park is offering free admission Sat., Sept. 29 in recognition of national public lands day. A great way to pay the park back is to volunteer to help pick up litter along a trail or in the park. Stop by the Valley Visitor Center 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. for trash bags, assignments and details or call (209) 379-2650 for details.

Take a Yosemite drive back in time (The Record)
Every day is the Roaring ’20s at the Tin Lizzie Inn in Fish Camp, Calif., where the garage is full of Model T and Model A Fords and David Woodworth will teach you to drive them.

An actor of character (Chicago Sun-Times)
Bright-eyed and bushy, Michael Douglas peers out from a wildly overgrown mane that would look more at home on Yukon Cornelius or Yosemite Sam. He’s so hirsute in his latest film, “King of California,” where he portrays a bipolar patient with a massive Quixote complex, that wife Catherine Zeta-Jones told him that she was “tiring of waking up next to the Unabomber.”

Early snow surprises hikers, shuts down Yosemite pass (The Fresno Bee)
An early snowfall in the Sierra Nevada gave hikers and campers a surprise, and led to the temporary closing of a high mountain pass.

Got kids? Here are five ways to enjoy Yosemite with them (Reno Gazette-Journal)
Here’s the predicament. You realize Yosemite, one of America’s great natural wonders, is only about 200 miles from Reno. And you realize that it’s one of those places you MUST see. Alas, you’ve got a couple of youngsters running around the house, and they aren’t exactly up for the full-day, round trip hike to half dome.

Early snow surprises hikers, shuts down Yosemite pass (The Daily Comet)
FRESNO, Calif. An early snowfall in the Sierra Nevada gave hikers and campers a surprise, and led to the temporary closing of a high mountain pass. The snow that fell Thursday - as much as five inches in places - mostly melted down, but more is expected through the weekend, weather officials said.

Miners bury Mt. Whitney (Visalia Times-Delta)
If the El Diamante football team felt it needed to prove who was the best team in the West Yosemite League, its performance against Mt. Whitney on Friday may have quieted all doubters.

Justice on Yosemite time (San Jose Mercury News)
Video: A day in the life of magistrate From behind his redwood desk, U.S. Magistrate Judge William Wunderlich knows he may just have the best judge job in America.

Justice served with scenic backdrop (Contra Costa Times)
YOSEMITE NATIONAL PARK — From behind his redwood desk, U.S. Magistrate Judge William Wunderlich has to crane his neck just slightly to gaze up at Yosemite Falls.

If you’re a psychic this blog is unnecessary as you already know what we’re about to announce. But, if you’re not, then continue reading. Psychics will be gathering for food, fun and fellowship Sat., Sept. 20 and Sun., Sept. 30 at “Synchronicity” in the basement of the historic Mariposa Hotel (5029 Hwy 140 - in downtown Mariposa, California).

No appointment is needed. As, after all, your arrival has been pre-ordained. Just drop in and sign up for a reading with whichever psychic you’d like to see. Sessions are priced at 20 minutes for $25. In anticipation of the fair, Synchronicity has been restocked with DVDs, t-shirts, books and other gifts, and as an added surprise (if indeed surprises can occur in a room filled with psychics), a Chakra Crystal Bowl will be raffled for $5 a ticket or five for $20.

Nearby accommodations can be obtained at the Best Western Yosemite Way Station in Mariposa. CLICK HERE to reserve a room or for more information.