More than 70 percent of the planet is covered in oceanwater, minimally organized by celestial forces that rhythmically deliver waves, ranging from romantic to cataclysmic. Across the world, roughly 20 million people take pleasure in surfing these waves wherever saltwater meets the shore. For those with their feet on dry land, it’s an enviable hobby. […]
Stories
Posted inStories
Bout That Time
The lights dim and the crowd cheers. A line of skaters roll out as a voice ricochets through the arena, announcing their names. Wheels screech and we take our places on the track. Soon we will go head-to-head with the opposing team. It will get physical because this is roller derby. And it will get […]
Posted inStories
Curating Self, Refashioning Tradition
The video “Dragging/Undragging” unfolds on a split screen. On the left, a person turns from the camera. The T-shirt comes off and a breast-flattening compression shirt goes on; next comes makeup and a comb to tease up a tall pompadour. Humboldt artist Brittany Britton becomes Jules, a West Coast drag king. At the same time, screen […]
Posted inStories
The Sweet Life
As a wildlife student at Humboldt State, Berit Meyer often snuck away to the library where she spent hours thumbing through old recipes and cookbooks. After graduating in 1981, a family friend gifted her a beautiful book on gourmet chocolate desserts — how did they know? she wondered. Thirty-seven years later, Meyer is still baking […]
Posted inStories
A Humboldt Hike Worth the Drive
Fall is a beautiful time to put on a few layers and explore Humboldt County. One must-see hike is the Lady Bird Johnson Grove Nature Walk Trail loop, which lies just 4 miles north of Orick. To get there heading north, take the first right turn outside of town onto Bald Hills Road. Continue for […]
Posted inStories
International Films, Humboldt Roots
The historic 1907 house, a few blocks from the Arcata Plaza, glows from its recent restoration. Sparse furnishings. No kitsch. Little evidence of the teen and 5 year old who live and do cartwheels there — or the additional two kids at last night’s slumber party. Humboldt-based screenwriter/director of The Wine of Summer (2013) Maria […]
Posted inStories
Kayaks & Crab
Gill’s By the Bay perches on the edge of the water, nestled between the seawall and the canals that form the community of King Salmon. Since 1990, the Gill family has been operating a popular restaurant here, catering to hungry fishermen and beachcombers. Many are lured from the exploration of tide pools or the tying […]
Posted inStories
Deco Redux
It was another one of those gilded ages, when Americans were lifting themselves out of economic depression and getting on with prosperity and excess. In 1939 Streamline Art Moderne designers rolled out the art deco New York World’s Fair, the aerodynamic GM Futurliner and the soaring rounded towers of Emerald City in The Wizard of […]
Posted inStories
Shipwrecks, Rivers and Railroads
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 […]
Posted inStories
Many Hats (and Roller Skates)
From government to the environment to music and the military in Humboldt, Natalie Arroyo has her foot in it or on it — figuratively and literally. One place that has special significance to her is the Eureka Waterfront Trail, the newly completed 6.3-mile contiguous trail that runs north from Herrick Avenue to Tydd Street. “Since […]
Posted inStories
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 […]
Posted inStories
Attack of the Monster Women
A few minutes into the 2006 Humboldt County music documentary Rural Rock & Roll, The Monster Women’s guitarist and vocalist Courtney Jaxon describes our little slice of heaven. “There’s something strange and magical about this whole place,” she says. “It’s like we’re in the middle of some weird forest where things are different.” A bit […]