California's Gold(1991–2017)

Living History

Inaugural Special

Huell Howser spends this special episode focusing his attention on the inauguration of governors of the state of California. Huell Howser spends this episode speaking with various individuals about the history of inaugurations and California governors. Near the end of the episode Huell attends the inauguration of Governor Pete Wilson. This episode also features Governor Wilson’s speech at the end.

National Special

Huell Howser spends this episode travelling to beautiful, natural locations in California along highway 395. Locations of note include the California Poppy Preserve, Big Pine, Yosemite, and Mono Lake.

Trees

The theme of this episode is trees! Join Huell as he looks back at two episodes showcasing the beauty of tree-themed roadside attractions, Trees of Mystery and Circus Trees.

Coachella Music Festival

This episode is all about the world renowned Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival in Indio. Each spring, this annual three day event attracts over 160,000 music lovers from literally all over the world and we were invited to attend the 2008 festivities for a behind the scenes look at how it all fits together. Not only did Huell hear some amazing music and see some amazing artists’ creations, but he also experienced first hand the positive energy of this festival. This is a first class event in every way its well organized, well run and the people are all first rate.

Desert Adventures

In this special, Huell goes back and revisits episode featuring some of his desert adventures. The first half of this special Huell travels to the Salton Sea to get an up close and personal look at “mudpots,” which only occur three places in the US. The second half features the 1996 footage of local desert resident Leonard Knight and his land art creation, Salvation Mountain, near Slab City. As an update to the story of Salvation Mountain, Huell catches up with Leonard Knight to see what else he’s added to Salvation Mountain.

John Muir Special

Join Huell on this special episode where he meets and speaks to John Muir*, the Scottish-American naturalist who was an early advocate for the preservation and conservation of the America’s beautiful wilderness areas. John Muir also founded the Sierra Club, a prominent conservation organization. Huell gets the rare opportunity to speak with the man himself and learn about his life, his philosophy, and his passion for Yosemite and the environment. In the second half of this special, Huell visits John Muir’s house in Martinez, California and takes an educational tour and learns the history of the house.

Farallon Island

Join Huell as he spends the day with the biologists who live on the Farallon Islands and learns about this wild and beautiful place which is just a group of islands and rocks found 27 miles off the coast of San Francisco, known as California’s Galapagos, they make up the the Farallon National Wildlife Refuge. These wild and remote islands are rich with not only flora and fauna, but human history as well.

Hearst Ranch

Join Huell as he gets a tour of the 80,000 acre Hearst Ranch. He learns about its history and that it is actually still a working ranch… you can even try some Hearst beef!

In-N-Out Burger

Huell takes us on an hour-long California’s Gold special which looks at the history of In-N-Out Burger. This is the first time television cameras have ever been allowed to shoot inside a store. And this special also includes an exclusive behind-the-scenes tour of the In-N-Out Headquarters in Baldwin Park where it all started back in 1948.

Mount Wilson

Founded in December 1904 by George Ellery Hale, Mount Wilson Observatory would quickly rise to dominate astronomy worldwide. The Observatory hosts several of the most technologically advanced facilities in the world and is home to the 100-inch Hooker telescope. In this one-hour special, Huell spends the day at this magnificent location that is not only historic, but plays an important role in California’s scientific research.

Kaiser Steel

Huell meets the retired employees of Kaiser Steel in Fontana. Built in 1942, the mill supplied steel to the Kaiser Shipyard in Richmond during World War II. Although the company closed in 1983, the memories remain in the Kaiser Steel-Fontana Museum, where workers donate their artifacts to an ongoing exhibit. Huell also tours the site today, a working plant now called California Steel Industries.

Buried Treasure

Living History

Join Huell as he spends an entire episode around living history. First, he experiences a recreation of everyday life in a 19th century Russian community at Fort Ross State Historic Park. Next, he sails aboard the state’s official tall ship, the Californian, and see for yourself the site where Sir Francis Drake left a plate of brass when he landed on our California shore.

L.A. Adventures

This adventure is all about Los Angeles! Huell’s adventure begins at the La-Brea Tar Pits and continues through the futuristic-looking Theme Room, also known as the Encounter Restaurant at LAX; then, Huell locates a buried bridge on the campus of UCLA; Next, he finds every conceivable food item, from fruit to cactus leaves, at the bustling Grand Central Market in downtown. Finally, join Huell as he watches the harvesting of grapefruit from a 100-year-old tree in Little Tokyo.

Preserving the Past

Huell takes a tour of the little, quaint town of Locke, founded and settled by Chinese immigrants on the Sacramento River Delta; then he hears ancient Cahuilla Indian bird songs sung by members of the Cahuilla tribe, and participates in a threshing bee and antique engine show in Vista, CA, featuring old farm vehicles and machinery.

Traditions

Join Huell and watch the exciting sport of the charreada or Mexican rodeo at a local Ontario arena; hear the crack of the bat at a baseball game played by the Stockton Ports, the minor-league team believed to have inspired the poem, “Casey at the Bat”; and listen to the sounds of San Francisco’s Golden Gate Park Band, the oldest and only year-round municipal park band performing in the country.

Trains

Huell is ready to celebrate train travel at Railfair ’91 at the California Railroad Museum in Sacramento, and ride the rails at Railtown State Historic Park in Jamestown in the scenic Mother Lode foothill country.

Natural Wonders

In this episode, Huell searches for the tallest, the prettiest, and the rockiest natural wonders in California. Join Huell and hike to the world’s tallest tree in Redwood National Park with a group of fifth graders from a nearby school; admire fields ablaze with golden color of California’s official state flower, the Golden Poppy, at the Antelope Valley California Poppy Reserve in Lancaster; and climb to the top of magnificent Morro Rock for a beautiful view of Morro Bay.

Land Sailing

Point Fermin Lighthouse Lens

There is a reason that those old lighthouses could send a beam of light for many miles out to see. 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 the tower at 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. This story has a happy ending, as the lens comes home Point Fermin once and for all

Water Car

Imagine sitting by the lake on a hot day and watching as a car drives into the water and motors away. Well that’s just what piqued Huell’s interest. Terry Tates parents bought their Amphibious Car in the early 60s and have passed it on to Terry. Huell goes to lake Castaic and gets the ride of his life.

Hearst Castle Landscape

Huell tours the gardens of the world-famous Hearst Castle on our state’s central coast.

Tall Ship Californian

Huell sails aboard the state’s official tall ship, Californian to see just how hard it was for our early settlers to get here. He also enjoys some sea shanties. Follow the link below for info on how you can ride the Tall Ship yourself!

Golden Gate Replicas

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.

Golden Knights

Huell has the adventure of a lifetime, skydiving with the world-famous U.S. Army Golden Knights.

Capitol Steps

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.

Neptune Pool

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 and the highlight of any tour. It is fed by mountain water and is surrounded by ancient Roman style columns and statues. Designed by architect Julia Morgan, the Neptune Pool was started in 1924 and was finally completed after several redesigns and re-buildings in 1936.

Chiriaco Summit

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 nic nacs 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.

Jojoba

Huell visits, with Larry and Donna Charpied, their 10-acre jojoba farm located in the Eagle Mountain/Desert Center of Eastern Riverside County, in the shadow of Joshua Tree National Park Wilderness. Huell learns about the many uses for this desert wonder plant.

Salt

Huell Howser explores salt harvesting and its long history in the San Francisco Bay area. During the Gold Rush of 1849, salt was nearly worth its weight in gold.

Nethercutt Update

Join Huell as he looks back to when he first visited the Nethercutt Museum in Sylmar, a neighborhood in Los Angeles, California, and revisits it to see what has changed and been added to the historic museum.

Trees

The theme of this episode is trees! Join Huell as he looks back at two episodes showcasing the beauty of tree-themed roadside attractions, Trees of Mystery and Circus Trees.

FDR’s Boat

Huell takes an inspirational voyage upon Franklin D. Roosevelt’s Presidential Yacht, the U.S.S. Potomac. Now stationed at Jack London Square in Oakland, the ship is operated by a staff of volunteers and is now open for public tours.

Chavez Center

Huell travels to the Tehachapi Mountains to visit The Cesar Chavez Foundation. Set on 187 acres, the buildings where once home to a tuberculosis hospital and then it’s where Cesar lived and labored during his last quarter century as he fought for better rights for migrant workers. Now the Center is a carrying on Cesar’s dream and welcomes visitors to learn about this important chapter in our states history. Huell gets a very special and personal tour of the Center from Cesar’s son Paul.

S.S. Catalina Update

Huell traces the history of the S.S. Catalina, which carried 24 million passengers to-and-from Catalina Island from 1924 to 1975. Considered by many to be the West Coast’s most storied vessel, the S.S. Catalina fell into disrepair while docked at Ensenada and efforts to rescue and restore the legendary ship ultimately failed. It was dismantled and scrapped. Today, some of the ship’s original signs, doors, and benches decorate the home of Coos Bay resident Dave Engholm, whose love for the S.S. Catalina led he and his family into a remarkable restoration project.

Sea Shadow

Sea Shadow was the Navy’s “Stealth Ship,” a futuristic vessel built in 1984 to test new naval technologies, especially Signature Control, better known as “stealth”. Follow Huell to San Diego for an extraordinary tour, and find out the fate of the now-retired vessel.

Cabrillo’s Ship

Huell travels to Point Loma to learn about the history of Juan Cabrillo’s ship, the San Salvador, which arrived at San Diego Bay on September 28, 1542. We then meet the builders and see the progress of a full-scale replica of the ship at the San Diego Maritime Museum.

Jacaranda

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”.

Spam

This episode is all about Spam! Huell revisits an old episode where he attended the “Best Spam Recipe” contest at the Los Angeles County Fair.

Hot Dog on a Stick Update

In this update episode, Huell revisits his segment on Hot Dog on a Stick. Huell goes off to Santa Monica Beach to the site of the very first Hot Dog on a Stick stand, where he gets a behind the scenes look on the company.

Watts Towers Update

Join Huell as he looks back to when he first visited the Watts Towers in Watts, a neighborhood in Los Angeles, California, back in the 1990s. He revisits the historic landmark, now known as Watts Towers Campus, to see what has changed.

White House

Green Chiles

Join Huell in this hot episode as he spends a morning in La Puente to hang out with green chile aficionados Ray Martinez and his daughter, Rose Fabian, as they sell fresh, roasted green chiles from Hatch, New Mexico.

Persian Festival of Fire

Huell attends an event in El Segundo Beach in Southern California connected with the Iranian New Year’s celebration known as Chahar Shanbeh Soori, or the Persian Festival of Fire. This celebration consists of music, dance, food, and jumping over bonfires.

Animal Acres

A visit with actress Shelley Morrison (Rosario, Karen’s maid on “Will & Grace”) to Animal Acres, a facility caring for neglected and abused farm animals, in Acton.

Pen Collectors

Huell meets a group of fountain pen collectors at their annual meeting.

Watch Convention

Huell attends the timely event (pun intended) of a watch and clock collectors convention held by the National Association of Watch and Clock Collectors. The convention hosts collectors, dealers, sellers, and any person interested in watches and clocks.

Bunny Museum

Join Huell as he hops over to the Pasadena home of Candace Frazee and Steve Lubanski, who have turned their house into a living museum filled with almost everything bunny! Over 21,000 bunny collectibles: most of their furniture, light fixtures, kitchenware, toiletries, books, and games are bunny themed. And lounging around their house, they have seven real bunny pets that do not live in cages, and are litter box trained!

Whistling Champ

Huell visits with the Whistling Champ Carole Anne Kaufman at her salon, then stops in at her Mom’s store – the Wizard of Bras… it’s a combo you won’t want to miss.

Soundwalk

Huell travels to Long Beach and takes a tour of SoundWalk, an annual art show of indoor and outdoor sound-art installations.

Pig Ears

When Huell’s bartender at Musso & Frank told Huell how much he liked to eat pig ears as a child…. well Huell dove right in and learned a lot more than he expected about different cultures and this culinary treat. To see a Latin spin on how pig ears are prepared, Huell stops by Gaytan Foods and sees the pickled pig ears. Then he meets up with Ruben (from Musso’s) at Durango Restaurant where they cook them just like him Mom used to. Finally, he samples a gelatinous Asian delicacy at the Chung King Restaurant.

Getty Villa

Huell visits the Getty Villa on a sunny day on the Malibu coast in the neighborhood of Pacific Palisades. The Getty Villa is one of the two locations of the J. Paul Getty Museum, the other location being the Getty Center in Los Angeles.

Ablitt House

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

Backdrops

Join Huell as he literally gets a look at what is behind the scene when he visits Grosh Backdrops. They have been providing backgrounds to movies, TV shows, theaters and even school plays since 1932.

The Two Anns

Huell takes a trip to The French Garden in downtown Los Angeles, but this time he brings along two very special lunch dates: silver screen legends Ann Rutherford and Anne Jeffreys.

Sauerkraut

In 1896 the Kruegermann family started making pickles in Germany. The family immigrated to California in 1965 with their secret family recipes for not only pickles but sauerkraut as well. Huell spends the day with this wonderful family at their 25,000-foot facility and learns all about the art of sauerkraut!

Champion Turf

Come along with Huell as he takes a tour of Champion Turf Equipment in Los Angeles California. Huell gets to see first-hand how Champion Turf’s craftspeople hand-craft saddles and other horse equipment.

Lemon Lily Festival

The Idyllwild Lemon Lily Festival highlights the uniqueness and rarity of one of Idyllwild’s most precious native flowers. This beautiful lily that grows only above 4000 feet is a true gem. Join Huell and the good people of Idyllwild as they spend the day celebrating the Lemon Lily, there’s even a Lemon Lily song!

Big Nugget

Huell attends the Long Beach Coin, Stamp & Collectibles Expo where a recently-discovered 100-ounce gold nugget is on public display. The “Washington Nugget” is the largest verifiable California gold nugget in existence. We also meet with the colorful dealers and collectors who make this expo so unique.

Outpost

“Outpost” was once the largest neon sign in the world and stood above Runyon Canyon near Hollywood during the 1920s. The neon sign was a rival at that time to the Hollywoodland sign, and amazingly has been brought out of the past by Huell. Discover this California landmark, as it currently lies covered by weeds and dirt above the modern day Runyon Canyon Hills.

Bassett Hound Picnic

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.

Camel Dairy

Huell visits the Oasis Camel Dairy east of San Diego where he gets to milk a camel, plays with baby camels, and learns about camel milk products.

Donuts

Join Huell as he discovers an obscure part of donut history: the connection between National Donut Day and The Salvation Army.

Tallest Building

This episode has Huell visiting the First Interstate building which is the tallest building west of the Mississippi (73 floors) and goes off the top with the window washers.

Nethercutt Update

Join Huell as he looks back to when he first visited the Nethercutt Museum in Sylmar, a neighborhood in Los Angeles, California, and revisits it to see what has changed and been added to the historic museum.

Tales from the Golden Empire

This episode, “Tales from the Golden Empire” has Huell exploring Kern County of California. The first stop on this journey is the gold-mining town of Randsburg. The next stop in the episode is morminging, but this time with Excel Mineral Company’s opal sedimentary clay, also known as cat litter! Fittingly, the third stop in this journey throughout Kern County is the Exotic Feline Breeding Compound in Rosamond. The fourth stop on this trip has Huell continuing to see the care that goes into animals in the county by visiting the Facility for Animal Care and Treatment at California State University, Bakersfield. The fifth and final stop is the Mojave Desert to learn about the long-time tradition of sheep herding by members of the Basque community.

Food Special

This episode compiles several Videolog segments, all focused around food! In this mouth-watering episode Huell visits the Aloha Market, The Fountain of Youth juice bar, La Fama Bakery, and lastly, Fosselman’s Ice Cream Company.

Animal Special

This special compiles various Videolog segments all focused around animals! This special stars esteemed guests such as Uncle Milton and his ants, a lot of Basset Hounds, some big cats from Kern County, and Nita the Elephant. So join Huell if you want to see all the kind of animal fun that California has to offer.

L.A. Remembered

In this episode, Huell takes some time to remember wonderful Los Angeles landmarks. Some famous landmarks include Clifton’s Cafeteria, Leader Beauty Shop, and the Sunset Plaza Apartments.

Potpourri Special

Typically, Huell Howser’s compilation specials centers around a certain theme, but this episode has no theme. Instead, this episode takes a little bit of everything from the Videolog series. Huell visits Wilmon Brookins house to see her well-kept lawn, an event honoring the barbershop quartet the Quiet Don Quartet, and a reception celebrating the statue of Roman goddess Pomona (the namesake of the city of Pomona). Lastly, Huell gives us an update on a collection of folk art created by John Ian, also known as Old Trapper.

Music Video

Huell’s television first!!! Will it be a hit or will dogs be howling all over our viewing area? Will Huell be the next recording star to come out of Nashville? Well, after his visit to the Musicians Institute (Visiting episode #1805), Huell was so inspired that he grabbed the mic and recorded his own version of “California, Here I Come” accompanied by the students who also produced the rock video.

Oil Workers

Join Huell as he travels to the town of Taft to celebrate it’s 100 years as an incorporated city with a celebration called Oildorado Days that takes everyone back to a time when rugged pioneers carved out a bustling community in the middle of one of the world’s most productive oil fields. There is everything from an oil field skills contest, queen pageant, melodrama and a petroleum industry trade show. We cap off the adventure with a dedication of a huge bronze statue of an oil worker that is sure to become a focal point of this historic town.

Lunar Landing

Huell travels to Edwards, California to visit Dryden Flight Research Center, which is NASA’s primary center for atmospheric flight research and operations. Before man could walk on the moon, they had to land safely and the Lunar Lander needed a lot of fine-tuning. Huell meets up with some of the men who spent many hours working on and flying that amazing craft in preparation for the first moon landing.

Sturgeon’s Mill

Huell visits a lumbermill… or is it a working museum? Join Huell, the founders great-grandson and a cast of characters at this historic place.

Snow Goose Festival

Huell travels to Chico to join the celebration of the arrival of thousands of waterfowl that come from the north to spend their winters in the temperate North Valley climate. Snow Geese, Tundra Swans, Sandhill Cranes, Pintail Ducks and many more, fill the rice fields and wildlife refuges throughout the area. The Snow Goose Festival has grown to be one of the major Birding and Wildlife events in the state of California and you’ll be amazed at the shear beauty of this spectacle.

Old Wood

Join Huell on his quest to find some really old wood. The first stop is up in Knights Ferry to see the longest covered bridge West of the Mississippi. Then Huell goes even further back in time and walks us through the petrified forest by Calistoga, CA.

Flagpoles

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!

Baseball Sod

Spend the day with Huell at Angel’s Stadium as he meets up with the good folks at West Coast Turf and learns all about the grass that they install at venues all over California.

Starr Ranch

Huell travels to Orange County to the Starr Ranch Sanctuary. He gets a special tour of the facility and takes a close look at their “Owl Cam” which is amazing. Starr Ranch Sanctuary is a 4,000 acre preserve owned and operated by the National Audubon Society. It is located in the foothills of the Santa Ana Mountains in southeastern Orange County, California, approximately 60 miles southeast of Los Angeles.

California Restaurants

Huell visits two California restaurants that are great examples of “California’s Gold”. Foster’s Freeze has been a tradition since 1946 when George Foster opened his first store and the company now owns over 90 locations and has become a California favorite. Founded by the five Havadijas brothers, the first Farmer Boys restaurant opened its doors in Perris, California in 1981. Their generous portions and farm-fresh food quickly gained a loyal following and at last count there were 68 Farmer Boys restaurants at locations all over Southern and Central California and in Nevada.

Crookedest Street

Huell goes in search of the crookedest street in the world. A small section of Vermont Street in the Potrero Hill section of San Francisco is just miles away from the more famous Lombard Street. Which street is crookeder? Huell grabs a gang of experts and finally solves this mystery.

Vincent Price Art Museum

Huell tours the Vincent Price Art Museum, which opened in May 2011 at East Los Angeles College in Monterey Park. The museum contains 9,000 items, many of which were donated by the late actor. Victoria Price leads the tour of her father’s vast collection of fine art and shows why this gallery is one of Los Angeles’s best kept secrets. We also look back at Huell’s original 1989 ‘Videolog’ interview with Vincent Price himself.

Land Sailing

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!

Rain Bird

Huell explores the history of Rain Bird, a sprinkler manufacturer with a remarkable history beginning with a Glendora citrus farmer named Orton Englehart who invented the first impact sprinklers in the 1930s. Rain Bird also demonstrates their latest in sprinkler technology.

Headwaters Forest Reserve

Join Huell as he gets a tour of this historic and controversial piece of land… all 7500 acres of it! Located way up north by the town of Eureka, Huell sees some of the rusting remnants of Falk, CA an old logging town, and walks among 1000 year old growth Redwoods, and learns about the other flora and fauna that make this spot such a great piece of California’s Gold!

Coit Tower

Coit Tower was built on top of Telegraph Hill in 1933 at the bequest of Lillie Hitchcock Coit to beautify the City of San Francisco; Lillie bequeathed one-third of her estate to the City of San Francisco “to be expended in an appropriate manner for the purpose of adding to the beauty of the city which I have always loved”. Huell spends the day exploring all aspects of this San Francisco landmark, including the beautiful murals that adorn the lobby with the descendants of one of the original artists.

Catalina Casino

Huell gets special tour of a California icon: the Catalina Casino. It has been the focal point of Santa Catalina since it opened over eighty years ago on May 29, 1929. Completely restored just a few years ago, the ballroom retains its original romantic style – with beautiful rose-hued walls, an arching, fifty-foot ceiling and five Tiffany chandeliers.

Elvis House

Huell visits the Elvis Presley Estate in Palm Springs and gets a tour of one of only five homes in the world actually owned by Elvis Presley — and was his ‘get-a-way spot’ from 1970 until he died in 1977. Today it has new owners who respect its past history and are lovingly preserving it for future generations to visit and enjoy. It is a rare peek inside the 5100 sq. ft. mansion that is called Graceland West!

Cape Mendocino Lighthouse

Join Huell as he travels to the western-most point in California in search of the Cape Mendocino Lighthouse which was activated in 1868 and finally abandoned in the 1970’s. After over 20 years of neglect a group of locals banded together to move the light house to Shelter Cove and restore the lighthouse to its former glory. Huell also stops at the entrance to the Humboldt County Fairgrounds where a full-sized replica of the lighthouse actually houses the original fresnel lens.

Masumoto Family Farm

Huell travels to Central California to visit the 80 acre Masumoto Family Farm. Huell’s host is David “Mas” Masumoto and his family who have a deep connection to the land. Mas is an award winning author of such books as “Epitaph for a Peach” and “Wisdom of the Last Farmer, Harvesting Legacies from the Land”

Michael Adams

Huell travels north to the Yosemite Valley to meet up with Michael Adams. Michael is the son of Ansel Adams, arguably our countries most famous photographer. They travel through the valley and learn about why this place was so important to Ansel. Huell gets some very personal insight into the mind of Ansel and also learns about the family’s early history in Yosemite. The backdrop to this adventure is as good as it gets.