Salmon Mountain is situated on the borders of Humboldt and Siskiyou counties, a stone’s throw away from the triple point with Trinity County. At 6,960 feet, its highest point lies within Humboldt’s borders. It is a force to be reckoned with and covered in snow most of the year. Its almost alpine environment throws a […]
Get Out
Posted inLife + Outdoors
In the Wind on Humboldt Bay
What do you do for fun outside in this era of physical distancing when the wind is blasting? For 77-year-old Peter Portugal and his 40-year-old son Bohdi, the best answer is to don wet suits and go windsurfing in Humboldt Bay. Bohdi lives in Nicaragua eight months out of the year teaching windsurfing to tourists […]
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Joyful Moving
Every year, between the end of December and early January, I read a fair number of articles focused on health and wellness. My favorite this season was: “How to Be Healthy, in Just 48 Words” in The New York Times by Yoni Freedhoff, associate professor of family medicine at the University of Ottawa. The seven […]
Posted inLife + Outdoors
King Peak
Heading south on U.S. Highway 101, I came around a bend of highway meandering along the Eel River where it slithers its way around one avenue of Redwoods after the next. After being engulfed in the tall canopy of the trees, a clearing suddenly showed fresh snow topping the mountain ridges above 3,000 feet. My […]
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Panic Room
The immediate appeal of an escape room is the allure of a real-time, interactive game. It’s the closest I can get to a holodeck without investing some real dough in a virtual reality rig. As immersive virtual gaming becomes more ubiquitous, the brick-and-mortar entertainment industry has to up its game to get you to leave […]
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For the Glory and All the Marbles
Every Memorial Day weekend, sculptures come to life with the beating hearts of those furiously pedaling and rowing inside them. With a 50-mile course around Humboldt County, one would assume the teams are training day and night to make the trek, but that’s not the case for all teams. For teams with members nearly as […]
Posted inLife + Outdoors
So, You’re Bike Curious?
Have you always wanted to ride but don’t know anyone who else who does? I hear it all the time when I tell women I ride. It makes me want to grab them by the shoulders and yell, “You can do this!” Every day I ride, the bigger my passion for motorcycles becomes and the […]
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The Spear Fishing Huntress
Brandi Easter is a tallish, strong woman with shades of mermaid-green hair hiding along her shoulders. As most competitive spearfishers do, she has a day job. She’s a commercial photographer. On the table in her studio where we met was a bevy of Lacey’s Cookies, her latest project. She’s been sprinting around all week trying […]
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The Phoenix Approach
It’s a bummer: My body at 67 is not what it was at 20, 30 or even 40. I’ve had to give up five or six physical activities, and each time I let go, adapting to the new reality is bittersweet. For instance, I started jogging in college and ran consistently into my early 60s, […]
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Exploring the Historic Sinkyone Wilderness
The first thing I see upon waking is a female elk poking her head into our open van door, a few inches from my husband Barry’s face. I blink. Is this real? The elk wanders off and Barry starts to laugh. “What’s the protocol when a lady elk approaches you?” he asks. We have just […]
Posted inLife + Outdoors
Biking the Humboldt Bay Trail
I used to ride my bike from Eureka to Arcata and back a couple times a week but since I no longer have a regular date in Arcata, I haven’t had a chance to test the new Humboldt Bay Trail along the U.S. Highway 101 corridor. Now with this NCJ assignment, I have just the […]