“You’ll want to hang on for dear life,” Sara Borok says, handing me a helmet. “It’s going to be a bumpy ride.” We’re going on a training run with the Northern Humboldt Sled Dog Team. Borok, a local dog trainer and canine fanatic, says mushing must be in her DNA, and admits that as a […]
Get Out
Posted inLife + Outdoors
Kayak Picnic
Getting on the water in a kayak rewards the adventurous with golden-ticket access to the beaches and hidden estuaries of Humboldt County. Paddling across the glassy sheen of Stone Lagoon trailing a bottle of sauvignon blanc (chilled en route) may sound like hipster lore, but the following excursions promise exactly such solace. And ’tis the […]
Posted inLife + Outdoors
The Best Medicine
I was not in a light mood the damp Monday afternoon when I headed over to the Om Shala Yoga Center in Arcata to attend my first laughter yoga session. It was two days after the Paris attacks, and the troubles of the world, not to mention my own private worries, hovered over me. That […]
Posted inLife + Outdoors
Cray Cray
Crayfish, mud bugs, swamp lobsters or crawdads — call them what you like; these little crustaceans are as delicious as they are abundant in freshwater along the North Coast. I look forward to every autumn and winter for the abundance of fungi, wild greens, shellfish, and yes, a seasonally strong and impressively sustainable sweet swamp […]
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Fortuna on Ice
Nobody here wants to get out of bed. It’s an entirely reasonable approach to the rain, the wind, the dark and the looming holiday stress. Well, listen up, fellow blanket dwellers. The good people of Fortuna have given us reason to emerge from our soft furnishings: ice skating. Stormy out? No problem. The rink is […]
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Night Riders
Remember when you were 10, riding by yourself to the corner store for the first time? How about when you and your Saturday crew would go soaring down dirt roads, chasing around cemeteries and barns? Or that 2 a.m. sneak-out to meet up with eighth grade band pals? It was your bike — those two […]
Posted inLife + Outdoors
The Reluctant Cyclist
Part 6 Number of miles ridden: 7.5 Number of times feared for life: 1 Number of times stopped to admire the beauty: 2 Number of unicycles shared an intersection with: 1 Look, I’ve missed it, okay? And people have started asking me, “Hey, did you ride your bike today?” Guilt colors my voice every time […]
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The Reluctant Cyclist
Number of miles ridden: 21 Time traveled: 2 hours, 5 minutes, 31 seconds Number of times scolded for not wearing helmet: 1 (it worked) Number of times actively feared for life: 3 With my bike fixed and my work once again based in Arcata, I was ready to give the bike commute another go. The […]
Posted inLife + Outdoors
The Reluctant Cyclist
Number of miles ridden: 8.6 Time traveled: 46:37 minutes (This included a stop at the Co-op during which I left Strava app on. Oops.) Number of stop signs deliberately blown through (clear view of no cars! Momentum! Some guilt!): 1 Number of times actively feared for life: 1 This was the kind of morning that […]
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The Reluctant Cyclist
Part 2 Number of miles ridden: 31.2 (roundtrip) Time traveled: 2 hours: 57 minutes Number of Confederate flags sighted: 3 Number of times actively feared for life: 0 This wasn’t a work commute, but a “fun” ride to the Humboldt County Cornhole Association’s annual tournament. I mention it to show that a) I am not […]
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Miles Away
A short hike in Ferndale’s Russ Park with a walking group aroused my curiosity about the paths we didn’t take, so I returned to explore. At the parking area along Bluff Street, less than a mile from town, an unseen congregation of birds sings in the trees and the trail immediately welcomes the hiker into […]
Posted inLife + Outdoors
Summer of Baby Love
Last summer was beautiful. I know because I watched each warm, blue-skyed day from the couch in my living room. I have lovely French doors in my living room that open up onto my lovely backyard. On beautiful summer days, hummingbirds visit my jasmine vines and I can catch a glimpse of the bay if […]