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Private Notes
Clear Lake is located at the base of fabled Mt. Konocti and is California's largest natural lake. Much of the terrain around the 4200 foot Mt. Konocti was formed by lava flows and folding of the earth's crust. The lake has a rich history; evidence of human habitation dates back at least ten thousand years. More than 120,000 visitors each year enjoy picnicking, boating, camping and nature walks.
Huell travels to the this natural wonder and gets a very special tour including Anderson Marsh State Historic Park which has a very rich history itself. The Park contains 1,065 acres of oak woodland, grass covered hills, and tule marsh at the southeast end of Clear Lake. It has a rich Native American history and the original Anderson family home is open to the public for tours. Huell travels the marsh and lake by boat and learns about the rich natural and human history that makes Clear Lake such a wonderful example of California's Gold.
Back in a Southern California garage in 1963 something amazing was happening. A 37 year old Bruce Meyers was building a car that would that would become an icon, the Meyers Manx... better know as the Dune Buggy. This simple car really springborded "off-road" racing into the huge sport it is today, cutting more than 5 hours of the pervious Baja 1000 record in its 1st try. This in turn caught the eye of Hollywood: Elvis, Lucy & Desi, Scooby-Doo all had to have one.
To quote Road and track from 1976, "The Manx has to rank as one of the most significant and influential cars of all time. It started more fads, attracted more imitators... and was recognized as a genuine sculpture, a piece of art." Join Huell as he gets many smiles per mile with Bruce Meyers, and a bunch of Meyers Manx owners as they trek through the So. Cal. landscape.
Join Huell on this ancient adventure as he explores The Rosicrucian Egyptian Museum in San Jose. Architecturally inspired by the Temple of Amon at Karnak, it houses the largest collection of Egyptian artifacts on exhibit in the western United States -- including objects from pre-dynastic times through Egypt's early Christian era.
Fascinated by the ancient culture, Dr. H. Spencer Lewis, began collecting Egyptian, Assyrian, and Babylonian artifacts over 65 years ago. In 1932 a building was built in San Jose to house the growing collection, and the original Rosicrucian Egyptian Museum was opened to the public.
Huell gets a very special tour of this extensive collection of human and animal mummies, canopic jars, ushabtis, and detailed funerary boats and models. Discover colorful and precious jewelry, pre-dynastic pottery, glass and alabaster vessels, bronze tools, sculpture, and Coptic textiles.
Join Huell as he learns about the sometimes-controversial history of this California landmark and gets a very special tour, including a vertigo-inducing trip to the very top if the spire which is set against the San Francisco skyline...
We are talking about the The Transamerica Building, one of the most distinctive structures on the globe. With its 48 stories and 212-foot spire, the Pyramid is San Francisco's tallest building and is considered the most photographed building in the world. With 18 elevators, 3,678 windows, approximately 16,000 cubic yards of concrete and 1500 people working inside, it is truly a spectacle.
When do you think the economy car hit the American market? Most people would say the '70s or maybe the '60s, but you might be surprised to know that in 1930, the American Austin car company premiered a miniature car that could get 40 miles to the gallon. The cars were not a huge success with the general public, but Hollywood fell in love! Huell visits with a man who has the largest collection of these little cars in the world. We’ll see some great cars and look at some fun film clips from Hollywood’s golden age.
Have you ever wondered what happens to the countless cars that have been driven over cliffs, crushed, crashed and blown up in thousands of movies? Most of those cars were miniature cars that were built for the movies and believe it or not, there is a man who has a huge collection of these "movie" cars. Huell gets a special look at some very unique little Hollywood cars.
Huell learns about the machines that clean the ice at ice rinks and professional hockey events around the world. Would you believe the Zamboni was invented right here in sunny Southern California? Huell joins up with the son of the inventor, and visits the factory where it all started. Then he tops off the day with a trip to the Anaheim Pond, home of the Mighty Ducks to see the Zamboni in action.
Will Rogers has got to be one of the all time great American characters. Often called the "Cowboy Philosopher," he kept America laughing through some of it’s toughest years. Will was a radio commentator, news-paper columnist, and motion picture star. In 1922 Will bought property above Sunset Blvd. and built a summer cottage. The family loved the place so much that Will had a proper ranch built and the family moved there in 1928. In 1944 after the death of Mrs. Rogers, the property became Will Rogers State Historic Park and is now a well loved tourist destination. The ranch has been perfectly maintained and is filled with all of the Rogers family original furnishings and memorabilia. It’s like stepping back into Will's boots. What makes Huell's tour so special, is that its given by Will’s last remaining child Jimmie Rogers. Jimmie grew up at the ranch and shares many wonderful memories of a home that was dearly loved by all. This program is now itself a part of California's history because shortly after the interview was filmed, Jimmie Rogers passed away. From the ranch buildings to the polo fields that Will hosted many matches on, to the personal remembrances of his son, it’s a tour you won't want to miss.
For years Huell has been getting letters telling him he should do a show on Vernal Pools, well, now he has. Just a short drive from Sacramento on an old Military Base, Huell meets up with a couple of experts, and a bunch of school kids all eager to explore the flora and fauna that live in and around these wonderful natural pools. As they go from pool to pool, Huell learns that even if they are only a few acres away, they can be a totally different world. Now, after all these years of wondering what these pools were, and saying "I don't even know what they look like," he finally does, and as always, your invited to join him as he finds out.
There are two beaches in California that are a treasure hunters paradise. The constant pounding of the Pacific has created some real "gems". It's a north coast adventure you don't want to miss. First Huell travels to the small coastal town of Fort Bragg to visit what the locals call "Glass Beach". Imagine a kaleidoscope of colored glass glittering in the Pacific surf: azure, scarlet, mauve, amber, amethyst and teal. Originally the city dump was on the edge of this beach and over the years, the waves have polished broken bottles and china into some real gems. The dump closed in the 20s, but its remnants continue to bring people in search of a fun day of beach combing. Next Huell travels even farther north to Patricks Point State Park, which is twenty-five miles north of Eureka. The highlight of the park is a gently curving strip of sand named "Agate Beach". Mother Nature has polished semi-precious agates into beautiful little gems on this aptly named beach. It's another great place to spend a day.
California and China have had a long and storied connection, the most well known is the Chinese laborers who built the California Railroads. But on this adventure Huell finds a few lesser known, example of California's & China's Gold.
A brief stop at the Bonsai Collection North introduces us to the Bonsai tree given to Envoy Burlingame from the Lincoln Presidency. Anson Burlingane opened China to the US in the 1860's, on his way home he got this tree in Japan and its been in the US ever since.
Next stop is The Social Saloon of the SS CHINA built in 1866, it made many trips from the US to China before it was beached on Belvedere Cove in 1886. Huell visits the beautifully restored gilded Victorian drawing room that was salvaged when the side-wheeler was burned for scrap metal.
First stop is Giant Rock - considered to be the worlds largest free standing bolder, and a long time sacred site to the Native Americans. In the 1950's it became a UFO airport according to George Van Tassel who was contacted by aliens there, and was host to UFO conventions till the late 70's. One of the things George was told to do by the aliens was to build the Integratron, which is our next stop. This amazing building/machine is supposed to restores youth, although never completed - Huell will get a 'sound bath'.
Hold onto your seats, this will be a wild ride.
The first stop on our adventure is the Dutch Windmill in San Francisco's Golden Gate Park, which was built in 1902, at a cost of $16,000. It is 75 feet high, and 33 feet in diameter at the base, is sails have a span of 102 feet and it was capable of pumping 30,000 gallons of fresh water per hour from underground to a reservoir on Strawberry Hill. Despite being a great success for a few years (so much so that a second windmill was built), by 1913 electric pumps were introduced, so the windmills began to become obsolete. In August 1976 volunteers from the US Navy Reserve started work on restoring the Dutch Mill. Work continued through to completion in 1981. The second windmill, which is lose by, is patiently waiting its turn to be brought back to its original glory.
From the historic to the cutting edge of technology, Huell's next stop is sure to make you gasp. We travel to Enron Wind in Tehachapi to look at the biggest and most modern windmill we could find. Join Huell as he climbs two hundred and thirteen feet straight up to the top of this amazing machine. The blades are one hundred and twelve feet long each, for a combined wing span (with the center hub) of two hundred and thirty one feet! If you're afraid of heights, this show is sure to make you squirm.
As we all know, California has some spectacular scenery and our great variety of trees make up a large part of it. In this adventure, Huell visits three big trees that are a great example of "California's Gold."
First Huell travels to Santa Barbara to see the Moreton Bay Fig Tree. Given to a little girl as a gift from an Australian seaman, the sapling was planted in 1876. That little sapling is now the largest Moreton Bay Fig in the continental U.S. The tree is 42 feet around its base, 80 feet tall and has a branch spread of 176 feet.
Next its off to Temecula and the former ranch of Erle Stanley Gardner, author of the Perry Mason Novels. On this spot stands the largest California Live Oak in the world. It stands 96 feet tall, with a trunk circumference of 20 feet and a branch spread of 590 feet. It is estimated to be at least 800 years old. This tree is so big that most people think it is a grove of trees.
We end the show in Kings Canyon National Park at the General Grant Tree. This tree is the third largest tree in the world. It stands 267 feet tall and is 2,000 years old. What makes this tree so special is that it is our nations official Christmas tree. The tree was officially dedicated on April 28, 1926 by President Calvin Coolidge. Ever since 1926, people from the community and visitors from around the world have trekked to the tree at Christmas time to celebrate our nation and the spirit of the holidays.
Huell pays tribute to the 152nd anniversary of the discovery of gold in California.
