The area around Big Break Regional Shoreline, just east of Antioch on the San Joaquin River, looks to have been a very busy place in the past — rusted machine parts and abandoned boats lie scattered about, faint reminders of days gone by. Nowadays, this part of the shore has been dedicated to restoration and preservation of habitat that welcomes […]
I had never heard the story of the Solano Train Ferry until I watched this episode of California’s Gold from 2006. But I’ve traveled several times along the train tracks on the south shore of the Carquinez Strait and passed by the site of Port Costa, and I’ve always wondered about the many wooden pilings left standing in the water […]
I’m posting this a day late, but it’s such a great episode I couldn’t wait to share it. California State Parks come in so many different sizes and shapes and with such diverse back stories. In this episode from 2008, Huell visited two up-and-coming parks in Northern California’s Bay Area that have since been opened to the public. At the […]
This week I’m taking a break from the Golden Parks to take a look at another series that Huell produced: California Communities. In this episode he visits Ford Point in Richmond, and the former Ford factory in particular. This amazing and enormous building has been listed on the National Register of Historic Places since 1988. Once abandoned and on the […]
In yesterday’s post Huell visited the Black Diamond Mines Regional Preserve. I recently came across these images shot by my mom during the spring of 1982. She was visiting the area with her anthropology class to observe the work of archeology students. I admit I feel respect for archeologists because I would never have the patience to stick with such […]
In California you just never know where you might stumble upon some historic site, and the Black Diamond Mines Regional Preserve in Contra Costa County is a great example of that. This 500-acre park has transformed from an mining hub in the 1800s to a ranching area and finally to a beautiful nature spot full of both native and imported trees, multi-use trails, and views of nearby Mount Diablo. I had never heard of this park until today, but now I’ve added it to my list of places to visit in the future. Huell travels to the Black Diamond Mines Regional Preserve in the East Bay. It was once a thriving coal and sand mining area, and is now a great place to bike and hike while taking in the beautiful landscape filled with blue oaks, manzanitas and carpets of springtime flowers. Huell stops by the Underground Mining Museum and also hikes to the remains of the mines. (Click on the linked image below to see the video.)