Where's Huell? It's Channel Islands Week!
What's a week without the continued adventures of KCET's Golden State-trotting hero, Huell Howser? It's like a summer without sunshine, that's what. This week, Huell hits the Channel Islands and explores whole different worlds that await just a short boat ride from the SoCal coast.
Monday, July 9 @ 7:30 PM -- "Santa Barbara Island"
It may be one of the least-traveled stretches in the entire state of California. But no worries, because Huell walks the entire perimeter of Santa Barbara Island. Did you know that the island is home to a supremely rare species of succulent with an intriguingly strange name: The Santa Barbara Island liveforever. No, really: check out its Wikipedia page.
Also, check out this video that showcases the natural beauty and biological diversity of the island:
Tuesdya, July 10 @ 7:30 PM -- "San Miguel Island"
Huell pops on over to westernmost of the Channel Islands for a re-creation of Juan Rodriguez Cabrillo arrival on the beach back in 1542. Need a reason to like San Miguel Island aside from its proximity to mainland California? Then think about the Common Murre, the penguin-like birds that can soar through the air and the ocean. Read more here.
Check out this photo diary kept by a woman who spent 28 days in solitude on San Miguel Island:
Wednesday, July 11 @ 7:30 PM -- "Santa Cruz Island's Sea Caves"
Surely, it's one of your deepest desires to see Huell Howser paddling around in a kayak. Today, your oddly specific dream will come true, because that's the exact vessel that Huell uses to explore this largest of the Channel Islands. And what species calls this island and no other place in the world home? That would be the Island Scrub Jay.
Watch a preview here:
Thursday, July 12 @ 7:30 PM -- "Anacapa Island"
Home to a whole host of rare flora and fauna, Anacapa Island offers sights that can be seen nowhere else in the world, to say nothing of nowhere else in California. Maybe the strangest of all in this "California's Gold" episode would be the so-called "sunflower tree," Coreopsis gigantea.
Watch this hi-def video of a tour around Anacapa Island:
Friday, July 13 @ 7:30 PM -- "Santa Rosa Island"
Ranching activities on this island have ceased, so it's all the more interesting to see Huell Howser's tour because it showcases a lifestyle that no longer exists today. And what native populations are now benefitting from the effort to return Santa Rosa to its pristine, natural state? The adorable island fox?
Marvel at the Corgi-like cuteness of the Channel Island fox:
