Old-Fashioned Harvest

Huell travels to the little farming community of Sloughhouse near Sacramento. Once there he meets up with George Signorotti, owner of the last family-owned hops farm in the sate, and witnesses firsthand the harvesting and bailing of hops, which was once a huge crop in California.

Huell gets the quintessential urban experience when he visits a magical garden in Griffith Park and then lunches at a newly opened cafe amongst the lush green trees.

 

 

 

 

 

 

From orange groves to freeways, everybody knows about some of the most important and uniquely Californian firsts our state has produced. In this episode Huell looks at three unexpected California firsts that occurred in ways and places people never imagined: the surprising story behind the "real" discovery of gold in California, the unlikely spot of the first oil drilling in California and finally a galvanizing visit to a location where an overlooked innovation in the history of electricity took place.

Huell spends the day at the RAQS L.A. Carnival of Belly Dance held at the Glendale Civic Auditorium. Belly dancing has grown to be one of the most popular forms of exercise in the country, with gyms and schools offering classes all over the nation. This two-day celebration is jam packed with workshops, performances, and vendors selling all kinds of belly dance related items.

 

 

 

 

 

Huell visits the International Printing Museum in Carson, which takes one of the world's most significant collections of antique printing machinery and brings it to life through working demonstrations and theater presentations.

Huell updates one of his earliest "Videolog" episodes and returns to the Los Angeles Zoo to see what happened to "little Huell," the warthog they named after him in 1987. After watching the old episode, join Huell for a look at the new additions to the zoo, including the Visayan Warty Pigs.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Huell travels to the high sierras on horseback to see how trout are dropped from an airplane into High Sierra Mountain lakes -- a spectacular sight.

Skimboarding is a sport similar to surfing. The skimboarder stands about 20 feet from the ocean, with board in hand, and waits for a wave. When they see a wave, they run towards it, drop the board, and jump onto it as quickly as possible. Once on the board, the skimmer must remain stable to make the transition to the ocean. S/he then (hopefully) glides out into the ocean toward the oncoming wave, banks off of it, and rides it back into shore. Huell travels to Laguna to watch some locals show how its done.

If you've ever wondered where old fire trucks go when they retire, this is the episode for you. Retired fireman Joe Ortiz has one of the largest collections of antique and modern fire fighting equipment around. Huell goes to Joe's house in Shadow Hills for a personal tour and a very special ride in the back of a hook and ladder.

The Orange Empire Railway Museum in Perris, Calif. is the largest operating railway museum in the Western United States and the third largest in the country. Join Huell as he visits during the annual Autumn Rails Celebration.

During the years of the detainment in Manzanar War Relocation Center, one of ten camps at which Japanese American citizens and resident Japanese aliens were interned during World War II, music provided a rare solace for the internees. Huell visits with Mary Kageyama Nomura known as the "Songbird of Manzanar" who performed there as a teenager.

The Orange County Dental Society has an impressive collection of vintage dental objects housed in its Dental Museum in Orange. Huell sees firsthand what a visit to the dentist might have been like decades ago as he examines display after display of chairs, tools and other devices. There are items dating back to the 19th century, and even a denture belonging to George Washington by some accounts.

Put on your leather jacket and strap on your helmet for a two-wheeled adventure that's sure to get your heart racing. Huell goes on a weekend ride with the Harley Girls on their Harley Davidson motorcycles. They later stop for lunch, where Huell meets some other interesting weekend rebels.

As we all know, California has some spectacular scenery and our great variety of trees makes 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.

They come in all shapes and sizes and many date back to the early part of this century. All have been lovingly restored by their owners and are meticulously maintained. In short, they're some of the most beautiful wooden boats ever made.

Host Huell Howser gets a close look at these boats as he attends the 24th annual Concours d' Elegance dedicated to the preservation and celebration of the wooden vessels that have graced Lake Tahoe since the 1920s. He not only talks with the owners about the rich history of their boats, but joins them for a ride on the historic lake.

The California desert has always been a place filled with mystery ... and surprises! When you travel through our desert you're never sure what you're gonna see, who you're gonna meet, or what strange and wonderful experiences you're gonna have. Huell Howser discovered that first hand on a recent trip to the Salton Sea community of Niland. At first glance, Niland is a sleepy little agricultural town once known as a major grower of tomatoes.

When most people think of Yosemite, they imagine towering peaks and cascading waterfalls, but there is an amazing human history that is told through some of the many buildings that dot the valley floor.In this adventure, Huell discover two small buildings that are very historic and very beautiful. He visits the Yosemite Valley Chapel, which was built in 1879 and is the oldest structure in park. The little chapel continues to serve as a place of worship for residents and visitors alike, as it has done for over 125 years.

At the The Donut Man in Glendora, people aren't salivating over just jelly donuts and crullers. Owner Jim Nakano's specialty is the strawberry donut. Only available for a few months in the spring, these sweets are piled high with fresh, locally grown strawberries and Jim's own glaze. 

Huell visits the gravesites of famous animal stars.

Huell visits the iconic Crossroads of the World on Sunset Boulevard. With its beautiful globe-topped tower, Los Angeles' first outdoor shopping mall was originally designed as an international shopping center. Now used as office space, this is one L.A. gem that's still alive and well. As a bonus, Huell spends the last 10 minutes of the show learning about the history of the "landscaped" billboards.

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

Have you ever spotted some plastic food and been shocked by how realistic it looks? Have you ever wondered how it's made? In this episode, Huell visits Iwasaki Images of America and gets a firsthand look at this fascinating process.

A visit to the 31st Annual Griffith Park Sidecar Rally. It's a get-together of sidecar enthusiasts and it turns out these contraptions that hook on to motorcycles have quite a colorful history and come in all shapes and sizes.

Huell revisits The French Garden in downtown Los Angeles, but this time, he brings along two very special lunch dates: Hollywood legends Ann Rutherford and Anne Jeffreys.

After 15 years in business, the restaurant closed its doors on May 24, 2013.

Ann Rutherford passed away on June 11, 2012. KCET re-aired "The Two Anns" on June 27 with a newly recorded introduction in which Huell remembers his late friend.

Set within 600 acres of rural countryside in Gilroy, California, Bonfante Gardens Family Theme Park combines beautiful gardens, amusement rides and a little bit of history to create a unique attraction. Huell is on a special quest, however, as he searches for the Tree Circus. Bonfante Gardens is home to the last remaining trees created by an extraordinary man who literally wove Sycamores, Box Elders, Ash and Spanish Cork trees into works of art.

Huell visits Jackson Shrub, a family-owned and operated nursery that has been supplying the movie and television industries with both live and artificial plants since 1937.

Photo: StateofIsrael/Flickr/Creative Commons License

The adventure starts at the dry cleaners and ends with a pita feast. Huell learns all about this wonderful flatbread when he visits a pita factory.