Barack Obama's California College Days

Step back in time with Huell as he visits a weekend gathering of these classic trailers. They sleep two, and have a built-in kitchen on the back all in a teardrop shaped trailer a little over 8ft long. Some were built by various manufacturers, but many were lovingly built/restored by hand from plans in a Popular Science magazine.

Huell visits five historically significant locations in Chatsworth, including the olive trees, a pioneer church, Stoney Point, and a barn that was home to TV's Mr. Ed. He ends the day at Homestead Acre — home to the Chatsworth Historical Society.

Huell heads to Chatsworth to visit The Munch Box, a popular burger stand that has been around since 1956 and is now officially a historic cultural landmark.

Huell's off to Wilmington to visit Ferguson's Marine Specialties, which is owned and operated by Ralph Ferguson and his daughter, Lupe. Once inside, Huell is literally surrounded by beautiful seashells from all over the world.

J. Paul Getty acquired a Malibu retreat in 1945. Today, this spot includes a Romanesque gallery full of priceless art. Huell tours the property and its historically accurate ancient Roman crop garden.

Huell goes to Griffith Park to enjoy a day of riding the rails with the Los Angeles Live Steamers. Founded in 1956 by train enthusiasts for the purpose of educating people in railroad history, the club operates 71/2″ gauge model trains for the general public every Sunday. 

Huell meets Jeanie, a Santa Barbara woman who has turned her home into a sanctuary for over 300 turtles.

Huell spends the day with Sgt. Gruber and the LAPD K9 Unit. We’ll see these dogs in action as their handlers put them through all the paces.

Have you ever wondered what one of the largest egg collections in the world looks like? Well the San Bernardino County Museum has just an exhibit. Huell takes a close-up look at some very unusual eggs.

Join Huell, the Los Angeles Wheelmen and other bicyclists as they climb Fargo Street in the Echo Park district of Los Angeles. Fargo Street is just 1/10 of a mile long, but it boasts a 33% grade, making this annual event a true test of endurance.

Ever been to a real-life ghost town? Well, this episode explores one of the last remnants of the Wild West. Now a state historic park, Bodie is regarded as one of the largest and best preserved examples of an authentic ghost town.

They've been a part of the California landscape for hundreds of years, helping to build our canals and highways and railroads, hauling our freight, our silver bullion and, of course, playing a major role during the gold rush era. However, many people are under the false impression that they're stubborn, while others tend to overlook them in favor of the more glamorous horse.

Huell and actress Shelley Morrison, who played Karen's maid on "Will & Grace," visit Animal Acres -- a facility in Acton that cares for neglected and abused farm animals.

Huell attends a celebration of possibly the world’s oldest wind instrument -- the Didgeridoo. The Joshua Tree Didgeridoo Festival brings together devotees and beginner alike who make, play and listen to the musical instrument of the North Australian Aborigine.

Porto’s Bakery in Glendale is a family-owned and operated business with roots in Cuba. Join Huell as he samples Cuban sandwiches, guava pastries and decadent cakes.

Most of us have seen one of the countless films based on Alcatraz, from "The Birdman" to Clint Eastwood and his "Escape From Alcatraz." Over a million people every year take the ferry through the thick San Francisco fog to walk the cell blocks that housed the likes of Machine Gun Kelley and Al Capone. As usual Huell wasn't satisfied with the regular tour and went in search of the "Hidden Alcatraz". It got it's name from the Spanish word Alcatraces, or Bird Island and didn't see human inhabitants until the U.S. Military took it over in the mid 1800s.

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 its toughest years. Will was a radio commentator, newspaper columnist and motion picture star. In 1922, Will bought property above Sunset Boulevard in Pacific Palisades 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.

Embark on a journey to the most dangerous spot on the California coast and find out why it is called "Devil's Jaw"; and visit the jewel of the California missions: La Purisima Mission in Lompoc, now a state historic park.

The City of Temecula is nestled in a lush valley about 15 miles from the Pacific Ocean in Southwest Riverside County, just north of the San Diego County line. Besides a thriving wine industry, significant mission history and the distinction of being on the Butterfield Stage route, Temecula was also home to Erle Stanley Gardner.

Huell gets a tour of the Santa Barbara ranch home of President Ronald Reagan and his wife, Nancy, who named it Rancho del Cielo. Huell hears stories about the historic events that took place there, as well as more personal stories from a former secret service agent assigned to President Reagan.

Visit The Richard Nixon Library and Birthplace with Huell and first daughter Julie Nixon Eisenhower, as she gives a private and personal tour of the farmhouse where her dad was born and raised. During this informal tour, Julie talks about her father's memories of growing up in this simple, wooden home that used to be in the middle of a huge orange grove. It is a rare personal insight into the 37th President's early California years, and an authentic piece of California's Gold.

In an interview with the Los Angeles Times, Obama described Occidental as "a wonderful, small liberal arts college. The professors were diverse and inspiring. I ended up making some lifelong friendships there, and those first two years really helped me grow up." Who knew that the next president of the United States had such a formative connection to California?   Join Huell as he gets the Presidential tour of Occidental College in Eagle Rock, where Barack Obama spent his Freshman and Sophomore years.

It's thought of as one of the bleakest and most desolate places in the world, but as Huell discovers, Death Valley can be beautiful. Contrary to its name, Death Valley is host to a wide variety of life- from prehistoric pupfish to stunning miniature wildflowers and much more!

Travel down to where the streets have no name and see the world's tallest, oldest and one of the most peculiar-looking Joshua Trees in an episode devoted to this remarkable desert plant which has come to symbolize the Mojave Desert. Then meet a man, who as a child, lived on a ranch in the seclusion of what is now the Monument.

Huell visits a massive archeological site with millions of fossils dating from the Miocene Epoch, 15 million years ago. Kern County was once at the bottom of a huge sea filled with massive prehistoric sharks called megladons which were as big as city busses and fed on whales. Sharktooth Hill is literally covered with fossilized shark teeth. Huell also visits the Buena Vista Museum, which houses amazing archeological finds recovered from Sharktooth Hill.

Huell gets a close look at this great Dept. of Water & Power project, officially called the Toyon Tanks. The largest of their type in the world, each tank holds 30 million gallons, and provides water for 250, 000 people each. But when the project is over, you won’t even know they’re there as they will be buried under a new hillside park.

Huell travels to the 2002 National SPAAMFAA Winter Convention in San Bernardino. SPAAMFAA stands for "Society for the Preservation and Appreciation of Antique Motor Fire Apparatus in America." This get-together was a wonderful place to get glimpse of our state's fire-fighting history. There were all kinds of apparatus from small hand pumpers to elaborate steam driven engines from the turn of the century. The highlight of the day was Dave Hubert's lovingly restored rig, the "Reno #1," which served the city of Reno, Nevada from 1902 to 1922.

Walter Scott is one of the great characters of California history, and Huell travels to Death Valley to learn what his legacy is all about. Huell tours the amazing castle that now bears Scotty's name and walks through the dry desert that Scotty loved so much. Get an intimate portrait of this California original from those who knew and loved him.

Tucked away behind the Hamlet at Moonstone Gardens Restaurant in Cambria, is an expansive cactus garden. Join Huell as he strolls through this Central Coast gem filled with indigenous and exotic plants.

Huell visits Lassen Volcanic National Park. Lava flows, jagged craters and steaming sulphur vents make up some of Lassen's breathtaking landscape.

Huell travels to the beautiful Sierra Nevadas and Donner Memorial State Park which commemorates those who emigrated to California from the east in the mid-1800s. It is named for one of the earliest pioneer wagon trains, the Donner Party, forced by circumstances to camp at the east end of Donner Lake in the winter of 1846-47, resulting in human suffering and loss of life.

During the tense years from 1953 to 1979, the United States Army built and operated a total of 280 Nike missile-firing batteries in the United States. These missile sites were placed as the last line of defense against Soviet bombers. Today, a dedicated group of volunteers works in partnership with the Golden Gate National Recreation Area on the continuous task of restoration at site SF-88, which has been turned into a museum.

Huell tours the Victorian residence in Martinez where the naturalist John Muir lived from 1890 to his death in 1914, and meets the special folks who are responsible for preserving this important site. While living there, Muir laid the foundations for the creation of the National Park Service in 1916.

Take a sizzling trip to the Mojave Desert in San Bernardino County and its many unknown desert destinations, including the tiny town of Amboy (on the side of old Route 66), historic homesteads, immense sand dunes, an extinct volcano and a beautiful, old train depot.

Step back in time with Huell as he visits a weekend gathering of classic teardrop trailers. They sleep two, and have a built-in kitchen on the back all in a teardrop shaped trailer a little more than eight feet long. Some were built by various manufacturers, but many were lovingly built or restored by hand from plans in a Popular Science magazine.

Californians have done everything imaginable to keep cool in their blistering deserts. Join Huell as we look at two ways of cooling off: first, in the amazing old "desert submarines" of Indio County, then at an honest-to-goodness oasis near Palm Springs.

Located on the Central Coast, Huell Howser discovers Montana de Oro State Park's boundless natural beauty which includes rugged cliffs, secluded beaches, streams and canyons.

Huell drops by the California State Mining and Mineral Museum in Mariposa to see our state's official collection of more than 13,000 minerals, rocks, gems, historic artifacts and fossils.

Huell sets off from Moss Landing in the middle of Monterey Bay and discovers Elkhorn Slough. It's an ecological treasure, providing habitat for rare plants, animals, and nearly 300 species of birds. The slough harbors the largest tract of tidal salt marsh in California outside of San Francisco Bay, and its watershed includes dunes, coastal marsh, oak woodlands, and unique maritime chaparral.

Join Huell as he visits Paradise Creek Educational Park. Paradise Creek is an urban salt marsh creek that connects San Diego Bay to the watershed of the surrounding mountains and city landscape. It's home to crabs, egrets, snails and various wetland plants, but in the recent past, was a trash-filled, neglected urban stream threatened by development. Due to the hard work of a local couple and nearby school children, an education park was created in 1999 on a half-mile stretch of Paradise Creek which has been returned to its natural state.

Huell learns about Native American fishing techniques on a trip to Eureka with members from the Yurok tribe at the mouth of the Klamath river.