Picnicking is an old-timey pleasure that never goes out of fashion. Perhaps that’s because enjoying a meal upon a cheerful blanket is a must-have image in any couple’s romantic montage. Picnics also appeal in the later stages of the relationship, when the new parents discover the exhaustion of wrangling children into restaurant booths. Not that […]
Adventure
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Follow the Beat
On any given night, you can follow the sound of music and find yourself a good time in Arcata’s bars, restaurants, clubs and on sidewalks. Here are five rock-solid places to let the sound of local and visiting acts move you. The John Van Duzer Theatre on the Humboldt State University campus is the closest […]
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Bar by Bar
They’re both comprised of different sized slats to strike to produce playful melodies. But the marimba, with its double row of wooden bars and metal resonator tubes below, is a far cry from the tinny, rainbow-colored toy you remember from grade school. Instead, it yields a warm, natural resonance like that of an acoustic guitar. […]
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Jewels of Humboldt
Slow down and look around. Humboldt County is a coastal treasure trove of historic buildings and cultural landscapes. Our architecture sheds light on the history of the redwood timber industry and the people who immigrated and traveled the routes of the earliest indigenous tribes, shaping the county into what you see today. Here are a […]
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Old Time Revival
Jenny Metz first walked into the ballroom of the Eagle House while scoping venues for her children’s theater group. Captivated by the history, architectural quirks and vast potential, she came home and told her husband, “We should buy it.” Two years later, destiny had its way — the Eagle House, operated as a hotel since […]
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A Trip Back in Time
Sixty-five million years ago the Earth changed dramatically when a giant asteroid struck. A mass extinction ensued with dinosaurs disappearing as the planet warmed. Before the asteroid, conifers, like dinosaurs, ruled. Almost unimaginable forests of cone-bearing trees decorated the Earth with as many as 20,000 species, including nine different redwoods. With the global warming that […]
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Art on the Move
No event epitomizes Humboldt County like the Kinetic Grand Championship, where the quirky and clever come out for a good time Memorial Day weekend. It’s a three-day, art sculpture/crazy contraption race that’s a blast for both race participants and spectators. Onlookers delight in the elaborate, human-powered sculptures that maneuver over a treacherous 50-mile course on […]
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Fiberglass, Rubber & Adrenaline
Humboldt winter brings dark mornings with chilly temperatures, ferocious winds, eerie skies and rainy predictions. For some, the winds are reassuring. They mean a storm is brewing — one that has traveled thousands of miles to greet our shores with waves. While everyone else is hunkered down with a hot beverage, watching movies or staring […]
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Forest for the Fungi
Last fall about this time I found myself salivating over social media posts of wild mushroom harvests here on the North Coast. About the only thing I knew about wild mushrooms was that they are delicious and to take extra money to the farmers market when they’re in season. I have a healthy fear (OK, […]
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Blazing Trails
The bed of the black pick-up truck is loaded with mountain bikes. Front wheels draped over the tailgate, back wheels buried in helmets, shoes and riding gear. The riders load into the cab and head up Fickle Hill to start their day. The group is eager to push their limits and enjoy a fun day […]
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Moto Tours
Motorcycling through the towering redwood groves of Humboldt County is a trip like no other on earth. “We have the majestic trees, the mountains, the rivers and the coastline. And, a relaxed pace of life here that’s hard to find anywhere else,” says Vince Campbell, president of the United Bikers of Northern California, a nonprofit […]
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Hot Streak
Feeling lucky? Home to four casinos, each with unique style, our neck of the North Coast has all your gaming fronts covered. Why not hit ’em all in one day? We did. That’s right, grab your lucky socks, steel your poker face and get ready for an 80-mile marathon day of card-turning, dice-throwing, primo food-eating, […]