Checklist for Safe Summer Travel.

Vacation plans need to be made for safe summer travel.  Those looking to take some time off should make plans to secure their home first. If you have pets, take care of them by hiring an in-home pet sitter or board them in a channel. Tie up any loose ends at work and how about securing your electronic devices and your data while you’re away? Here are some things to take into consideration if you want to have a trip free of cyber worries.

Here is what some of our research has come up with.

Before you leave

Some of the things on your cyber security checklist can be taken care of before you leave. They include the following:

• Make sure the operating systems and software on all the devices you are going to take along with you are up to date. Having to install updates while you are on the road can be a pain due to slow and unstable connections. Use your at-home Wi-Fi, which you know is secured with a password. (Right? If not—do that right away.)
• You may want to take precautions to secure devices that you’ll be leaving behind in your workplace and home. If a burglar gets hold of your desktop, they should not be able to harvest any valuable data. All devices should be password protected (including the ones you are taking along with you).

• Back up the valuable data on the devices, you are bringing so that if you lose them, it won’t be a double disaster.
• Do not announce the dates of your upcoming travel plans on social media. That’s a great way to alert criminals to case your house and break in during the time you’ll be gone. Post your travel pictures when you get back. They will still be cool.
• Disable the auto-connect options shortly before you leave and have your devices forget the network SSIDs in their lists. Threat actors can abuse these features for man-in-the-middle attacks.
• If you have contactless debit and credit cards, get shields in which to store them so you can carry them around without leaking information.
• Think twice about bringing a multitude of devices. The chances of anything getting damaged, stolen, or lost are much higher when you’re on the road.
• Make sure your travel insurance covers all the devices and any other valuables you plan to take along.

While you are traveling

Travel plans can range from road trips to a nearby camping spot to flights to five-star beach resorts. Because of the wide range of travel options, some of the following advice may or may not apply:

• If you park your car at the airport, obviously make sure no valuable devices are left behind. This is also a good time to disable the Bluetooth of your phone because the car is probably the only useful Bluetooth connection you need. And when Bluetooth is off, it can’t be abused.
• Airports and other waypoints on your travels will often offer public, free, and unprotected Wi-Fi. Consider the risks associated with them when you use them or use a VPN to enhance the security by encrypting your connection.
• If you need to use Wi-Fi at your hotel, make sure their connections are secured with passwords. And if you need to access sensitive material for work, set up VPN on your laptop beforehand.
• Privacy screens make sure that only the person sitting straight in front of the screen can read what is on it. This can stop people from secretly watching what you are doing. Good privacy screens are easy to apply and are available for laptops and many handheld devices.
• Don’t use public computers for sensitive Internet traffic. This certainly includes online shopping and any other financial transactions. While you are traveling, it’s safer to spend money at your destination instead of online.
• If you use webmail to read your mail when you are away from home, keep in mind that this may be less secure then reading the mail in your favorite email client. Some webmail services have HTML enabled by default.
• Use a fully updated anti-malware solution for all your devices. Malwarebytes has solutions for many operating systems and types of devices.
• Since you may not want to take your laptop and every other device with you as you go sightseeing, make sure there is a safe place to keep the items left behind. Not every hotel safe is big enough for a laptop. Ask your hotel concierge if they have other options for securing devices. Simply leaving them behind in your room is not the safest move.

Don’t let all this ruin the fun

While most of the things mentioned above are precautions we (should) take every day, they are not the first ones that come to mind when you are planning that awesome trip you have worked for all year. But as always, it’s better to be safe than sorry.

Recommended reading: 7 tips to stay cyber safe this summer

Safe travels!

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MT Wild West Poster

Mark Twain Wild West Fest
October 19, 2019 - Downtown Angels Camp

The Mark Twain Wild West Fest has been announced for Saturday, October 19, 2018, from 10 am to 5 pm, on Main Street in historic downtown Angels Camp.

The inimitable, immersive, description-defying, high-camp and whimsical Mark Twain Wild West Fest promises to be a living interpretation of the Wild West Gold Rush-era.

Featured are three stages of non-stop music, comedy and entertainment; roving street performers, magicians, jugglers, musicians, honky-tonk piano players and dance hall girls; beer, wine and food; gun-slinging cowboys and outlaws and shoot-out reenactments, as well as villains and damsels in distress; gold miners, their encampment and gold panning demonstrations; a flapjack breakfast; over 80 street vendors of all descriptions including arts and crafts, and local goods. Admission and parking are FREE all day.

For more information, contact: Angels Camp Business Association

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Visit our Highway 120 Merchants

Around The Horn Brewery - A new craft brewery and taproom is now located on Highway 120 in Big Oak Flat. The equipment used is a seven-tank brewing system. In designing the brewery, it has evolved from what works best in the building. Stop by on your way to Yosemite National Park.

Evergreen Lodge - Nestled in the woods bordering Yosemite National Park, the Evergreen Lodge is a newly expanded historic resort combining a timeless feel with modern comforts such as full-service dining and professional recreation and wellness programs. (See Sierra Lodging for more information.)

Groveland Hotel - a boutique hotel in the heart of downtown Groveland

Hungry Bear Cafe is serving Breakfast, Lunch, and Dinner for the entire family. You can choose to eat in the restaurant, or you can take your order out and be on your way. The restaurants are located right on Highway 120 in Groveland. They have killer milkshakes too.

Kevin & Randis Old Fashion Meat Market - This little meat market features grass-fed beef along with choice cuts of beef, lean quality pork, organic poultry, wild-caught seafood along with gourmet assorted deli meats land cheeses.

Mar-Val Food Store - This newly expanded market has added additional freezers for more products, a new deli area serving pre-made ready-to-eat foods, a new bakery with freshly made cakes and pies, of course, their newly created takeout sandwiches.

Yosemite Adventure Supplies - We are the last stop for your camping, hiking, climbing, fishing, and swimming supplies plus gifts & souvenirs.

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The Groveland Jail

Groveland Jail & Garden History

In 1992 as small group of new resident felt that they needed to help this historic jail. An "interest sheet" was posted on the bulletin board at the local grocery store to see if others shared their interest. There were 35 names posted in one day. These early members started the process of forming the Pine Mountain Lake Garden Club. The PML Garden Club had their first meeting on February 3, 1992.

It was suggested that this meeting that the club adopts the jailhouse area as its main project. This was a huge task of turning the jail grounds into a beautifully landscaped garden spot. Volunteers and local businesses merchants put in time and equipment to make this project possible. 

When traveling on Highway 120 on your way to Yosemite National Park, you will pass through downtown Groveland. Just on the main street, you will find the historic Groveland Jail This jail dates back to the 1895-1902 era. After 1930, it was no longer needed to house "bad guys." This historic building had fallen on hard times.

"It was and is a labor of love."  Maintaining the garden and jail is the Pine Mountain Lake Garden Club's gift to the community.

Stop by and visit the garden and Jailhouse and see the hard work the garden club has done to this spot. They invite you to stop in anytime, sit for a while, have lunch and take a stroll in their peaceful garden.

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Hiking on the High Sierra Trail

The first Saturday in June is National Trails Day and is celebrated here in the Sierra.  This event is held throughout the United States and it is a time to showcase and to help us promote awareness of the wide variety of benefits that our California trails provide and to encourage people to discover their local trials and instill excitement for the outdoors. Find your Sierra Trails.

Trails are for more than just hiking.  Trails provide access to waterways for canoeing and paddle trips.  Bird watching and biking are some other favorite trail activities.

Yosemite National Park and the surrounding area offer unique hiking and bike riding opportunities. Check in with the locals before heading out.

Yosemite Adventures Supplies in Groveland offers information on the best hiking trails and they supply maintaining biking information as well as renting bikes. Stop by on your way to Yosemite National Park.

The Tahoe Rim Trail Association provides hiking and biking trail information They help maintain one of the most iconic and beautiful long-distance recreation trails in the world. The 165+ mile single-track trail is open to hiking, equestrians, and mountain biking (in most areas). The trail circumnavigates the ridge lines of the Lake Tahoe Basin, crossing six counties, four National Forests, three wilderness areas, two states, and one state park.

The Tahoe Rim Trail Association also manages approximately 30 miles of side and connector trails. The entire Tahoe Rim Trail is designated as a National Recreation Trail and has approximately 50 miles that are co-located with the Pacific Crest National Scenic Trail and is, therefore, part of the National Trails System.

The mission of the Tahoe Rim Trail Association is to maintain and enhance the Tahoe Rim Trail system, practice and inspire stewardship, and preserve access to the natural beauty of the Lake Tahoe region.

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YOSEMITE MUSIC FESTIVAL
July 6-7, 2018

The Yosemite Music Festival is located in the Sierra Nevada foothill town of Mariposa, California. The event takes place at the Mariposa County Fairgrounds.  

The festival is in its 16th year and was originally located at the Carter Ranch in Mariposa. Then it was called Carter Ranch Music Festival. In 2013 the festival was relocated to a permanent location in town and was renamed to avoid confusion with the location change.  

The event is produced by Chuck Carter and Adam Finney working together with a host of volunteers. The event brings the best touring acts possible to the small town environment of Mariposa.

According to the promoter Adam Finney, “The event has always been about the collaboration of artists and their unique interactions with the townspeople, fans, and supporters of the event. The festival is for both travelers coming to Mariposa for the first time and longtime locals; it has something for everybody."

The Yosemite festival provides a simple and stunningly mellow environment for people to interact with incredible quality original music by local, regional, national and international bands.  The promoter's book bands based on the caliber of the music they play.

This is a grassroots commitment to providing a variety of professional, historically significant, varied and deeply relevant music to people, whether or not they already like or know about a band they book  

For more information, contact them at: Yosemite Music Festival

Tour of California comes to the Sierra

Stage 2 | Rancho Cordova to South Lake Tahoe

The Tour of California, officially known as the Amgen Tour of California, is a professional cycling race that was first held in 2006. This eight-day race covers 650–700 miles as it travels through the state of California. 

The race has become an annual event of professional cycling riders representing ten to twelve teams. The race teams each have ten to twelve members and over 150 riders will start in the race.

All of the racers are members of the UCI World Tour and USA Cycling Professional Tour. The Tour of California has 6 Stages and a one-time trial race to determine the winner. 

After starting the 2019 Amgen Tour of California in a familiar locale, Stage 2 begins in the new host city of Rancho Cordova, fifteen miles upstream along the American River. Rancho Cordova may be a new partner for the race, but the peloton’s journey to the slopes of South Lake Tahoe’s Heavenly Ski Resort is well-known and feared by local cyclists and the peloton.

From the start, the route gradually prods uphill. Over the next 122-miles, the peloton will climb over 14,500 feet and three KOM's (King of the Mountains) - even finishing uphill to the mountain’s ski lifts. The race’s Queen Stage (women) comes later in the week, so the overall contenders can go for the General Classification lead here but they would be well-advised to save their legs.

For more information: Amgen Tour of California

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Covers Apple Ranch
Odds & Ends Vintage Craft Fair
April 21st - 10 AM to 3 PM

An odds and ends vintage craft fair is coming to Cover Apple Ranch on April 21st from 10 AM to 3 PM. The craft fair will be held at the ranch located at 19211 Tuolumne Road in Tuolumne, California.

Cover's is holding this craft fair to showcase local craftsmen, their crafts, and re-purposed items. There will be booths with bakery items and their delicious Covers Cider along with cover's handcrafted grilled sausage to sample and enjoy.  Mi-Wuk Kettle corn will be on hand and a book signing from a local children's book author, Kristie Wildle. She will be at the fair to meet your children and sign her new book "It a Jungle in Here!"  In addition, a pair of tickets for a Mother's Tea will be raffled off for the May 10th event.

Covers will be open during normal business hours from 8 AM to 5 PM and their steam train will be giving run rides and will be running every half hour. Bring all the kids, admission is free.

For more information, contact Covers at (209) 928-4689 or visit their website at ww.facebook.com/covers-apple-ranch.