The Same Old People and a large number of attendees were happy to be “Together Again” at the 47th annual North Country Fair at the Arcata Plaza on Saturday and Sunday after a two-year pandemic delay. The two-day celebration of the Fall equinox, diversity and community featured the All Species Parade on Saturday and the […]
Get Out
Posted inLife + Outdoors
A Day’s Drive to 10 Beautiful Places
My wife, Louisa Rogers, and I offer what has become a popular class through the Osher Lifelong Learning Institute (OLLI), Cal Poly Humboldt’s continuing education program for learners aged 50 and better. It’s so popular that our recommendations for “destinations that lie easily within a day’s drive” have made it into print, right here. (Note: […]
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Along the Historic Yurok Loop
No matter how many times I walk along the Yurok Loop, I never tire of it. Whether sunlight dapples the forest path or the leaves glisten from mist, it makes no difference; just seeing the little wooden bridge at the start of the trail makes my heart leap. The Yurok Loop is a 1 ¼-mile […]
Posted inLife + Outdoors
The Chase
To “chase” in birding is to drop what you’re doing and look for a bird that’s been reported, usually a rarity of some sort. The majority of chases, at least for me, end in abject failure — birds have wings, after all, and hardly ever sit around waiting for throngs of admirers to show up […]
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Rising up at the Klamath Salmon Festival
The 58th annual Klamath Salmon Festival got underway on the morning of Saturday, Aug. 20, after a two-year pandemic break. The usual Fogust low clouds soon cleared and, thankfully, the only smoke in the air was coming from the salmon barbecue pit — no wildfire smoke blew in from the nearby inland fires. The Yurok […]
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Claiming Races and Maidens
Cindy Olsen-Bugenig doesn’t count on how many horses are coming to the races at the Humboldt County Fair until she “can see the whites of their eyes crossing Fernbridge.” Olsen-Bugenig, herself a racing horse owner and breeder since 1979, is the vice-president of the Humboldt County Fair Association and chair of its Racing Committee. The […]
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Otterly Advice
After witnessing one of her own mowed down by a car in April, a local river otter asked me to share her advice to otter spotters and others on visiting wetlands, lagoons and rivers. Here’s what she had to say. Start early and notice the ducks. We’re hungry all the time but especially first thing in […]
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Earbirding Humboldt
Summer in Humboldt is the perfect time for family vacations, trips to the beach or river, exploring the farmers markets and seeing the sights from atop a Ferris wheel. But for bird enthusiasts, it’s slim pickings. The spring migrants have flown the coop and most of the local residents are keeping a low profile while […]
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Wet and Wild on Woodley
Oh, how I love paddling on Humboldt Bay. When the tide is right, I might visit Indian Slough, where the narrow wandering passageways remind me of tiny lanes I’ve cycled in Wales, my husband Barry’s homeland. In spring, I spot nesting egrets clustered high in the cypresses and schools of sandpipers resting on the mud […]
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Humboldt Ladies MTB Pedals Among the Pines
Sure, it’s “just” a weekly mountain bike ride. Like many groups formed around a common interest and shared challenges, this weekly gathering of women mountain bikers has morphed into a unique community. For years now, every Monday evening, a group of women abscond to the woods on bicycles. On inky dark winter nights, when you […]
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Losing Their Marbles
The month of July just got a lot more colorful. The World’s Biggest Marble Hunt is guaranteed to bring people from all over to find hidden blown glass marbles throughout Humboldt County. They’re exquisite work of art you can hold in the palm of your hand and hunting them may become your favorite summer activity. […]
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Traditional Ecological Knowledge and Saving the Humboldt Marten
The Humboldt marten is about the size of a 4-month-old human baby and adorable, with small, round ears, a fluffy tail and a button nose. Don’t let these looks fool you. This member of the weasel family is a voracious predator that fights hard for a spot in the animal kingdom, taking down large rodents […]