Stories

Exploring the Point Reyes Shipwreck of Tomales Bay

Photo by Stephen Leonardi It’s rare to see an accident with such size and historical significance sit in its original location.…

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The Story of the Donner Party: Deadly Mistakes Over the Snowy Sierra

Photo of James F. and Margaret Reed, who were members of the Donner Party I could have died so many…

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Chico Hiker Completes Coveted 7,500-Mile Triple Crown in One Calendar Year

For avid hikers, the Triple Crown holds a special significance. The Pacific Crest, Continental Divide, and Appalachian trails are the…

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When Will Klamath Dam Removal Take Place? A Complete Timeline for the Largest Dam Removal Project Ever.

The largest ever dam removal project in the United States will completely change the makeup of multiple Northern California communities.…

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Remembering the Deadly Flood of 1955 that Put a NorCal Town Under 20 Feet of Water

It was just minutes past midnight of Christmas Eve 1955 when the Gum Tree Levee on the Feather River in…

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The Top 10 Active NorCal Stories from 2022

Another great year here at Active NorCal! The New Year brings new vitality to the Active NorCal office as we…

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An Atmospheric River is Headed Towards Northern California. What Exactly Does That Mean?

The next week is expected to see a massive atmospheric river enter Northern California (and probably more behind it), bringing…

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Sculpting an Icon: The 100 Million Year History of Yosemite’s Half Dome

Half Dome is a iconic granite rock formation located in Yosemite National Park in California. It is known for its…

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How Did Lake Tahoe Get Its Name?

Lake Tahoe is a stunning alpine lake located in the Sierra Nevada mountain range in California and Nevada. It is…

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The Legend of Snowshoe Thompson: The Founder of California Skiing

In the 1800’s, traveling across the Sierra Nevada in the middle of winter was rarely accomplished. Native Americans were usually…

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Remembering the Great Flood that Put Northern California Under 30 Feet of Water

If you take a look at Northern California on a map, it will show a large valley right down the…

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What’s the Deal with the Perfectly Symmetrical Tree Plots in the Sierra Nevada?

Google Earth If you were to approach these select plot of trees from the ground, you may not know something…

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The NorCal Town Named ‘Rough and Ready’ Once Seceded from the United States

The only way you’ve probably heard of Rough and Ready, California is if you’ve driven on Highway 20 between Yuba…

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7 Incredible Winter Adventures Near Redding, California

Brought to you by Choose Redding Lassen Volcanic National Park in the winter It’s officially winter in Northern California, which…

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This Northern California Town Transforms into a Whimsical Christmas Wonderland in December

Brought to you by Discover Siskiyou McCloud, California The holiday season has arrived, meaning people are donning their homes with…

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Meet the Life-Saving Ski Patrol Dogs of Northern California

We all know that dogs are man’s best friend. Well, now dogs can be a skier’s best friend, and they…

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Hollywood A-List Actor Spotted in Humboldt. Is He Filming a Bigfoot Movie?

There have been sightings of an A-list Hollywood actor around Humboldt recently, which makes us wonder if he’s on the…

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How Skiing Down Volcanoes Became a Time-Honored Tradition in Northern California

Volcanoes are the kind of geological formations that tend to inspire awe. Towering above everything else, they seem like a…

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Meet the Man Who Drives His Car on the Sacramento River

“Wild” Bill Hill lives in Roseville, California, and just like any outdoor lovers in Northern California, he likes to spend…

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Celebrate Veteran’s Day at Living Memorial Sculpture Garden Near Mount Shasta

Photo: Discover Siskiyou Every year, Veteran’s Day sits as a reminder to all Americans about the sacrifice made by the…

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Witnesses Claim Meteorite Destroyed Northern California Home During Taurid Meteor Shower

Many people saw a massive fireball flying across the sky in Northern California during the Taurids meteor shower Friday night.…

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The Bizarre Story of the Horse that Summited Mount Shasta in 1903

Photo by Sebastien Goldberg Who isn’t fascinated with standing on top of NorCal’s premier active volcano, the formidable Mt. Shasta?…

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What Was It? Giant Fireball Lights Up Northern California Sky.

Many people were shocked to see a massive light moving quickly across the Northern California sky Friday night. No, it…

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Mt. Shasta’s Brand-New Gray Butte Lift is Finished. Here’s How it Will Completely Transform the Mountain.

View of the Mt. Shasta Ski Park from the brand-new Gray Butte lift. Photo by Mt. Shasta Ski Park. The…

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A Total Lunar Eclipse Called the ‘Beaver Blood Moon’ Will Light Up the Night Sky this Week

Photo by Zoltan Tasi  This week will see a spectacular lunar event with the “Beaver Blood Moon” lighting up the night…

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Celebrating 50 Years of ‘Wild Trout Waters’ in California

Hat Creek in Shasta County is forever linked with CDFW’s Heritage and Wild Trout Program as one of the first…

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Movie Review: Find Northern California Views in a Spooky Setting in ‘Hotel Dunsmuir’

The film “Hotel Dunsmuir” is out, and just in time for a spooky NorCal Halloween. How do you make Dunsmuir,…

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Movie Crew Shares Haunting Experiences While Filming ‘Hotel Dunsmuir’ in Northern California

The newly-release Hotel Dunsmuir has been a hit for audiences this Halloween season, receiving positive reviews and earning Michael Zaiko…

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The Legends and Mysteries of Siskiyou County

Photo by Marco Bicca  It’s well documented that the areas surrounding Mount Shasta are full of legends and mysteries. From paranormal…

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5 Survival Lessons From the Northern California Man Lost in Yosemite For Nearly a Week

Photo by Jason Strull When Alan Chow solo-hiked into the Yosemite National Park wilderness in the spring of 2018, he had…

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Meet the Underwater Fly that Rules Mono Lake by Living Underwater

Over 100 years ago, writer Mark Twain observed the case of some “incredibly weird” flies in Mono Lake, near Mammoth…

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Remembering the Deadly 75-Foot Tidal Wave that Leveled Crescent City in 1964

Beginning in Northern California and running all the way up to Alaska in the Pacific Ocean sits multiple fault lines…

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How NorCal’s Outdoor Opportunities Stack Up Against Yellowstone National Park

Photo by Steven Cordes I gotta admit, I’m torn on this one. I’ve recently returned from a fishing trip to Yellowstone…

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Could Mount Shasta Bring America’s Next Great Volcanic Eruption?

The recent volcanic history of Mount Shasta eludes us. For a long time, the last eruption was believed to be…

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The Dam Removal Era in Northern California Explained

While some Northern California dams are primed for removal, Shasta Dam provides crucial water storage and flood mitigation for the…

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How Do Northern California Wildfires Impact Wildlife and Forests?

Written by Meghan Snow Seeing a forest recently burned in a wildfire can be jarring. Green is replaced by shades…

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Sierra Notes: Four Characteristics of a Thriving Forest and How You Can Help Keep Them Healthy

Written By Cal Robinson When you close your eyes and think of a healthy forest, you may picture one that’s…

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The Literary Titans of Northern California – Part 2

Northern California has always attracted creative superstars, and the list of famous writers who either come from NorCal or spent…

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The Fascinating History of Redding Rancheria

The Wintu Tribe of Northern California When I am outdoors visiting our beautiful NorCal landmarks, curiosity always slips into my head…

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The Mystery Behind the Sunken World War II ‘Ghost Boat’ on Shasta Lake

Photo: U.S. Forest Service There have been plenty of historic structures revealed on Shasta Lake during severe drought. With multiple…

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Newly Released Horror Flick Features One of Our Favorite NorCal Mountain Towns

It’s not every day you get to enjoy a movie filmed in one of your favorite towns in the world.…

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Stand By Me Deleted Scene Shows Added Danger on the Famed Northern California Bridge

Stand By Me is a cult classic movie from 1986 about four curious boys wandering into the wilderness in search…

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This Popular Northern California Destination was Once the Scene of a Bloody Battle in 1855

Photo by Brandon DesJarlais We know Castle Crags as the beautiful Northern California wilderness area settled just between Shasta Lake and…

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‘Lucky to be Alive’: Surfer Details Vicious Shark Attack on Northern California Coast

Jared Trainor was excited for another fun day surfing on the Northern California coast on Sunday. The Fortuna man was…

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This Underwater Trail in Lake Tahoe is Home to Shipwrecks and Other Historic Artifacts

The history of Lake Tahoe sits at the bottom of its crystal-clear water and it’s now home to an underwater…

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Take this Hike to See Ancient Petroglyphs in Northern California

In the Lava Beds National Monument sits a wall of stone with petroglyphs that are dated as far back as…

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See What it’s Like to be a Smokejumper in Northern California

It’s fire season in NorCal, which means we must keep in mind the brave men and women who put their…

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An Oral History of the Cantara Chemical Spill on the Sacramento River

Northern California is no stranger to disasters. Over time we’ve lived through earthquakes, volcanos, firenados, floods, mudslides and avalanches. Would…

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The Great Northern California Taco Trail

Northern California is typically known as a wonderland for outdoor enthusiasts. From Mount Shasta to cascading waterfalls to National Parks…

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72 Bars on One Road? The Legend of Mount Shasta’s Whiskey Row

The stories of Siskiyou County during the Gold Rush are like something out of a Wild West movie. The town…

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The Literary Titans of Northern California – Part 1

Hunter S. Thompson began his literary journey in San Francisco When you think of famous people associated with Northern California,…

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Livin’ on the Edge: The Time Aerosmith’s Music Video Was Filmed in Northern California

Aerosmith is kind of a big deal. In case you’ve been living in a cave for the past 45 years,…

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20 Horror Movies That Take Place in Northern California

Laurie Strode had a Northern California family reunion with her psychopathic brother Michael Myers in Halloween H2O Northern California is…

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Remembering President JFK’s Trip to Northern California Just Weeks Before His Assassination

On November 22, 1963, President John Fitzgerald Kennedy was assassinated as his motorcade drove through Dallas, Texas. Less than two…

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Eel River Dam Removal is Moving Forward. It Will Create California’s Longest Free-Flowing River.

In April, PG&E’s 50-year license for the Eel River Dams expired, with the company opting against renewing the costly Potter…

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Lake Monsters: Here’s Why Sturgeon Grow to Be So Big in Shasta Lake

Massive sturgeon caught on Shasta Lake in 2018. Photo: Sou Saephan For anyone who’s been lucky enough to take a…

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Among Giants: The Story of the Activists Trying to Save Northern California’s Redwood Forest

How far would you go to stand up for what you believe in? For a group of activists in the…

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UFO Over Lake Tahoe – Proof of Aliens or Elaborate Hoax?

A video on Lake Tahoe went viral worldwide as UFO experts attempt to dissect if it shows proof of alien…

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Meet the Mount Shasta Lizard: The Largest Known Marine Reptile to Ever Live on Earth

Illustration of what the Shastasaurus could look like In 1893, Stanford University’s James Perrin Smith went of a fossil-collecting expedition…

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The Mystery Behind Crater Lake’s Old Man

A trip to Oregon’s Crater Lake should be on every Northern California resident’s Bucket List. And while you’re there, it’s…

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The Largest Corn Maze in the World Sits Right Here in Northern California

In Dixon, California sits a 63-acre fall utopia with a pumpkin patch, hay rides and the largest corn maze in…

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Want to See What the Lemurian City in Mt. Shasta Looks Like? Here Are Illustrations From the Man Who Claims to Have Visited It.

Rendition of the city of Telo in Mount Shasta from Lowell Johnson In 2021 we learned about Lowell Johnson, the…

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The Yosemite Camping Trip that Changed America

I call it a successful camping trip if I don’t forget the mosquito repellant and a roll of TP. But…

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How John Muir Almost Died on the Slopes of Mount Shasta

Many people take the slopes of Mount Shasta for granted. You may see images of people from all over the…

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Outside Magazine Lists the Best Hikes in Northern California National Parks. Here’s Our Take.

Photo by Saketh Garuda A list of the best hikes in every National Park in America was compiled by Outside Magazine,…

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Inside the $75 Million Lake Tahoe Mega-Mansion with a Hillside Tram

One of the most expensive mansions on Lake Tahoe is worth around $75 million and it’s one of the coolest…

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The Adventures of Mark Twain in Northern California

People dream of coming to California to become the next Meryl Streep or Tom Hanks, but hardly the “father of…

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The 5 Best Places to Go Stargazing Around Redding, California

Brought to you by Choose Redding Stars over Chaos Crags When summer arrives in Northern California, the night sky comes…

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Fighting Northern California Wildfires with a Helicopter Flamethrower

While massive wildfires continue to burn through Northern California, fire officials are always looking for new techniques to gain containment…

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The West is on Fire: Short Film Documents the Lives of Surfing Firefighters in California

“I think that when people think of news here in California, they think of large-scale wildfires.” “The entire state’s a…

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Help One of Our Favorite NorCal Photographers as He Deals with 3rd Battle with Cancer

Jake and his daughter in the flowers below Lassen Peak Some of our favorite content in Northern California comes from…

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Yosemite is One of the Most Deadly Rock Climbing Destinations in the World. That’s Why It’s So Popular for Climbers.

Photo by Billy Onjea There are inherit dangers in any rock climbing scenario. Sturdy equipment, knowledge of your surroundings and climbing…

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The Bats of the Yolo Causeway Marvel Onlookers with Nightly ‘Batnadoe’

Flickr/Bev Sykes Every summer just west of Sacramento, roughly a quarter of a million migrating Mexican free-tailed bats settle at…

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The Mysterious Case of the UFO that Flew Over Northern California

The incident began at about 4:30 pm on a seemingly normal day in 2017 when the air traffic controller from…

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Nostalgic Northern California National Park Posters to Hang in Your Home

Rob Decker grew up in the Bay Area and found a love for National Parks at a young age. He…

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Meet the Man Who Built an Off-the-Grid Watertopia Along the Trinity River

There are plenty of people who have built great properties in Northern California. While some people may point to the…

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The Story Behind the Famed Traffic Sign that Kept Getting Stolen in Weed, California

There have been far too many giggles from people driving through Northern California near Mount Shasta who come across the…

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Watch Rob Lowe Search for Bigfoot in the Northern California Wilderness

It’s no secret that Northern California sits as the unofficial home of Bigfoot. So when Rob Lowe and his sons…

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The History Behind the Extravagant Castle Along the McCloud River

You’ve probably heard of the Hearst Castle, the magnificent residence of newspaper mogul William Randolph Hearst. But have you heard…

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Redding Woodworker Creates $65k Table from 1,500-Year-Old Redwood Tree

A woodworking company in Redding recently created a table from a 1,500-year-old redwood tree, selling it to a local restaurant…

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Is It Possible To Jump Off Burney Falls? You’re About To See For Yourself

Years ago we wrote about the legend of Olympic swimmer Johnny Weissmuller, who also played Tarzan in the movies, diving…

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The Real Life Zorro: The Life and Legend of Joaquin Murieta

Some say he was a good man turned renegade when all he held dear was taken from him. Others claim…

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Big Basin’s Story: How a Wildfire Completely Changed California’s Oldest State Park

On August 18, 2020, the CZU Lightning Complex Fire blazed through California’s oldest state park – the Big Basin Redwoods.…

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How We Witnessed the Filming of Top Gun: Maverick in Northern California

It was a beautiful morning in February 2020 when Brien O’Brien (Bob) and I began our 9-mile hike to Feather…

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How the Carr Fire Ushered ‘The New Normal’ into Northern California

On July 23rd, 2018, a flat tire on a trailer sparked a wildfire in the Whiskeytown National Recreation Area. 39…

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An Ode to Squirrels: The Badass Rodents Living in Your Backyard

Photo by Simone Mascellari When a buddy asked if I had seen any of the “Squirrel vs. Rattlesnake” videos on YouTube,…

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The History of NorCal Names – How Redding Was Once Named ‘Reading’

Photo courtesy of the Shasta Historical Foundation Redding, California sits center stage in Northern California, nestled comfortably smack dab in…

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This Northern California Ghost Town is Cursed, According to its Visitors

Flickr/Robert Shea The workers at the Bodie State Historic Park are used to receiving letters in the mail talking about…

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Experience the Magical Sunflower Fields of Northern California

Photo: Pixabay During the summertime in Northern California, you may have found yourself lucky to drive through Woodland, Davis or…

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An Urban Hike to Explore Sacramento’s Spectacular Murals

Improv Alley in Sacramento’s Midtown District It was a beautiful day in Sacramento so I set out to take an…

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The Good Guys and Bad Guys of Historic Northern California – Part 1

Hollywood is obsessed with “good guys and bad guys,” and why not? There’s something very satisfying when good triumphs over…

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The Zodiac Signs as Northern California Destinations

Just like human beings around the world, the destinations of Northern California have distinct characteristics that can bring out thoughts…

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Why Are There Old Train Tracks Going Into Lake Tahoe?

If you’ve ever explored the breathtaking beaches of Lake Tahoe, you may have noticed a rare sight of railroad tracks…

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The Rich History of Star Wars in Northern California

It was in the 1950’s, just east of the Bay Area in Modesto, California, where a young man named George…

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How Star Wars Transformed the Northern California Redwoods into Endor for ‘Return of the Jedi’

In the early 1980’s, the third installment of the wildly popular Star Wars franchise was in production, and creator George…

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The 6 Most Grueling Hikes in Northern California

Sometimes the snowy slopes of Mt. Shasta can look more like Everest. Photo by Todd Diemer  The vast wilderness of Northern…

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