California Trivia & Tidbits - Page 3

—The Mesquite Flat sand dunes, a large expanse of dunes near Death Valley National Park’s Stovepipe Wells in Inyo County (pop. 17,945), are formed by wind and sand from the nearby Cottonwood Mountains. The shifting dunes provide habitat for animals such as sidewinder rattlesnakes that move mainly by night to avoid the harsh daytime heat.

Located on Highway 190, Stovepipe Wells got its name from early travelers who dug wells for water in the area. They used stovepipes to mark the spot so other travelers could see the wells’ locations despite the drifting sand. Today, visitors to the village will find a ranger station, service station, lodge and an airstrip designed for private planes.

—After Digital Equipment Corp. engineer Gordon Bell and his wife, Gwen, discovered in the late 1970s that their collection of computer-related artifacts was outgrowing their space, they created a museum. Today, the Computer History Museum, now located in Mountain View, showcases their artifacts and many more, including a 1935 Enigma encryption machine used during World War II and early personal computers such as the 1976 Apple 1.

—The Hans Christian Andersen Museum in Solvang (pop. 5,332) celebrates the 19th-century Danish author of tales such as The Ugly Duckling and The Emperor’s New Clothes. Featuring first editions of Andersen’s work and a model of his childhood home, the museum also highlights his love for Jenny Lind, the singer known as “the Swedish Nightingale.” Solvang is known for its Danish influences.

Volcanic activity around Mono Lake in Mono County (pop. 12,853) is evident in the lake’s Negit and Paoha Islands, which were formed by eruptions of lava and cinder, and by rising magma that lifted up the sediment layers on the lake bottom. The islands were formed less than 2,000 years ago.

—Established in the 1890s, George Key Ranch in Placentia (pop. 46,488) was one of the original “Sunkist” orange groves, with 12 acres of the citrus fruit. Today, the ranch is an Orange County historical park and museum that preserves the citrus grower’s 1898 home, along with a 1-acre orange grove, and a collection of farm equipment and hand tools. Sarah Jane McFadden reportedly gave Placentia its name, which means “a pleasant place” in Latin, in 1878. She and her husband, William, arrived in the area several years after pioneer Daniel Kraemer purchased 3,900 acres of land in 1865 from Juan Ontiveros, who in 1837 was given a land grant by the Mexican governor. Today, the land comprises Anaheim, Fullerton and Placentia.

—Last year, Vincent Natress, executive chef of Meadowood Napa Valley in St. Helena (pop. 5,950) won the Napa Valley Mustard Festival’s People’s Choice Award for his mustard-inspired dish, Corned Beef and Cabbage Salad. The award is presented annually at the festival, which began in 1994.

—The Los Angeles Zoo brought in a feng shui expert last year to help it create a happy and healthy setting for three golden monkeys on a 10-year loan from China. The enclosure for the blue-faced monkeys—two females and one male—resembles a rural Chinese village; the ancient practice of feng shui is used to create harmony within a space through placement and arrangement of objects.

—Last September near Truckee (pop. 13,864), wildlife officials rescued a bear that had become stranded among the concrete girders under the 80-foot-high Rainbow Bridge on Highway 40. Officials tranquilized the bear and volunteers pushed the animal into a net that they had strung beneath the bridge, and then lowered the net and the bear to the ground.

—Kirkwood Mountain Resort, which is celebrating its 35th anniversary season this winter, is known for the quality of its snow, last year reporting a three-year average of 725 inches. Located near South Lake Tahoe (pop. 23,609), Kirkwood features a base elevation of 7,800 feet. Ole Hanson and Hamilton Cotton co-founded San Clemente (pop. 49,936) in 1925, with Hanson planning the community as a “Spanish village by the sea” that would feature buildings with white walls and red-tiled roofs. His own home reflected his vision: Completed in 1928 and subsequently named “Casa Romantica,” the Spanish colonial revival-style building designed by architect Carl Lindbom now is a cultural center.

—Scientists at the University of California at Davis (pop. 60,308) have discovered that moray eels have two separate sets of jaws. After the first set of jaws bites the prey, the second set—called the “pharyngeal” jaws—moves up from the eel’s throat, grips the prey with its teeth and moves back into the throat with the eel’s next meal.

—Quiltmaker Eleanor Burns launched her career in 1978 by photocopying her first book, Make a Quilt in a Day: Log Cabin Pattern, for readers. Today, her Quilt in a Day company, based in San Marcos (pop. 54,977), offers more than 70 quilting books and sells more than 6,500 copies a week. Burns also produces a television series that appears on many PBS affiliates.

Bob Mathias (1930-2006) became the youngest man to win the 10-event Olympic decathlon when, at the age of 17, he earned a gold medal at the 1948 Olympic Games in London, England. Born in Tulare (pop. 43,994) and having suffered from anemia in his childhood, Mathias went on to win his second Olympic decathlon in 1952 in Helsinki, Finland.

—Six African spotted-neck otters, including two pups, and four Asian small-clawed otters launched the Monterey Bay Aquarium’s “Wild About Otters” exhibit in March in Monterey (pop. 29,674). Actor and wildlife advocate John Cleese narrates video clips that share conservation messages throughout the $3.6-million exhibit, which is part of a Species Survival Plan program focused on breeding and public education that will run through 2010.

—It’s reported that Nevada County’s first car was the Jeffery Steam Automobile, built in Grass Valley (pop. 10,922) in 1901 by Richard Edgar Jeffery. The steam-powered vehicle now is on display at the Nevada County Narrow Gauge Railroad and Transportation Museum in Nevada City (pop. 3,001), which also features Railroad Engine No. 5 from the rail line that included stops in Nevada City and Grass Valley.

—San Francisco-based Cleantech America announced earlier this year that it plans to build the world’s largest solar power farm, covering up to 640 acres, near Fresno. When completed in 2011, the 80-megawatt farm will produce enough electricity for 21,000 homes in the Kings River Conservation District. Cleantech also is planning a five-megawatt solar farm on 40 acres near Mendota (pop. 7,890).

San Jose resident Joey Chestnut set a new world record last Fourth of July, when he ate 66 hot dogs—including buns—in 12 minutes to win the annual Nathan’s Famous Hot Dog Eating Contest at Coney Island, New York. Chestnut competed against six-time winner Takeru Kobayashi, from Japan, to earn the champion’s mustard-yellow belt.

—When George Freeth arrived in Redondo Beach from Hawaii in 1907 to promote the sport of surfing, real estate developer Henry Huntington advertised him as “the man who could walk on water.” Along with teaching and performing, Freeth also is credited with becoming Southern California’s first official lifeguard, and with inventing the “torpedo” rescue device that remains in use today.

—Evan O’Dorney, an eighth-grader from Danville (pop. 41,715), won the 2007 Scripps National Spelling Bee, held in Washington, D.C., in May. He aced the final round of the competition by correctly spelling serrefine, which is a type of forceps. His prize included $35,000 in cash.

—The Joor Muffler Man has been standing at the intersection of East Valley Parkway and Juniper in Escondido since Joor Muffler and Auto Service bought the oversized fiberglass figure in the 1960s. The landmark sports a thin mustache, holds a muffler in his hands, and is dressed in a white shirt and blue jeans—except in December, when he switches to a Santa suit.