Barack Obama's California College Days

Huell travels to the historic Gold Rush town of Jamestown in Tuolumne County. This beautiful town is known for its amazing buildings, including the National Hotel, which has been lovingly restored to its 1800’s charm. Huell also visits Railtown 1897 State Historic Park, which is home to one of America’s last intact, still-operating railroad roundhouses.

Join Huell as he visits Bidwell Park in Chico. Encompassing almost 3,670 acres, it is one of the largest municipal parks in the United States. 2005 marks the centennial of the park’s original gift of pristine California countryside by the Bidwell family, Chico’s founders, for the “pleasure of the people of said city for all time.

Situated 30 miles east of Indio, this popular stop for travelers and truckers who want to gas up, get a home cooked meal or browse for knick-knacks is celebrating its 75th anniversary. Huell spends the day with the people who live and work in this desert outpost as they enjoy this milestone.

California has a rich maritime history and has been at the forefront of naval warfare since the beginning. In this special one-hour adventure, Huell visits two aircraft carriers that are now museums in the waters of California.

Huell, with the help of his friends from the Braille Institute, learns about the history of jacaranda trees in California, which dates back to the 1890s when horticulturalist Kate Sessions first planted the seeds in Balboa Park. The blooming purple trees can now be seen all across the state, and we will find that some people call the jacarandas a “mess” while others call them a “miracle”.

Huell gets a behind-the-scenes tour and takes the "swim of a lifetime" in the Neptune pool at Hearst Castle, which is arguably one of the most spectacular pools in the world. It is fed by mountain water and is surrounded by ancient Roman columns and statues. Designed by architect Julia Morgan, the Neptune pool was constructed in 1924 and finally completed after several redesigns in 1936.

A driving tour of Kern County includes gold mines, a feline breeding compound and the town of Boron, California.

Huell visits two replicas of the Golden Gate Bridge: the walkway to the Point Bonita Lighthouse, and the Guy West Footbridge at Cal State University Sacramento.

Huell goes to the 1997 Basset Hound Picnic, sponsored by the Basset Hound Club of So. Cal. Watch as the hounds are judged on longest ears, best howl, and saddest face.

Join Huell on an adventure to two places he's wanted to visit for years. First up is a stop along Highway 395 to see the Upside Down House in Lee Vining. Built by Nellie Bly O'Bryan and inspired by children's books, it's considered Mono County's first man-made tourist attraction. Huell gets a tour from some of the locals who restored it lovingly after years of decay.

Hanford is a town that loves its history and knows how to show it off. Huell starts his adventure in the main town square that has a beautiful vintage carousel that is popular with tourists and locals alike. Then he’s off on a fire truck tour of downtown, to breakfast at Star Restaurant, coffee at Art Works, ice cream at Superior Dairy, a visit to the Fox Theatre, Carnegie Museum and Church of the Saviour and all of this on the first day!

Huell visits this unique house which was built on a 20 by 20 square foot lot in the heart of Old Town Santa Barbara.

Huell attends an annual holiday concert of traditional songs performed by hundreds of tubas.

Tuba Christmas was conceived in 1974 as a tribute to the late artist/teacher William J. Bell, born on Christmas Day in 1902. The first Tuba Christmas was conducted by the late Paul Lavalle in New York City, with music arranged by American composer Alec Wilder, who ironically died on Christmas Eve in 1980. Tuba Christmas concerts are held each year in many cities across the United States and various locations worldwide.

 

 

 

 

Upland was hit hard by the 2003 wildfires. That following holiday season, this tight-knit community banded together to recreate the brilliantly lit star that had shined for many years on a hilltop before being destroyed by the fires. It's a sign of hope and renewal for everyone who sees it.

In this holiday special, Huell celebrates the holidays with the descendants of the original Cornish Carol Choir of Grass Valley. Join them as they reenact their 1940 concert of traditional Cornish Christmas Carols, which took place 2,000 feet below ground in a gold mine, and was broadcast nationally on network radio.

In 1945, J. Paul Getty acquired his Malibu retreat which now includes a Romanesque gallery full of priceless art. Huell also tours the propety's historically-accurate Ancient Roman crop garden.

 

 

Huell meets up with Bill Ernst to catch the largest white sea bass ever! Huell then heads down to the Hubbs-Seaworld Research Institute to learn more about these fish and even helps release a bunch of fry.

 

 

 

 

 

Huell visits the Watts Towers Arts Center to explore the history of this iconic work by artist Simon Rodia.

Huell travels to the Naval Air Weapons Station China Lake to see the largest concentration of rock art in the Western Hemisphere. The small canyon houses up to 6,000 images. Although an accurate dating technique is still being sought, certain petroglyphs are thought to be 16,000 years old, while others were made as recently as 1800. This rock art is so important to our cultural heritage and our knowledge of the desert's past that the sites were listed in the National Register of Historic Places in 1964.

 

 

 

 

 

Huell travels to the northernmost reaches of our state in search of the mythical “State of Jefferson.”

Huell visits two historic flagpoles. The first was (at one time) the tallest flagpole in the world, but it's located in Calipatria, which sits 184 feet below sea level. So with its 184 foot pole, the Calipatria flag flies just at sea level. Then on to Livermore where the flagpole has an even stranger history ... it's being carved into various wooden chotchkies including smaller flags!

 

 

 

 

 

Huell visits the Pacific Asia Museum, whose mission is to further Asian cultural awareness and understanding through the arts.

 

 

 

 

 

Tustin is famous for its World War II blimp hangars, but this vibrant community has other hidden gems and architectural marvels. Huell spends the day exploring the city, starting off at the Tustin Area Museum for a little history lesson. He also visits a blacksmith, stops by the Wooden Indian for a haircut, and grabs lunch at a local BBQ joint.

 

 

 

 

 

Huell travels to the Sacramento Delta to learn about California pears. We start our adventure with a family who has been farming in the Delta for five generations. The soil and climate have made the area a perfect place to grow agriculture since the Gold Rush. Huell ends up at the 26th annual Pear Fair in Courtland, where he eats everything from pear ice cream to pear vinegar.

 

 

 

 

 

Huell visits the historic and ecclectic mining town of Randsburg in Kern County off Highway 395 to meet some very interesting locals.

 

Surfing has played a major role in the "California" lifestyle and has a rich and colorful history up and down our coast. One of the most famous and historic is San Onofre Beach in San Diego County. Surfing got it's start in Polynesia over three thousand years ago and Hawaiian's have been riding waves for over one thousand. Surfing arrived in California in 1907 and has been a passion of Californians ever since. Many of our states early surfing pioneers cut their chops on the famous waves at San Onofre Beach.

The San Diego & Arizona Railway has been called "the impossible railroad". They broke ground in 1907 and completed the line in 1919. Between San Diego and Arizona is some of the most treacherous countryside in the U.S. with a bevy of workman and a lot of dynamite they managed to snake their way to Arizona. The railroad had many tunnels collapse over the years, especially in the Carrizo Gorge. The railroad decided to build the Goat Canyon Trestle in 1932 after a series of tunnel closures. The Goat Canyon Trestle is one of the most impressive feats of engineering in the world.

Originally just south of the Santa Monica Pier in California, this small plot of "sand" was one of the most famous addresses in the United States from 1934 to 1959. Muscle Beach started as a WPA project in 1934 and helped spawn the modern fitness movement that lives on today. In the beginning it wasn't about muscles, it was about fitness and fun. Men and women did somersaults and handstands, built human towers and threw each other around. Huell and Luis go back to the original plot of sand to visit with some of the men and women who made Muscle Beach their playground during its heyday.

Imagine driving through Lompoc in the early 1940's and coming across a huge 12 acre American flag made up of red, white and blue flowers. That's just what people saw every spring for several years and it was a remarkable sight. In 1942 the good folks at Bodger Seeds in Lompoc decided they could do something really spectacular to support the war effort. A 12 acre flower flag was their way of saying thanks to all the Americans who were fighting the good fight. The company planted " flags" in 1942, '43, '45 and 1952.

There are roughly 250,000 Hmong people living in the U.S. The Hmong are an Asian ethnic group from the mountainous regions of Southeast Asia. Many ended up in the fertile areas in and around Fresno County, where their love of farming and vast knowledge has served them well. Huell visits a small family farm and the largest Hmong farm in the county, which are both growing some of the most unusual produce in California.

Huell recently had the adventure of a lifetime when he climbed Yosemite's formidable Half Dome. Join him in this one-hour special documenting his 17 mile round trip trek, along with other avid hikers, to conquer this 4800-foot high landmark.

Huell sails aboard the state’s official tall ship, the Californian, to see just how hard it was for our early settlers to get here. He also enjoys some sea shanties. 

Huell goes straight to the TOP! Finished in 1874, California's Capitol Building is a stunning neoclassical gem. With all great buildings of this size, there are lots of steps. Some steps are very obvious, like the set that leads up to the front entrance, but this building has lots of "step" stories and even a few that are very scary to climb.

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.

Join Huell as he hikes high up in the Eastern Sierra to visit the Conness Glacier in a stunning part of the National Forest.

There is a reason that old lighthouses could send a beam of light for miles. Most lighthouses used a Fresnel lens, which looks like a beehive made of glass. These lenses are works of art and the one that graced Point Fermin Lighthouse is no exception. In this adventure, Huell learns the history of the lens, which was removed from Point Fermin and changed hands many times.

 

 

 

 

 

Huell visits two Los Angeles-area families that faithfully create elaborate Nacimientos, or Nativity scenes, which are a focal point of many Mexican American homes during the Christmas season.

Huell travels to the Mojave Desert's El Mirage Dry Lake, one of the world's best spots for land sailors. Land Sailing is a sport in which a wheeled vehicle powered by wind moves across land with the aide of a sail. Huell explores the history of this unique tradition and even gets the opportunity to ride a sofa through the desert!