Here’s an episode of California’s Golden Parks that I stumbled upon quite by accident; Huell pays a visit to the Paramount Ranch and learns that its rich history includes much more than just serving as a nature preserve or a film set. Sadly, the site was seriously damaged by a wildfire in November 2018, which makes this 2010 episode all […]
I was truly amazed when I came across this episode of California’s Golden Parks because I’ve seen the Peace Statue many times from afar and had no idea of its significance. I had always imagined it was merely part of the nearby Timber Cove Lodge. It turns out I wasn’t completely wrong, but there’s so much more to the story […]
I had a completely different episode in mind to share this week, but the story of Cuyamaca Rancho State Park caught my eye — especially since I just spent a couple of days walking through burned oak woodland on Sacramento Bar (as discussed here). On October 28, 2003, the Cedar Fire roared through more than 90 percent of this state […]
When I visited Alcatraz last week, I wasn’t especially interested in seeing the cell house to which most of my fellow tourists made a beeline. Instead, I looked for the remnants of the earlier fort and for the gardens Huell featured in this episode of California’s Golden Parks. This episode aired 11 years ago, in 2007, so it was really […]
This week I’m continuing my John Muir birthday celebration. In this episode of California’s Golden Parks, Huell visits the Muir house and property in Martinez, California. Huell tours the the Victorian residence in Martinez where the naturalist John Muir lived from 1890 to his death in 1914, and meets the special folks who are responsible for preserving this important site. […]
In California we’re lucky to have not only magnificent Sequoia sempervirens (coast redwood) but also the Yucca brevifolia, a desert survivor that inspired the Mormon settlers of the 1800s to name them after the Biblical Joshua. I’m familiar with the Joshua tree mostly from the U2 album of the same name (released in 1987), and I have to admit I’ve […]
Humboldt Bay is one of the most beautiful parts of Northern California with its huge coastal redwoods and rocky shore. In this episode of California’s Golden Parks, Huell visits Fort Humbold State Historic Park, established in 1963, and learns some of the area’s darker side in the small museum dedicated to sharing the stories of conflict between the incoming settlers and […]
So much has been written about the tragic fate of the Donner Party; there’s no shortage of opinions about what led to this group of pioneers becoming trapped in the snow-packed California Sierras during the winter of 1846-47 and what they did or did not do in order to survive. But there’s nothing quite like visiting the site of these events […]
California’s giant redwoods are a treasure — beautiful and amazing in so many ways. We can be grateful to the historic Semper Virens Club for their determination and vision in preserving the coastal redwoods in this area of Santa Cruz County… and in the process providing a basis for the state park system in California. Huell has a great time […]