I was almost sorry to be heading to Point Reyes with little time to spare, because there were so many places along Highway 1 in Marin County where I would have loved to pull over and admire the scenery. Although I can just barely remember some trips to Dillon Beach (just across from Tomales Point, at the mouth of the […]
This half-hour episode sees Huell visiting the community of Winters in Yolo County for yet another of his many series, this one called California Communities. I’ve passed through Winters via Highway 128 a number of times, on the way to Lake Berryessa, but I must confess I’ve never stopped to really see what the town is all about. It does […]
I’m still trying to find the words to express my feelings after taking a drive last Tuesday up to the west shore of Lake Almanor in Plumas County. Maybe I should have been more prepared for what I saw — the effects of the Dixie Fire, which burned nearly 1 million acres over five California counties from July through October […]
I’ve probably said this before, but my favorite feature of Google Photos is the highlights from previous years. Sometimes I’ll get a pleasant surprise when I see a picture I’ve completely forgotten about from a year ago, or three, five or even more. This time of year without fail I start contemplating ways to escape the valley heat — even […]
I’m not too sure about blaming the sea otters for the disappearance of the famous Pismo Beach clams — but the good news is that the clams seem to be making a comeback these days! While the truly big specimens have yet to be found, the population is now being carefully monitored, and hopefully will continue to thrive in the […]
Cool memories of the ocean on yet another hot summer day in the Sacramento Valley.
Sadly, the friendly folks (and their pets) who guided Huell during his visit back in 2004 are no longer around; and although the Masonic Caves are still there, they are certainly not the huge tourist attraction that other nearby caves are, like the nearby Black Chasm Cavern National Landmark or, a bit further south, California Cavern State Historic Landmark, not to mention the Mercer Caverns near Murphys. These smaller caves just outside of the town of Volcano are quite easy to miss. But this episode is a perfect example of the sort of “serendipity adventure” that makes Huell’s shows so much fun to watch. I especially love the way the cat and the dog tag along during the tour! Huell’s off to Amador county and the town of Volcano. It was once a thriving, gold mining town in the 1850s and 1860s, but Huell has set off to discover the mysterious cave in this mountain community which served as a Masonic lodge. (Click on the linked image below to see the video.)
Just a short drive north of Jug Handle State Reserve on Highway 1 we managed to stumble across an amazing little spot that felt like a local secret. Aside from a small gravel parking area and an open spot in the fence, there wasn’t much to indicate coastal access, and we weren’t sure what to expect when we stopped to […]
I really wasn’t very happy, during our trip to the coast last May, to discover that I was going to have to spend one of my precious days to make a 4-hour round-trip drive over to Santa Rosa. It was my own fault, of course; I forgot to pack an essential item, and Santa Rosa was the closest place I […]