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OAKHURST, CALIFORNIA

Intergenerational Dinosaurs, Gold Panning and Yosemite

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Program #20349RJ

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6 Days | 5 Nights
ACTIVITY LEVEL: Active
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Love to learn in a small-group setting? This collection of programs has at most 10-24 participants.
See our Small Group programs.
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EasyFor people looking to exercise their minds more than their bodies. There’s minimal walking and not too many stairs.
ModerateThese programs get you on your feet and include activities such as walking up to a mile in a day through a city and standing in a museum for a few hours.
ActiveFor people who enjoy walking as much as two miles a day, perhaps to explore historic neighborhoods or a nature trail.
Moderately ChallengingFor hardy explorers who enjoy a good physical challenge, spending most of their days on the go.
ChallengingGet ready to keep up with our highest-energy group. These demanding — and rewarding — programs are for seasoned outdoor enthusiasts.

Program Details > Daily Schedule

Elevation Note
ECCO's elevation is approximately 3100'.On field trips the bus may stop at an elevation of 7,000 ft.

Itinerary for Aug 11 — Aug 16, 2013

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Type: Conference Center

 Description: Program begins with registration 3:00 to 5:00 p.m. on Sunday. Please do not plan to arrive before 2:00 PM or later than 6:00 PM. (Sleeping rooms may not be available until 4:00 PM.) You are asked to check out of your sleeping rooms by 9:00 a.m. on Thursday.

Contact info:
43803 Highway 41
Oakhurst, CA 93644 USA
phone: 559-683-8162
web: www.conferencecenter.org

Room amenities: All rooms have private baths.

Facility amenities: In keeping with our tranquil retreat setting, you are not disturbed by the distraction of televisions or telephones in sleeping rooms. Satellite TV is available in the main lodge, as well as a recreation room with ping pong/game tables. Our "Fourth Green" Recreation Complex features fields for basketball, volleyball, football/soccer and horseshoes. Walking/hiking trails on-site and nearby, including a self-interpretive nature trail on ECCO grounds. The towns of Oakhurst, Bass Lake, North Fork and Mariposa feature a number of fine arts galleries and museums. Bass Lake offers swimming/boating opportunities 5 miles from ECCO.

Smoking policy: No
Smoking policies vary by facility. During all group events and activities, smoking is prohibited.

Additional nights before:
Unfortunately we are unable to offer early arrivals or extended stayovers beyond the scope of our published program times.

Check in time: 3:00 PM

Day One: Sunday, August 11 - Arrival. Greeting and Dinner. Evening program. 
Dinner: Please plan to arrive at ECCO between 3 and 5 p.m. After check-in, take time to relax before our get-acquainted social hour with a brief orientation beginning at 5 p.m. Dinner follow at 6 p.m.

Evening: Orientation and video introducing Yosemite

Lodging: Evergreen Conference Center, Oakhurst (ECCO)

Meals Included: Dinner
Close [ x ]
Type: Conference Center

 Description: Program begins with registration 3:00 to 5:00 p.m. on Sunday. Please do not plan to arrive before 2:00 PM or later than 6:00 PM. (Sleeping rooms may not be available until 4:00 PM.) You are asked to check out of your sleeping rooms by 9:00 a.m. on Thursday.

Contact info:
43803 Highway 41
Oakhurst, CA 93644 USA
phone: 559-683-8162
web: www.conferencecenter.org

Room amenities: All rooms have private baths.

Facility amenities: In keeping with our tranquil retreat setting, you are not disturbed by the distraction of televisions or telephones in sleeping rooms. Satellite TV is available in the main lodge, as well as a recreation room with ping pong/game tables. Our "Fourth Green" Recreation Complex features fields for basketball, volleyball, football/soccer and horseshoes. Walking/hiking trails on-site and nearby, including a self-interpretive nature trail on ECCO grounds. The towns of Oakhurst, Bass Lake, North Fork and Mariposa feature a number of fine arts galleries and museums. Bass Lake offers swimming/boating opportunities 5 miles from ECCO.

Smoking policy: No
Smoking policies vary by facility. During all group events and activities, smoking is prohibited.

Additional nights before:
Unfortunately we are unable to offer early arrivals or extended stayovers beyond the scope of our published program times.

Check in time: 3:00 PM

Day Two: Monday, August 12 - Climb to the top of the world and hike in a grove of Giant Sequoias... 
Climb to the top of the world and hike in a grove of Giant Sequoias in Yosemite National Park.

Note: Bus trip to Yosemite is 30 miles each way on country roads. Approximately 3 hours of bus time today.

Breakfast: 7:30 am - Breakfast in Lyles Hall. Make your own lunch with the help of the ECCO team. Depart by 8:15.

Morning: Depart by 8:15 for the Sentinel Dome trail. Hike to the top for a 360 degree view of the Sierra. .

Lunch: We will have our sack lunch at Glacier Point.

Afternoon: We drive to the Mariposa Grove and hike through the Giant Sequoia Grove learning about the largest living things on earth!

Dinner: 6:00 p.m.- Dinner in Lyles Hall. Dinner will feature a delicious main entree of beef, chicken, fish, or pasta. Always served with salad, vegetables,and dessert.

Evening: 7:00 p.m. Evening Program - We at ECCO have a number of interesting evening programs. Our schedule will include some of the following: A bird rescuer that will bring live birds, musical guests, a children's book writer, an ice cream social, or an evening of campfire songs.

Lodging: Evergreen Conference Center, Oakhurst (ECCO)

Meals Included: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Close [ x ]
Type: Conference Center

 Description: Program begins with registration 3:00 to 5:00 p.m. on Sunday. Please do not plan to arrive before 2:00 PM or later than 6:00 PM. (Sleeping rooms may not be available until 4:00 PM.) You are asked to check out of your sleeping rooms by 9:00 a.m. on Thursday.

Contact info:
43803 Highway 41
Oakhurst, CA 93644 USA
phone: 559-683-8162
web: www.conferencecenter.org

Room amenities: All rooms have private baths.

Facility amenities: In keeping with our tranquil retreat setting, you are not disturbed by the distraction of televisions or telephones in sleeping rooms. Satellite TV is available in the main lodge, as well as a recreation room with ping pong/game tables. Our "Fourth Green" Recreation Complex features fields for basketball, volleyball, football/soccer and horseshoes. Walking/hiking trails on-site and nearby, including a self-interpretive nature trail on ECCO grounds. The towns of Oakhurst, Bass Lake, North Fork and Mariposa feature a number of fine arts galleries and museums. Bass Lake offers swimming/boating opportunities 5 miles from ECCO.

Smoking policy: No
Smoking policies vary by facility. During all group events and activities, smoking is prohibited.

Additional nights before:
Unfortunately we are unable to offer early arrivals or extended stayovers beyond the scope of our published program times.

Check in time: 3:00 PM

Day Three: Tuesday, August 13 - We will search for gold, ride an authentic steam train and experiment... 
We will search for gold, ride an authentic steam train and experiment with underwater robots.

Breakfast: 8:00 a.m.Breakfast in Lyles Hall.

Morning: We will take a short drive up to the Yosemite Mountain Sugar Pine Railroad where we will learn how to pan for gold as well as about the California gold rush. We will also learn and logging history in the area as we ride a train pulled by an authentic steam engine.

Lunch: 12 noon.Lunch in Lyles Dining Hall.

Afternoon: Let's get wet! We will learn about robotics and experiment with how to make and maneuver underwater robots! We will also enjoy a swim in the experiment "tank," a pool.

Dinner: 6:00 p.m. Dinner in Lyles Dining Hall

Evening: Evening Program - Each evening's program may consist of an activity, video, or a live performance, including an evening of astronomy and star gazing.

Lodging: Evergreen Conference Center, Oakhurst (ECCO)

Meals Included: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Close [ x ]
Type: Conference Center

 Description: Program begins with registration 3:00 to 5:00 p.m. on Sunday. Please do not plan to arrive before 2:00 PM or later than 6:00 PM. (Sleeping rooms may not be available until 4:00 PM.) You are asked to check out of your sleeping rooms by 9:00 a.m. on Thursday.

Contact info:
43803 Highway 41
Oakhurst, CA 93644 USA
phone: 559-683-8162
web: www.conferencecenter.org

Room amenities: All rooms have private baths.

Facility amenities: In keeping with our tranquil retreat setting, you are not disturbed by the distraction of televisions or telephones in sleeping rooms. Satellite TV is available in the main lodge, as well as a recreation room with ping pong/game tables. Our "Fourth Green" Recreation Complex features fields for basketball, volleyball, football/soccer and horseshoes. Walking/hiking trails on-site and nearby, including a self-interpretive nature trail on ECCO grounds. The towns of Oakhurst, Bass Lake, North Fork and Mariposa feature a number of fine arts galleries and museums. Bass Lake offers swimming/boating opportunities 5 miles from ECCO.

Smoking policy: No
Smoking policies vary by facility. During all group events and activities, smoking is prohibited.

Additional nights before:
Unfortunately we are unable to offer early arrivals or extended stayovers beyond the scope of our published program times.

Check in time: 3:00 PM

Day Four: Wednesday, August 14 - Amazing antiquities. Today we will visit a 100 year-old underground... 
Amazing antiquities. Today we will visit a 100 year-old underground house and gardens as well as a fossil center, displaying bones of pre-historic animals

Note: Trip to the San Joaquin Valley today; approximately 3 hours of bus time

Breakfast: 7:00 a.m. Breakfast in Lyles Dining Hall

Morning: Today we will explore the underground Forestiere Gardens, which were hand dug. We will then learn about pre-historic animals that were found right here! We will then get to try our hand at being an archaeologist digging for evidence of earlier times.

Lunch: We will have our sandwiches with accompanying items at the Fossil Center.

Afternoon: After lunch we will have time to play at a park before returning to ECCO for free time and optional fishing in our pond.

Dinner: 6:00 p.m.Dinner in Lyles Dining Hall.

Evening: Evening Program - Each evening's program may consist of an activity, video, or a live performance, including an evening of astronomy and star gazing.

Lodging: Evergreen Conference Center, Oakhurst (ECCO)

Meals Included: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Close [ x ]
Type: Conference Center

 Description: Program begins with registration 3:00 to 5:00 p.m. on Sunday. Please do not plan to arrive before 2:00 PM or later than 6:00 PM. (Sleeping rooms may not be available until 4:00 PM.) You are asked to check out of your sleeping rooms by 9:00 a.m. on Thursday.

Contact info:
43803 Highway 41
Oakhurst, CA 93644 USA
phone: 559-683-8162
web: www.conferencecenter.org

Room amenities: All rooms have private baths.

Facility amenities: In keeping with our tranquil retreat setting, you are not disturbed by the distraction of televisions or telephones in sleeping rooms. Satellite TV is available in the main lodge, as well as a recreation room with ping pong/game tables. Our "Fourth Green" Recreation Complex features fields for basketball, volleyball, football/soccer and horseshoes. Walking/hiking trails on-site and nearby, including a self-interpretive nature trail on ECCO grounds. The towns of Oakhurst, Bass Lake, North Fork and Mariposa feature a number of fine arts galleries and museums. Bass Lake offers swimming/boating opportunities 5 miles from ECCO.

Smoking policy: No
Smoking policies vary by facility. During all group events and activities, smoking is prohibited.

Additional nights before:
Unfortunately we are unable to offer early arrivals or extended stayovers beyond the scope of our published program times.

Check in time: 3:00 PM

Day Five: Thursday, August 15 - Today we will explore Yosemite Valley. We will see Bridalveil Fall... 
Today we will explore Yosemite Valley. We will see Bridalveil Fall and Yosemite Falls. Bring your swim suit so that we can have an afternoon swim.

Note: Drive time to Yosemite Valley is approximately 3 hours total.

Breakfast: 7:30 Breakfast in Lyles Hall and make sack lunches for a picnic in Yosemite.

Morning: We will depart for Yosemite by 8:30. We will explore Yosemite Valley, beginning with a stop at Tunnel View. From there it is a short ride to Bridalveil Fall. We will also see other historical sites in the Valley.

Lunch: We will eat our sack lunch in the amphitheater area of Yosemite Lodge.

Afternoon: After lunch we are off to explore Yosemite Falls. This will give us the opportunity learn about the geologic formations of Yosemite Valley. We will then walk to the swimming pool for a relaxing afternoon. Departure from the pool will be at 3:30.

Dinner: 6:00 p.m.Dinner in Lyles Dining Hall.

Evening: Evening Program - We'll sing songs, tell stories, and roast s'mores by the campfire.

Lodging: Evergreen Conference Center, Oakhurst (ECCO)

Meals Included: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Day Six: Friday, August 16 - We will have breakfast and then watch a slide show of our experiences... 
We will have breakfast and then watch a slide show of our experiences of the week. Then we will say farewell to our new friends.

Breakfast: Share journal entries from the week, sign autographs, watch a slide show, and say farewell to our new friends.

Meals Included: Breakfast


Free Time Opportunities


Evergreen Conference Center, Oakhurst (ECCO)
Bass LakeFish or swim in Bass Lake's beautiful blue waters.
For additional information, visit: www.basslakechamber.com/
California State Mining & Mineral MuseumOne of the finest gem and mineral museums in the country.
For additional information, visit: www.parks.ca.gov/?page_id=588
Golfing1) River Creek Golf Course - www.rivercreekgolfcourse.com/ - 9-hole course in Ahwahnee, 5 miles from ECCO 2) Sierra Meadows Country Club - www.sierrameadows.com/ - 18-hole course in Ahwahnee, 5 miles from ECCO 3) Wawona Golf Course - www.yosemitepark.com/activities_warmweatheractivities_golfing.aspx - 20 miles from ECCO, within the boundaries of Yosemite National Park If you are interested in golf, please consider our program, "Fore! Golf Yosemite & Two Great Courses in the Beautiful Sierra Nevada" - program number 17247.
Mariposa GroveMariposa Grove is a Sequoia Grove located near Wawona, California in the southernmost part of Yosemite National Park. It is the largest grove of Giant Sequoias in the park, with several hundred mature examples of the tree. Two of its trees are among the Twenty Five largest Giant Sequoias in the world.
For additional information, visit: www.yosemite.ca.us/mariposa_grove_of_giant_sequoias/
Mariposa History CenterThis is a marvelous exploration of central California's early years.
For additional information, visit: mariposamuseum.com/
Nelder GroveWe find Nelder Grove the most peaceful and soothing of the Yosemite-area giant sequoia groves. It's in a narrow draw with a brook flowing through the center of it, and besides the giant sequoias, you'll find lots of other big evergreens, especially cedars, plus several dogwoods.
For additional information, visit: www.yosemitehikes.com/not-yosemite/nelder-grove/nelder-grove.htm
Sierra Mono Indian MuseumThe North Fork Mono Families first incorporated in 1966 to form the Sierra Mono Museum for the purpose of preserving Tribal history. The museum offers both static and living history experience. The doors have been open to the public since 1971. Permanent collections include a wide variety of Native American baskets and cultural artifacts. Also on display is the Tettleton Wildlife Diorama Collection consisting of over 100 freestanding taxidermy animals of North America and Asia. Other collections include historical photographs, cultural items, beadwork and weapons. Our gift shop is stocked with locally made authentic Indian Crafts, books and gifts. Every Thursday, Elders gather to weave, bead and dine on potluck lunch. During the fall they can be found cracking acorn for holiday events or cleaning Sourberry and Redbud sticks for weaving supplies. Guided tours offer a walk through the collections, stories, songs, and nature walk with signage explaining usage of indigenous plants. Classes in language and Basketry are held throughout the year. Visiting the museum offers a glimpse at Mono Indian lifestyles of yesterday and today.
For additional information, visit: www.sierramonomuseum.org/
Oakhurst
Bass LakeBass Lake is one of the most popular vacation spots in Central California. The lake was created back in 1899. It was enlarged 6 years later, and work on the present dam began in 1909. At 3,500 feet in the southern Sierra Nevada mountains, the 4-mile long lake is on the north fork of Willow Creek which is a tributary of the San Joaquin River. Its waters turn powerful, electricity-producing turbine engines for Pacific Gas & Electric (PG&E), the world's largest non-government utility. Because of its altitude, it's not unsual for Bass Lake to have snow on the ground for several weeks during the winter--not tons of snow...but enough snow to carry chains in your trunk...and, as locals put it, enough snow to be beautiful but not bothersome. Bass Lake is popular for all of the right reasons. It's close to California's Central Valley (1 hour from Fresno) via Highway 41 and only 20 minutes from Yosemite. Nature lovers appreciate the lake, and so do fishermen--it's stocked with trout, bass, salmon, catfish, crappie and bluegill. Water skiers appreciate the warm water--75 to 78 degrees in the summer. The lake has excellent marina facilities.
Fresno Flats Historical SiteFresno Flats Historic Park recaptures the flavor of 19th Century life in the Sierra Nevada foothills and mountains of Central California. Eastern Madera County is the southern end of the historic Mother Lode gold fields, but the people who settled here came not so much for gold but more to build their lives and raise their families, making their living as farmers, merchants and using the rich natural resources of the mountains. The museum complex is built around two restored and furnished homes dating to the 1870s. Both have been designated by the State of California as Points of Historical Interest for their unique construction styles once common throughout Northern California, but virtually unknown today. They were saved from demolition, moved to Fresno Flats Historical Park and restored by the volunteers of Sierra Historic Sites Association, as were a pair of early-day one-room schools, two 19th Century jails and several other farm buildings.
For additional information, visit: www.fresnoflatsmuseum.org/about.html
Sierra Mono MuseumSierra Mono Indian Museum Roads 225 & 228, North Fork 9:00 - 4:00 Tuesday-Saturday 559-877-2115 Admission: $3/Adults $2/Seniors $1/Students The North Fork Mono Tribe is the original inhabitant of the Sierra Nevada Mountains. The tribe consists of two clans: the golden eagle and the coyote, both of which are represented at the entrance to the museum. The Mono way of life is featured in the museum through examples of fishing, hunting, acorn gathering, cooking, healing, basketmaking, games and ceremonies. Also featured is the Tettleton Wildlife Collection, one of the finest in California.
Yosemite Mountain Sugar Pine RailroadThe Yosemite Mountain Sugar Pine Railroad is a restoration of the old narrow gauge Madera Sugar Pine Lumber Company Railroad. A section of the original railbed has been reconstructed using the same techniques used at the turn of the century. Two vintage Shay steam locomotives have been brought in from the Westside Lumber company and restored to provide authentic motive power for the trains. Shay number 15 was built in 1913 and weighs 60 tons. Number 10, built in 1928 weighs 83 tons and is the heavest operating narrow guage Shay locomotive today. Railcars once used to provide transportation for logging and track repair crews have been refurbished and are now operated for passenger excursion. Antique Model "A" Ford gas engines power the trolley-like "Jenny" cars over the route.
For additional information, visit: www.ymsprr.com/
Yosemite Sierra Visitors BureauCheck out the Yosemite-Sierra Visitors' Bureau for the wealth of activities available to visitors to our area, from photo, art and antique galleries to outdoor recreation activities to many sites of historical interest.
For additional information, visit: www.yosemitethisyear.com
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Important information about your itinerary:
Every effort has been made to ensure the accuracy and completeness of the information featured on this website. Itineraries are based on our best information at this time. Circumstances beyond our control may require us to adjust itineraries or other details. We regret any inconvenience this may cause and appreciate your understanding. Information will be sent to you from your Program Provider approximately three weeks prior to the program start date.
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•5 nights of accommodations
•14 meals: 5 breakfasts, 4 lunches, 5 dinners
•3 Expert-led lectures
•4 Field trips
•3 Hands-on experiences
•4 Performances
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