All Hail Huell

RIP Huell Howser. You brought your viewers much joy and I secretly wanted to be you.

For those of you not familiar with dear Huell’s work, he was the longtime charming and folksy host of California’s Gold- a love letter of a travel show to California’s beauty and people. As a former Los Angeles resident, I loved tuning in to watch Huell tour the great Eureka state. His sweet Tennessee drawl always charmed the pants off of even the surliest of Californians as he led us through small towns, natural wonders and the quirkiest of landmarks with a wide-eyed, child-like exuberance.

This was not a flashy, race to the finish travel reality show. This was a travel documentary in slow form airing on PBS for 18 years, all 18 of seasons produced by Huell himself. This was a guy who really knew how to stop and smell the roses, we can all learn a lot from Heull.

I admired his love for the land and the people, and that he took us on his journey- at times a bit hokey, but truthfully that’s what I loved about it. I love Huell’s travel tales as much as Charles Kuralt’s, Bill Geist’s and now Mo Rocca’s. Not many outside of the Golden Bear State know about Huell, but to us Californians, he is a true treasure. Thank you Huell, you are missed.

Huell Howser above, in the Antelope Valley and all its glory. He passed away of natural causes on January 7, 2013 at the young age of 67.

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