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Sweet Thistle Farms Offers Beautiful Outdoor Experiences

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Natali Carrera
Natali Carrera is a devoted coffee addict who also loves her twelve-year-old son, husband of 17 years and bargain hunting at Target. She works in the field of education and is also a freelance writer and YouTube vlogger (as a hobby). She's been told "bubbly" is the best descriptor of her personality, though she wonders if what people really mean is that she talks too much. Natali is a lifelong Fresno resident and Fresno State grad.
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Life in the time of COVID has forced us to think differently about how we spend our leisure time or attempt a date night. Many of our favorite options from before COVID are either not an option currently, or carry with them a certain level of risk.

Since experts advise spending time with your household members or small groups and outdoors to minimize risk, I’ve been seeking out unique experiences to share with you here that may bring fun to your weekends while keeping you relatively safe.

This week, I present to you Sweet Thistle Farms — a beautiful, flower-filled farm that allows you the opportunity to pick your own bouquet, pick-up a pre-made bouquet, or even enjoy a special date night complete with wine tasting and charcuterie boxes.

Flowers collected by a friend on her recent visit to Sweet Thistle Farms

Sweet Thistle Farms is located in Clovis just east of Academy off of Shaw at 5365 N. Mendocino Ave. This year’s U-Pick season kicked off last weekend (June 13th) runs each weekend. If you decide to go, flowers range from $1-$3 each or you can fill an entire bucket full for $30.

My friend Amanda, her mother, sister in law and niece filling buckets with gorgeous Sweet Thistle blooms during opening weekend

Sweet Thistle will be hosting a Friday Date Night on June 26th from 5-8pm and it sounds like it may become a semi-regular occurrence during the warm weather months. Local wines will be offered for tasting, Rocky Oaks Goat Creamery will be offering cheese boxes to nibble on and guests are encouraged to pick their own bouquets and bring a picnic blanket to relax on and enjoy the evening surrounded by natural beauty.

If you’re lucky, you may even make a furry friend at Sweet Thistle!

If you visit, please note you’ll be walking through flower fields and will brush against plants, so you may prefer pants and/or tennis shoes. If visiting during the day time, don’t forget sunscreen and water. Additionally, since it is a flower field – there are bees present. Bees are an asset and so important for all of our crops. The bees at Sweet Thistle are much more interested in the flowers than they are interested in you, and are generally not aggressive – however, if you or someone in your family has a severe allergy, please take that into consideration.

Just looking to take a nice drive and purchase a ready-made bouquet? Sweet Thistle has a roadside stand that they regularly replenish with flowers for sale, ready to take home!

For additional details on all Sweet Thistle has to offer, visit them on Facebook or Instagram. Happy picking!

Kickball Grows Up: Adult League Expands in Central Valley

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Kendra Gilbert
Writer at FresYes.com
Kendra Gilbert is a writer born and raised in Clovis. She has written for publications from Boston to Los Angeles and loves writing about fashion and people most of all. The abbreviated list of things she enjoys outside of writing includes: thrifting, photography, harmonica, beer, movies, hiking and skee ball.
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Kickball League of Central California

Remember kickball? That sport you were sometimes required to play during P.E. and either loved, or hated, depending on your athletic talents. Well, it’s not just for kids anymore. Adults can now relive their gym class glory days thanks to kickball leagues that are popping up all over the country. Even right here in the Central Valley. With a year of play under its belt, the Kickball League of Central California is growing up, hoping to expand from its South Valley origins north into Fresno and beyond.

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Johnny Ford Jr. is the man responsible for bringing adult kickball to the Valley. Having gotten involved in the sport in 2010 on the East Coast, when Ford moved to Lemoore last year and found it devoid of kickball, he started his own league. Combining childhood nostalgia with athletic competition and good-natured camaraderie, Ford’s league found a following in the South Valley…despite some early skepticism. Now he’s hoping to start a division in Fresno that will play at the Regional Sports Complex.

On Friday, October 28, Ford’s league will hold an open kickball event in Fresno for those interested in joining. So, if you were first picked for the team as a kid, or just like to have a little fun, check out the league’s Facebook page and get in touch with Ford.

Here, Ford talks about how he got into kickball, what he loves most about it, and why the Central Valley is home to some of the best kickballers he’s ever played with.

Outdoor Workout: Pincushion Peak Trail

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Francesca
Fitness Blogger at FresYes
Francesca is a former NCAA Divison I tennis player who decided to become a fitness renaissance woman after college. In her free time she like to Crossfit, swim, run and bike, participate in Spartan races and do anything that requires her heart rate to spike way up.
She lives in Fresno with her husband and two Boston Terriers, Babushka and Bambino who like to run after soccer balls just like their dad.
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I work-out hard to stay in good shape and healthy. Monday thru Saturday I either swim with the Fresno Dolphins, I CrossFit at Certus CrossFit, I run with my husband or I do the DailyBurn.com when I am on the road for work. I also eat fairly healthy. I try to stay away from processed foods and added sugars and I also eat a lot of veggies and lean proteins.…………..Then Sundays come around and I UN-DO IT ALL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

We all need at least one weekly rest day to give our sore muscles a break, and a diet cheat day to keep our sanity (Just ask my husband what happens when I go without froyo for over a week…it ain’t pretty!), HOWEVER, there is a big difference between taking a rest day and GOING ON A MASSIVE COUCHING IT ALL DAY CAMPAIGN, CATCHING UP ON ALL REALITY TV RECORDED DURING THE WEEK, WHILE EATING EVERYTHING THAT IS IN SIGHT…day. The later tends to be me…most Sundays…whoops!

In order to break the cycle, hubby and I decided that Sundays should continue to be fun, sleep in, relaxed rest days, but not on the couch as per usual, but in nature. After all, we do live in the middle of a million of hiking trails, national parks, lakes, etc. so we might as well enjoy them as much as we can.

Pincushion Peak Trail
Last Sunday we chose Pincushion Peak Trail. I learned about this particular trail a couple of months ago after I saw an ad for the annual Pincushion Hill Climb race that San Joaquin Running organizes every year. It is a 1 mile uphill run that starts at the San Joaquin River Trail and ends at the top of Pincushion Mountain. I wanted to do it so badly this year! Running 1 mile all out, on a ridiculous steep hill sounded soooooooo amazingggggg!!!!! “Unfortunately” we were scheduled to be in India and Nepal in September when it was scheduled for, so I ended up trading the race for the Taj Mahal (not a bad trade really :D)..oh well, next year for sure!

Running up Pincushion Peak Trail
The plan was to grab Starbucks, drive to the bottom of the hill, hike up hike down, be done, feel good about ourselves and then go see the new James Bond movie in the most comfy movie theater seats ever (holler Maya Cinemas!). And that was pretty much what we did…we woke up around 8ish, left around 9, and made it to the bottom of the mountain around 10:30ish (we stopped at Starbucks!) and enjoyed a beautiful peaceful hike while getting 2 miles of exercise and enjoying some quality time together.

The view from Pincushion Peak
The trail goes uphill from the very beginning and it is definitely steep. The plan was not to kill ourselves (at least not this time around) so we ran up a bit, walked a bit, stopped some, took pictures and sat at the top for a while to enjoy the beautiful view of Lake Millerton. It was an awesome and beautiful hike and a good active rest day. This trail is perfect for everyone and for every fitness level: there were people power walking it, some youngsters ran all the way up, others were going up on mountain bikes and families enjoying the day. Besides, it is free!!! For me, Pincushion Peak lends itself for the perfect tabata workout:
• Sprint uphill for 30 seconds – walk/jog for 15…over and over and over till you reach the top 

 

The Pincushion Peak Trail

 

To get to the beginning of the trail: Take Friant Road towards Millerton Lake then turn left to Sky Harbor. Follow this road for about 6 miles and park by South Finegold Picnic Area Parking Lot. The trail starts right there.

I definitely want to go back and run the whole thing one day…just not on a Sunday 😀

FresYes: 14 Places to go this Spring!

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Natali Carrera
Natali Carrera is a devoted coffee addict who also loves her twelve-year-old son, husband of 17 years and bargain hunting at Target. She works in the field of education and is also a freelance writer and YouTube vlogger (as a hobby). She's been told "bubbly" is the best descriptor of her personality, though she wonders if what people really mean is that she talks too much. Natali is a lifelong Fresno resident and Fresno State grad.
Latest posts by Natali Carrera (see all)

Two weeks ago, I requested your help in compiling the most awesome of all lists of Central Valley Spring activities and sights, and you did not disappoint! I was so pleased with your suggestions and as a life-long Valley native, I was surprised by how many of the suggested places were completely new to me. I can’t wait to check them out!

Here are all of your wonderful suggestions, in no particular order (all with links to corresponding websites so you can easily obtain the additional details necessary to plan your own visits):

1. Take a leisurely, weekend drive or ride your bike along the Blossom Trail (this was an answer that many offered) or the Sugar Pine Trail in Clovis.

2. Enjoy the fun, excitement, food and music of the Clovis Rodeo (April 23-26 with weekend events leading up to the Rodeo) (Thanks for the tip Barbara Perry!)

3. Check out Boyden Cavern (this was a new one for me!) – FresYes reader Kristi Williquette says, “A must see is Boyden Cavern in Kings Canyon National Park! It’s about 20 minutes from Grant’s Grove and it’s gorgeous. I took my four kids in May (ages 6,7,13,14) of last year and they all loved it. You walk up a trail on the outside of the cave which overlooks a flowing river. You enter the cave and get a guided tour! It’s like a whole other world. The gift shop has ice cream and souvenirs (like the hard hats in my picture). There’s picnic tables outside if you want to eat at the river, but 5-10 minutes past the cave is a picnic site at the base of Grizzly Falls (a waterfall). Boyden Cavern is a family day trip that’s a must! It’s a gorgeous, relaxing, beautiful environment – a hidden gem in the Central Valley!”

Kristi Williquette

Photo credit Kristi Williquette

4. “Enjoy a Fresno Grizzlies game, especially opening night or one of the themed nights.” say both Lori Turner and Angel Rodriquez.

5. Angel also says, that though it’s not an exclusive-to-Spring activity, attending any outdoor event at ApCal winery is a great idea. Check out their events calendar here.

6. Readers Bre Yamaoaka and Erin Woods-Nelson suggests checking out the beautiful Forestiere Underground Gardens (and I would have to agree) though Erin notes it’s not stroller-friendly, so be aware of that when you plan your visit.

7. Lindsay Noorigian suggests hiking the Mist Trail in Yosemite and taking in the beauty of Vernal Falls, and Amanda Walton-Woods says that the San Joaquin River Gorge in Auberry is a great kid-friendly hike.

Amanda Walton-Wood

San Joaquin River Gorge Photo credit: Amanda Walton Wood

8. Mary Akina says to roll up your sleeves and find a service project to participate in! You can search for one to join at ServeFresno.org. (I bet they’d welcome your help year-round, too!)

9. Jennifer Rodriguez states the best place to enjoy Spring is at a kids’ baseball diamond! There are games taking place all over the Valley, FresYes encourages you to support your favorite little sluggers (and bring some peanuts and Cracker Jacks, too!)

10. Lisa Bath suggests looking around where ever you may be in the Valley for birds’ nest and sneaking a peek (or a pic!). Her family is enjoying watching birds near their home mature.

Lisa Bath

Photo credit Lisa Bath

11. Anna Marie Mott-Cruz tells of an awesome fishing and picnic area that can be found in Pine Flat just 5 miles from the dam. “The handicap fishing area has a nice area that we can fish and bbq, and has a small trail my daughter loves to run through. A couple weeks ago we went and everything was in blossom and green all around.” She also mentions feeding the fish at the hatchery in Friant is a favorite activity of her daughter’s as well. (Their Trout Fishing Fest is May 2nd, so mark your calendar!)

Anna Marie Mott Cruz

Pine Flat Handicap Fishing Area, Photo credit Anna Marie Mott Cruz

12. “My kids’ favorite spot lately has been down at the River Center off Friant Rd. There is a cute little trail that’s perfect for kids called “Hidden Homes Nature Trail”. It is a 1-mile trail that hikes around a little pond and shows the “hidden homes” of animals that can be found locally. It’s a great learning experience for the kids and a fun way to get outside and explore, even if you have little ones!” Jamie Chancellor shares.

13. Camping at Hume Lake and enjoying the nearby trails is a must-do for Megan Cantu and family.

14. Reader Tiffani offers two great ideas: “Take a short drive to Bravo Farms in Traver and watch cheese being made, visit the petting zoo, play mini-golf, or check out the shooting gallery! It’s a unique place to do something different. Or, ride the train to Hanford and walk over to enjoy ice cream from Superior Dairy. Yummmm.”

Stephanie Stoven seems to sum up the list, stating, “Being active, outdoors anywhere with your family” is a great plan and frankly, I’m going to have to agree. And, location-wise, this list gives you more than a dozen great options to choose from!

Contest winner: Thank you to everyone who contributed ideas for this fantastic list! (Special thanks to those of you who shared pictures as well!)     The winner of the $25 gift card to Bulldog Burger Bistro and FresYes T-Shirt is: Jamie Chancellor! Jamie – please email me your mailing address so we can get your prize out. Congratulations!!! 🙂