In just two months, the Big Lagoon Rancheria may finally throw in its cards on a big hotel-casino project it has proposed to build in Barstow, in tandem with the Los Coyotes Band of Cahuilla and Cupeno Indians of San Diego County. The tribes’ gaming compacts, signed by Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger in 2005, would allow […]
Life + Outdoors
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Desert machinations
In keeping with a long-standing ethic — eschewing corporate branding and rank commercialism — espoused by promoters of a gigantically weird art and communal living experiment/festival in Nevada’s Black Rock Desert, this report will be rather vague. We can tell you who: Shaye Harty and her cohort of like-minded non-profiteers who this spring took over […]
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The high Alps — Notes from a climb up to Big Caribou Lake
A long, difficult hike in — but well worth the effort. Photo by Bret Bosma. A few hours drive away from the fog and traffic noise of Eureka, hikers and backpackers huff their way up hundreds of feet to escape the trappings of everyday life. They come to explore untouched wilderness with a guarantee to […]
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Let them get stung! Plus: Herbs and herbicides, marital discord resolved
Judging from the tone of your e-mails, you people are busy this summer. I’ve had a flurry of questions from people who are undertaking some large, impressive garden project or another. If you’ve got questions about your garden, send them to me, and at some point in the not too distant future you might open […]
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Lady Bird
The passing of Lady Bird Johnson, the widow of President Lyndon B. Johnson, has garnered much press in the past week. A passionate conservationist and beautifier of America’s highways, Mrs. Johnson is better known locally for the grove that was dedicated in her name in August 1969 in Redwood National Park, a spot which Amy […]
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Grand Jury’s first day
The long, sterile hallway on the second floor of the Humboldt County Courthouse — the waiting space for those with a court hearing — isn’t exactly known for convivial gatherings of eager citizens, hungrily scanning dry documents and all a-chatter with getting-to-know-you. No, this place is tension’s haunt: compressed voices, eyes anchored to floors or […]
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Abalone, anyone?
After being invited to several abalone cookouts this June, I finally asked the embarrassing question: What the hell is an abalone? I went directly to the hosts of the cookouts, two local HSU seniors, Ben Hart and Brent Warner, who consider abalone diving one of the finest sports on the North Coast. Both scuba minors […]
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Trespassing 101
The West has long been characterized as a place with wide-open spaces. The “purple mountain majesties above the fruited plain” does not refer to the East Coast. Many of us delight in getting off the beaten path — standing on a mountain, ridge line, hill or even in a field and surveying the landscape for […]
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My first time
Anticipating my first summer in Arcata is like waiting for the lottery lady to pick the winning numbers. In this case, I’m hoping to win more than a few warm, sunny days and some social gatherings that include people other than my husband and me. I’ve heard mixed reviews on Arcata summers — enough bad […]
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Flower filchers, redux — What drives the strange and scurrilous garden thief?
A few years ago, I wrote a tirade on the subject of flower theft. My front yard is full of flowers, and I understand what a temptation this can pose to people walking down the sidewalk. But some of the thieves in my neighborhood were particularly conniving, walking right up to my front door and […]
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Bridgeville limbo
Air pushing upcanyon ruffles the bright leaves of dainty poison oak twining up tree trunks as you exit the green tunnel of foliage that is Hwy 36 onto a dubious spur promising to take you to Kneeland. Suddenly, you’re in a movie-set clearing flooded by evening sunlight. You stop the car to get out and […]
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Being prepared
"What’s the worst that could happen?" Alarm bells ring whenever I hear these words uttered. Yes, there are times when you find yourself in situations while exploring the wilds that you have no choice. Go for it! Do or die time! It’s a good day to die! I wouldn’t say I seek these moments out […]