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, […]
Stories
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Tolowa Dancers
Shawgeylut “Sis” Coney, of the Tolowa tribe, Alison Osceola and Vivian McCovey, who are both Yurok, dressed in traditional regalia for a demonstration of the Tolowa Feather Dance, or Nay-dosh, at the Bear River Rancheria in September. The dance, traditionally performed near the winter solstice, gives thanks for food sources, ancestors, children and creation. According […]
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Back to the Blueprints
The Benbow Historic Inn, a circa 1926 landmark on the Redwood Highway in Southern Humboldt County, is kicking off an ambitious expansion this summer, one that will draw creatively on its past and complete the original plans of its designers. Over its 90 years, the Tudor-style luxury inn has hosted the likes of Clark Gable, […]
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Home Track
“Here you go, darlin.” The waitress sets a BLT and fries in front of Rod Kausen and returns to the kitchen for a bottle of ketchup. Bacon hangs lackadaisically from neat bread triangles. “You don’t mind if I eat?” Kausen asks. We’re meeting on what Kausen calls his “busy day off.” He wears a lot […]
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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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The Pink Lady
Perched daintily on the corner across from the Carson Mansion is the Pink Lady, a classic Queen Anne Victorian built as a wedding gift from William Carson to his eldest son Milton. (202 M St, Eureka) The Lady feels like the dark green, iron-gated mansion’s flirtatious kid sister, surrounded by a white wooden fence with […]
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Grand Dame
Joan Schirle leaves her shoes at the door of the classroom and travels across the airy, cool studio in a pair of black sweatpants. Her MFA students are settled along the east wall. The sun shines on their backs through the tall windows of the 100-year-old building. Schirle situates herself in the center of the […]
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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, […]
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Hearth Warming
At Carter House Inn, a welcoming wood fire in the main lobby is lit mornings and evenings nearly year round. Starting at 5 pm, you can sink into leather chairs and sofas with a starter or dessert and a glass of wine from Restaurant 301’s award-winning cellar stocked with 3,400 bottles. You could also order […]
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The Old Steeple
Paul Beatie was standing in the kitchen when his life took a dramatic turn. “I was making coffee and my wife was on the computer in the other room, and she starts swearing, [yelling], “You’ve gotta come see this! The church is for sale!” The 115-year-old building came with a permit for live concerts, so […]
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Gardens & Gumshoes
Amy Stewart stands at her purple front door with the neighbor’s cat in her arms. The flowers alongside the entry seem unable to contain themselves and rocket toward a cloudless sky. Stewart, author of seven books, (four are New York Times bestsellers), makes her home in a yellow Victorian on a quiet street in downtown […]