Who is Bump Diamond?
He's elusive, everyone knows that much. And we found one of his Vons lists recently. It had rice noodles, pad thai sauce, miso soup, bagged salad and Mammoth Brewing Co.'s Double Nut Brown.
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- The Vons Report (13)
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The News Archive
Wrapped Up In Chains
December 1, 2005
It's hard to imagine that anyone would miss chaining up, but there you go.I got through last year's epic winter in a Toyota Corolla, using chains practically the entire time. It got to the point where I could get them on in about three minutes.
All this is in light of the fact that it is snowing right now (Thursday morning) and there is a Winter Storm Warning in effect until Friday morning.
Walkin' The Walk In Mammoth
November 30, 2005
I’ve been dodging cars, trucks, SUVs and skateboards in Mammoth for so long now I hardly know what to think about the new crosswalks.They’re lighted, by God, meaning … what?
Not all of them, mind you. But the crosswalk on Main St. in front of the Post Office, the crosswalk across Main St. at Laurel Mountain and a coupla crosswalks across Meridian are all wired now, waiting for finishing touches before they’ll start working.
Sierra Centre Mall Re-Do Creates Hassle
November 23, 2005
On the surface, the makeover of the Sierra Centre mall is a good thing.
But while waiting for the faded, chipped red facing to be replaced, customers found themselves once again with parking difficulties.
Welcome Back, Everybody!
November 10, 2005
By Bump DiamondMan About Town A guy gets used to the shoulder season around here—no traffic, no lines anywhere for anything and, in fact, no people except local people who know each other. That all changes this...Mammoth To Skate Park Riders: "Not Yet!"
September 30, 2005
By Bump DiamondMan About Town That was some launch last weekend of the Volcom Brothers Skate Park, but town officials now say it might have been a leetle too successful. "It's important for users of the park...Whatup With "Indian Summer," Anyway?
September 28, 2005
By Bump DiamondMan About Town A couple of days ago, while waxing about fall weather, I asked where the term "Indian Summer" came from, and aren't we all happy that we have Wikipedia in our lives? Here's...Ski Area Main Lodge "Masterplan" Under Public Review
September 27, 2005
By Bump DiamondMan About Town Mammoth Mountain Ski Area has a large master plan for remaking the Main Lodge Area. All the ski area needs right now to make it a go are a few people poking around...Suddenly, It's Autumn In Mammoth
September 26, 2005
By Bump DiamondMan About Town That was one short summer, huh? No doubt there will be warm days ahead in the weirdly named Indian Summer (can someone please explain that to me?) and probably there will be...Hankel Tossed From Planning Commission; She Vows To Run For Council
September 22, 2005
By Brandon RussellSpecial to MammothBlog In a controversial decision that could determine the tone and substance of next year’s municipal elections, the Mammoth Town Council Wednesday night voted to oust local attorney Therese Hankel from the Planning Commission. ...A Freebie At Mono Lake, Schulman Grove
September 21, 2005
By Bump DiamondMan About Town If there is anybody out there who has not visited the Ancient Bristlecone Pine Forest because of something so inconsequential as fees, Saturday is the day you can bust on in to the...SKI: Mammoth Mountain Ranks No. 9
September 18, 2005
By Bump Diamond Man About Town All over town these days, people are holding nine fingers above their heads and chanting, "We're No. 9! We're No. 9" OK, so they're not, but it's not beyond the realm...Bears Eat Frosh Homework
September 16, 2005
By Nook LoganSpecial to MammothBlog In what has become a rite of autumn, bears are hassling the new crop of Mammoth University freshmen. According to MU security, four freshmen, calling themselves "The Four Freshmen," each complained in class...U of M To Get 1-A Status?
September 15, 2005
By Nook LoganSpecial to MammothBlog University of Mammoth football might hit the big-time in the next few years if Mushers head coach Ronald "Bigs" LaBlash succeeds in his current quest. "I've applied to the NCAA for Division...The Mountain Bike Championships At Canyon Lodge
September 14, 2005
By Bump DiamondMan About Town Veteran mountain bikers who maybe have taken one too many tumbles over the handlebars might be wandering around Main Lodge tomorrow, wondering just where in the heck are the 2005 USA Cycling Mountain...Finally, A Little Sense At Vons
September 12, 2005
By Bump DiamondMan About Town Just before I got outta Dodge for a little low-altitude attitude I dropped in at Vons to experience another slice of remodeling horror, but I didn't get it. The store is...Gusty, Mean Winds Hit High Sierra Fall Century
September 10, 2005
By Bump DiamondMan About Town So there was Dennis Phillips, cyclist extraordinaire, riding in a pack of Eastside Velo racers, when the peloton zoomed over Watterson Summit and began the long—and usually delicious—descent to Crowley Lake. But...Lazy Days In Mammoth
September 8, 2005
By Bump DiamondMan About Town Boy, things sure are quiet around town today, and it looks as if it's going to be quiet for a while. Even with up to 900 road cyclists coming to town for...Homeowners Win War With Sherwin Skiers, Boarders
September 8, 2005
By Brandon RussellSpecial To The Blog Skiers and snowboarders who park on the privately owned Ranch Road for access to the Sherwins took a blow Wednesday when the Mammoth Town Council voted to allow homeowners to erect a...Snow Is In The Forecast
September 8, 2005
By Bump DiamondMan About Town The National Weather Service has put the "S" word into its weekend weather advisories, suggesting the Sierra Nevada could get snow above 8,000 feet. That would put the snow line right about...Big (Bad) Weather On The Way
September 7, 2005
By Bump DiamondMan About Town The weather gods must have heard that the century cyclists are in town, because they're getting set to throw a little mean weather at Mammoth. Last year, during an autumn that was...Two Quakes Shake The Eastern Sierra
September 6, 2005
Two earthquakes, one of them measuring 3.4 on the Richter scale, shook up the Eastern Sierra Monday night and Tuesday morning. The U.S. Geological Survey described the first temblor, the 3.4, as a "minor quake." It happened...Hiking High On Yosemite's Mono Pass Trail
September 4, 2005
By Bump DiamondMan About Town Editor's Note: This article appeared in the September/October issue of Mammoth Monthly magazine. This is high country. Really high. The trailhead for the Mono Pass Trail in Yosemite National Park is at 9,690 feet. ...Feels Like A Million People Are Here
September 1, 2005
By Bump DiamondMan About Town I must be going nutso. The Town says Mammoth is going to be only 67 percent full this coming weekend, but I ain't buyin' it. Here it is, only Thursday, and Rite...Vons Is Getting Really Messy
August 31, 2005
By Bump DiamondMan About Town Everybody knew this re-model was going to be an ordeal, but clearly some shoppers at Vons are going out of their skulls trying to navigate through the store. Doesn't help that it's...That Was Some Wind, Hey?
August 30, 2005
Enough for the bashing around with the wind, huh? A low pressure system moving throughout he Pacific Northwest and Northern Nevada yesterday brought strong winds to Mammoth and to the areas nearby. Wind gusts in...2.1 Quake Shakes Mammoth
August 29, 2005
A 2.1 earthquake, a so-called "micro-quake," shook Mammoth at 10:59 a.m. today. The temblor was clearly felt throughout the town, and it was followed by a very short aftershock. Here's the deal (computer generated) from...Cheese On Aisle 4
August 29, 2005
By Bump DiamondMan About Town Lotsa locals are wandering around Vons this weekend looking a little bit like ducks that have been hit in the head with a mallet. It's starting to get to where nothing is...The Beer, Wine And Booze Have Moved
August 28, 2005
By Bump DiamondMan About Town Very disorienting stuff happening at Vons all week, but nothing like Friday and Saturday, when they moved the beer and the booze. This is all about the 10-week re-model of our only grocery...Fred Fisher of Earthjustice, RIP
August 27, 2005
This came in the other day, on the Earthjustice web site: Fred Fisher, a founder of Earthjustice, died of cancer on August 16, 2005. Our thoughts and prayers go out to his wife Susan, his sons Matt..."The Sheet" Drops Midweek Editions
August 27, 2005
"The Sheet," a bold experiment in daily journalism in Mammoth, has been scaled back into a weekly newspaper, according to publlisher Ted Carleton. "I could wax further about economies of scale and printing costs and increasing child...Felici Trio Names New Pianist
August 26, 2005
The Felici Trio named Wen-Ting Huang as its new pianist, the Trio said in a news release today. Wen-Ting, who won the National Excellence Award for Young Artistic Talents in Taiwan when she was 15, replaces Paullina...NORBA Comes To Town
Last Year For Mammoth?
August 24, 2005
Last year’s USA Cycling Mountain Bike National Championships were such a hit around here that NORBA, the National Off Road Bike Association, and Mammoth Mountain are going to do it again. This year, however, the venue is...Vons Pharmacy Aisles Take A Hit
August 23, 2005
By Bump DiamondMan About Town Just got back from Vons to see what's what with the big remodel, and there's a lot, that's what. I already covered, in my last post to The Vons Report, the disappearance...The Fall Century In a Blur
August 23, 2005
Mammoth’s High Sierra Fall Century bike ride, a beautiful 96-mile tour that tests the lungs and stamina of just about everybody who rides it, is just another day in the saddle for a group of East Siders who...Forget Me Dot: 3-Dot News
August 21, 2005
So Swall Meadows’ Tom Wallace broke his foot in a bike crash. One week later, his foot swollen and in a boot cast, he did the 129-mile Death Ride in Markleeville. … Good to see that cyclist and skier extraordinaire...A Windfall In Tax Revenue For Mammoth
August 20, 2005
Revenue from Mammoth’s transient occupancy tax jumped a remarkable 14.7 percent over a year ago, thanks mostly to a prodigious and record-setting October snowfall that caused an early start to the ski season. The town raked in...Snowcreek IV Homeowners In A Tizzy
August 19, 2005
By Bump DiamondMan About Town The Snowcreek IV Homeowners Association is up in arms over the loss of mountain views caused by new construction by Mammoth Lakes Housing, Inc. along Old Mammoth Road, according to a complaint filed...Sales Tax Hike Proposed (Again)
August 18, 2005
By Bump DiamondMan About Town Mammoth town council member Kirk Stapp, freaked out over requests for public dough and with the town having nowhere close to enough money to match them, last night again proposed to take a...We're 70 Percent Full This Weekend
August 18, 2005
Laurie Medov of the town's Tourism and Recreation Department, released figures today showing that Mammoth will be comfortably full this weekend. Her figures, released weekly, show: Friday night 8/19/05 - Saturday night 8/20/05 = 70% ...10 Weeks Of Nightmare At Vons
August 17, 2005
By Bump DiamondMan About Town The mayhem has begun at Vons, Mammoth's only supermarket. Over the next 10 weeks the store will be remodeled, according to store employees, who say the schedule—it is the height of the...More Moolah For Mammoth Housing
August 16, 2005
By George ShirkEditor, Mammoth Monthly Andrea Clark’s housing juggernaut continues on its awesome roll. Earlier this month, the director of Mammoth Lakes Housing, Inc. told the Town Council that her group was given $238,000 from the state...Barrett: 11 Sex Offenders Living In Mammoth
August 15, 2005
By George ShirkEditor, Mammoth Monthly There are 11 registered sex offenders currently living in Mammoth Lakes, Town Council member Tony Barrett said last week at a council meeting. Speaking during that part of the meeting reserved for council...New Monthlies On Street Today
August 15, 2005
By Bump DiamondMan About Town Hey the new Mammoth Monthlies are going to start appearing on the racks around town today so be on the lookout. On the cover is none other than Brian Knox, riding his...Why Mammoth Is So Weird
August 14, 2005
From Mammoth Monthly MagazineAugust 2005 Issue We’re now convinced that the adoption of a General Plan for Mammoth will not create consensus in our little town; it will merely mean that we have a plan on paper that...A Day At Mammoth's Ancient Lake
August 13, 2005
By George ShirkEditor, Mammoth Monthly We were standing on the shore of the old Long Valley Lake and trying to imagine a large body of water extending from the town of Crowley Lake all...Pitching 'Shoes With Bob Sollima
August 12, 2005
Bob Sollima’s time-honored horseshoe tournament is back, and for horseshoe pitchers like Big Rich and Linda Lockwood, that’s just about the best news they’ve had in a while. “It’s informal, but it’s the funnest tournament there is,”...Loading Up On Tourists
August 11, 2005
By Bump DiamondMan About Town By now everyone is familiar with Laurie Medov, from the town's tourism and recreation wing. Every week, like clockwork, she checks in with her media pals to tell us just how many tourists...Getting It Done At Sherwin's Folly
August 11, 2005
Jill Orozco, who with her husband Ron are the brains and brawn behind Sherwin’s Folly, isn’t the type of person to sit around and complain that Mammoth can’t draw big-time rock and pop music artists just because we...What's What At The Millpond Festival
August 4, 2005
It was barely summer and we were already talking about the fall, which was OK if the fall includes the Millpond Music Festival in Bishop. Last fall, the three-day festival, which this year goes...Andrea Lawrence's Big Dream
July 21, 2005
Andrea Mead Lawrence doesn’t do things halfway. The Olympic gold medalist’s Andrea Lawrence Institute for Mountains and Rivers (ALIMAR, www.alimar.org), founded in 2003, aims for a cohesive vision for the Eastern Sierra that integrates environmental values with economic...Road Cyclists of Mammoth, Rejoice!
July 14, 2005
By Bump DiamondMan About Town Road cyclists of Mammoth, give thanks! Starting July 18, and continuing for approximately two months, an engineering road survey crew will be working along the Mammoth Scenic (Escape) Road, between State Highway...New Skate Park Nearly Doubles In Size
July 13, 2005
By Bump DiamondMan About Town The Volcom Brothers Skate Park, currently under construction in the Trails neighborhood of Mammoth, has grown from a 22,000 sq. ft, single-bowl skate park into a 42,000-sq. ft., double-bowl facility, Park director Jane...Inyo National Forest Axes 42 Jobs Here
July 11, 2005
By Bump DiamondMan About Town A river of blood is running through the Inyo National Forest as the feds brought down the axe on 42 positions last week. In a move called a “reorganization,” the Inyo National...Mammoth Housing Is Mod, Man
July 11, 2005
By Bump DiamondMan About Town The pieces that will determine much of the future look of Mammoth’s housing arrived on flatbed trucks in early July. The trucks were headed for Old Mammoth Road near the Snowcreek...25 Of 80 Miles Open At Bike Park
July 8, 2005
By Bump DiamondMan About Town Here is a picture of the face of the Mammoth Mountain Bike Park, and you don’t have to feel like a dumbkopf for asking the question: That’s a bike park? ----------------------> ...We're At 41 Percent. All Week. 65 Percent for Jazz Jubilee.
July 7, 2005
By Bump DiamondMan About Town How often, statistically speaking, do you suppose that the weekend visitor occupancy rate is exactly the same as the projected weekday occpancy rate? I'm saying it happens precisely once in a blue...Tough Summer For the Critters
July 7, 2005
Our pal and colleague Andy Selters happened to be up along Rock Creek near the pack station on the day of the last really big snow of the season. That was May 9—the day that Mammoth Mountain Ski...For Mammoth's Airport, It's About Las Vegas
July 6, 2005
By Bump DiamondMan About Town For some time, all we ever heard was that Mammoth Mountain Ski Area wanted air service that would bring midweek skiers traveling from hub cities Chicago and Dalla Insiders at the ski...It's Goddam Buggy Up Here
July 5, 2005
By Bump DiamondMan About Town People bump into me on the streets, and they want to know what it's like up in the high country these days, coming off the epic winter and all that. Here's what...About That Village Ghost
June 27, 2005
By Bump DiamondMan About Town Suddenly, we have an urban legend at the Village, which at just two years of age is almost too young to have one. It has come to be known as “The Village Ghost,”...The Mammoth Mountain Sale
June 26, 2005
Bump DiamondMan About Town If all goes according to plan, the buyer of ski area founder Dave McCoy’s share of Mammoth Mountain will be announced soon, and the deal will be done by late August. Last week, Rusty...Flower Power
June 24, 2005
By Bump DiamondMan About Town One of the many things Mammothists and other Eastsiders do is try to predict when and where the summer wildflowers will be in the high mountains. Heaven knows it’s a short window, particularly...Bike Park Open Saturday, June 25
June 23, 2005
By Bump DiamondMan About Town The Mammoth Mountain Bike Park is going to open Saturday, although it ain't going to exactly test the high-altitude set. In fact, anybody riding up on the hill Saturday is likely to...Tioga Pass To Open Friday, But It's A Mess
June 22, 2005
By Bump DiamondMan About Town Tioga Pass will open Friday at 8 a.m., Yosemite National Park officials said today, but five high-country camps will remain closed all season because of the winter snows. Other campgrounds along the...Vons Is Paved Over, Creating Agitation
June 22, 2005
By Lyin' Judy Bridger Now this is what we call a crisis day. Black Gold Asphalt showed up at Vons yesterday and bollixed up the whole neighborhood, and that ain’t no lie. It's likely to happen again...We're For The Birds
June 20, 2005
By Bump DiamondMan About Town Hey there sure are a lot of bird-brains around here. And there are a lot of birds, too. Fifty-two members of the Eastern Sierra Audubon Society counted 209 species in Inyo County...Free Ride Over At Reds Meadow, Devils Postpile
June 19, 2005
By Bump DiamondMan About Town We know that smug look. It’s the look of people who last year used a variety of different passes to get to Reds Meadow and Devils Postpile National Monument without having to...June 29 for Reds Meadow
June 18, 2005
By Bump DiamondMan About Town It ain’t just Tioga Pass that we’re pondering. The road to Reds Meadow looked to be packed in with snow as late as this afternoon. Looking up from the Main Lodge, it’s...Waitin’ In Line at Roberto’s
June 18, 2005
By Bump DiamondMan About Town It is no longer possible to make left turns while blindfolded around here, and the line at Roberto's is getting longer all the time. Apparently spurred on by the Mammoth Motocross, coupled with...A Mighty Wind On The Mammoth Trolley
June 17, 2005
By Bump DiamondMan About Town Jimmy