In the spring a young man’s fancy lightly turns to thoughts of boss quadcopter action!

Today may be rainy and thunderstormish, but you can relive the previous days’ glories via these latest Chad Johnson quadcopter-cam videos, which document various verdant settings.

First up: A dog chases a ball through a Seuratian and wildflower-infested Pump Station park:

Second: Woodley Island from above, with wide views of Indian Island and the bay and scary close-ups of the fisherman’s ugly face. Don’t miss the last bit, where Chad takes the copter across the straits to Halvorsen Park. The bird climbs, climbs, climbs up to its very highest heights, giving us a badass panorama of a mean and unworthy city.

PREVIOUSLY:

• Helicopter-Cam Man Chad Johnson Blinds Thomas Dolby With Redwoods
• Quadcopter Camera Films Aerial Views of Tree Trimmers Aloft in Giant Redwoods at the Sequoia Park Zoo
• CamCopter Wizard Chad Johnson Does Mad Motorsports at the Humboldt Garden Party
• Best Kinetic Video (As Of Right Now)

Feast your eyes on the striking movie poster above, Humboldt. Let it burn its awesome terribleness into your retinas. That ghoulish image will soon and forever more be the image that pops up anytime anyone googles “Willow Creek.” Get used to it.

Standup comic-turned-acclaimed film director Bobcat Goldthwait is about to drop his latest movie, a docu-horror love letter to Bigfoot fans titled Willow Creek. If you’re expecting a film that mocks cryptozoologists you’re going to be disappointed —apparently, Goldthwait loves him some Bigfoot lore.

Here’s a plot summary:

Jim and his girlfriend Kelly are in Willow Creek, California, to retrace the steps of Bigfoot researchers Patterson and Gimlin. Kelly is a skeptic, along for the ride to spend time with her boyfriend between acting gigs. Jim, a believer, hopes to capture footage of his own, so his camera is constantly rolling.

The small town is a mecca to the Bigfoot community; sasquatch statues guard the local businesses, murals of the missing link line the roads, and Bigfoot burgers are the town delicacy. The couple interview locals who range from skeptic to believer and from manic to completely menacing. Some of the stories they hear are of chance encounters with a gentle creature, while others are tales of mysterious eviscerations.

On the day that Jim and Kelly plan on hiking into the woods to look for proof, they are given a simple warning: ‘It’s not a joke. You shouldn’t go there.’ Despite the ominous message and Kelly’s own reservations, they head deep into the forest to set up camp. The events that follow will make them wish they had simply spent the night at the Bigfoot Motel.

(Above: Willow Creek director Bobcat Goldthwait at The Forks in Willow Creek.)

Obviously, the local tie in is that Willow Creek the town — or more specifically a spot on the Klamath River near Orleans — was the site of the 1967 Patterson-Gimlin film, the most famous piece of big-footage ever captured. Parts of Willow Creek were shot by Goldthwait and his crew last July in the town that supplies its title. (One sequence, shot in The Forks bar, was accidentally crashed by yours truly.) WC also reportedly features a cameo by local bigfoot enthusiast and Bigfoot Books owner Steven Streufert. (Go, Steve!)

Of course you want to see this, right? Well, Willow Creek is set to have its official premiere as part of the Boston Independent Film Festival on Monday, April 29, which likely doesn’t matter to any of you. But! According to the interview Goldthwait gave to The Bigfoot Report (video posted below, jump to 28:00) the film will make a trek to Humboldt for a special “believers screening” at the “Arcadia Theatre” (he means Arcata, folks) on May 31! 

Holy yes! Let’s all go ‘squatchin’! Someone tell Bobo!

One of Humboldt’s best people turned up on NPR’s “Morning Edition” this morning to talk about her great new book, The Drunken Botanist. Hear Steve Inskeep laugh a little too loudly when his co-host suggests that it might be time for a cocktail!

Audio below.

Audio

PREVIOUSLY

• Local Cilantro Recalled: Chance of Poison Hemlock Contamination
• Amy Puts Down the Runt of the Foer Litter
• It’s Amy Time

Good news for outdoor enthusiasts: the county is working to acquire the McKay Tract, a large forest behind Eureka. It’s not a done deal, but things are looking good. If successful, it could double the size of land managed by the Humboldt County Public Works Department, and create a tremendous new destination for recreation and outdoor activities in Eureka’s backyard. 

The county says it will be solicit public input in April. How can the McKay park learn from the mistakes and successes of the Arcata Community Forest?

Proposed ideas:

• A timber-harvest element that would pay for the management [think Arcata Community Forest] 
• Hiking, biking, and equestrian trails
• Carbon [sequestration] markets
• Conservation easement

[More details, photos, and maps below the jump]

MORE →

UPDATE: Kai Wanted For Murder In New Jersey (AUDIO)

Kai the Homefree Hitchhiker, Humboldt County’s most famous person, just got a new tattoo, y’all! As you can see below, it’s a swirling miasma of mystical symbolism perfectly befitting a man of Kai’s guru-like qualities.

Take a good look, here, and then join me below the photo for a discussion:

Now, I count at least a dozen symbols on this thing. Some of them are easy. Infinity sign — that’s a gimme.

But what are all the rest? What is Kai trying to tell us?

Let’s figure it out — together!

I’m going to make this thing into a contest. Enter your theories in the comments below. I’m going to pick a winner, and that winner will win something — an actual, physical thing. Points for identifying the hardest-to-identify symbols and for developing the most persuasive overarching theory of what Kai is trying to say.

And it all starts … now!