>> well, hello, everybody. i'm huell howser. get ready for an adventure. right now, we're right off highway 14 in kern county and look at all of this behind me. i've been hearin' about this place, readin' about this place, seein' pictures of this place for years now, but this is my first opportunity to actually spend some time here and it is overwhelming. and if you think this is beautiful, look over here. this is otherworldly. it's spectacular. it's magnificent. and ron, you're the superintendent of this place. where are we right now? >> we are at red cliffs natural preserve in red rock canyon state park, and this red rock canyon state park is 27,000 acres of beautiful cliffs

that you see here in the background. >> well, now, when you say "beautiful cliffs," that's the understatement. what are we lookin' at? why is it this color? and i assume this is why red rock canyon got its name. >> that is correct, huell. the area here has a transverse fault called the garlock fault that comes off the sierra nevadas and tehachapi mountains, and this area was covered with a lot of sand and sedimentary rock many, many years ago in the miocene, the pliocene era. well, then, later came a volcanic surge and laid over it, and then with this fault uplifted, and most of these-- all these cliffs, besides this cliff, faced to the south, and as the wind and rain came along, it eroded and made these fabulous curtains as you go down and see these cliffs here in red rock canyon. >> yeah, not only-- oh, look over here, when you talk about curtains, this is just spectacular. not only the color, which is the first thing that hits you, but the formations themselves.

this is--i've never seen anything like this in california and i know that you wanted us here early this morning while the sun was hittin' it just perfectly because it really just pops out at you when you see it. >> that's correct, and this area right here is along highway 14. many people come see it as they come through here. it's the postcard of red rock canyon state park. many commercials and films had been shot here because it's unique. it's always an ongoing story, and many more places to see throughout the park. >> yeah, i know. this is just-- we've just barely even gotten into the park. this is what you can see just drivin' down highway 14. this is a huge park. we're gonna be spendin' the whole day here. we're startin' off in front of what you call the postcard, and a beautiful postcard it is. let's take a look at it right here because this is where we're gonna be spendin' the day, right here at this beautiful park, red rock canyon state park,

which is definitely one of "california's golden parks." ron, we may never get into the park because the red cliffs natural preserve here is just overwhelming, and when you walk up to these formations, it really begins to show you how small we are and how big they are. this is absolutely breathtaking. >> very much, sir. >> so, look at this. i don't know whether the camera can see this or not, but we are standin'-- i feel like i'm in the grand canyon. >> you know, it really humbles us, you know, to--in this area. and that's why it became a state park in 1981 because of the huge significant value and aesthetic that we see here and people are inspired by them. >> now, talk about somethin' that puts you in your place, standin' here makes you feel very small.

give everybody a wave, ron. here we are and look at this above us. it's magnificent. okay, now we have come not over a half a mile from where we were earlier at red cliffs. i've hooked up with jim. you're a docent here, a volunteer, right? >> that's correct, yes. >> and where are we now? because this is spectacular right here. >> this is hagen canyon, the opening to hagen canyon, and rudolph hagen was a german immigrant who came in here around 1900 and he bought up all the old mining claims and he turned this into his own personal park. >> wait a minute. his own personal park. >> he bought the mine claims and then he was here for about 20, 25 years, and his son also lived here with h and he died while he was here and that's why you see so many things named ricardo because his son's name was ricardo. he also had a post office here. and during world war i, since he was a german immigrant, they took his post office rights

away from him. so he just continued on with this as his park, he ran tours, he named everything. one of the most famous ones is that turk's turban right there. >> turk's turban. >> because it looks like a head with a turban around it. and it fell off from up above and came down and just set itself right there in the ground. >> wow. >> and it's been one of the-- on almost all the famous postcards from this area, have a picture of turk's turban on it. >> lots of postcards from this area, but boy, you can't take a bad picture here. >> it's almost impossible. and also in black and white, at certain times of the day, the--it's just incredible, the kind of relief and contrast you get with black and white photograph. >> that looks like a wall up there on the top going across the top. but that couldn't be a wall. >> that's actually basalt. that's lava flows that flowed in here on top of some of this other stuff many million years ago. and you have the basalt, that flowed in on top, and that's why it's black

and a different color. and you can see how it has sloughed off down the hills right into the sandstones. >> boy, this is like a timeline here. >> it is. >> you're standin' here, looking at this, isn't it? >> it's like a geology textbook and-- >> yeah, i would imagine a lot of geology students come out here, don't they? >> they come out, usually every spring, and they have crews that comout and they get licensed and they go around and they do digs and they find incredible fossils throughout the place. now, years ago, fossils were actually stickin' out the face of these cliffs, but they've long been taken out so now it's much harder to find the fossils, but they have found things like rhinoceros, elephants, camels, horses-- >> here? >> --yes. ten million years ago, there was a rhinoceros here in this area and this wasn't a desert. it was a juniper-pine forest, lots of rain, had rivers flowing into basins and there was lots of water. >> boy, you know your history. you must give a lot of tours. >> i do this every day. >> i figured you did.

now-- >> i've been doing it for 12 years. >> we hooked up specifically 'cause, are we gonna hike right out in here because this, one of the claims to fame of red rock canyon. this is like a back lot on a movie studio. >> oh, yes, it is. about 120 movies have been shot in this area. >> now, see what i'm hikin' back here. i'm overwhelmed by the size, by the spectacular vastness of what we're doin', but right now jim has promised that he's gonna show us a place up here that's very small, that most people would never see and it's gonna provide us quite an experience. i'm not sure where we're going, but jim hadn't let us down yet. so here we go. and here we are, here it is right here. what are we lookin' at here, jim? >> we're looking at one of the typical rock windows. we have a lot of them

through the park here. and they're created by wind, mostly. >> a rock window. >> yeah, there's a society here in the united states that goes around and records all the rock windows. >> can we go in there? >> it's a big deal. yes, you can. >> let's go take a look out the window. boy, this is unexpected. come on over here with me, jim. here we are. we're lookin' out the rock window. and boy, it's a beautiful view lookin' out here too. >> yeah, you can really see all the beautiful terrain around here. >> yeah. >> all the different types of volcanic material. >> i've never looked out a rock window before. this is another first. >> you see, we have about six or eight of 'em here in the park. >> well, i know you're jaded, but this is exciting for me. >> we have one more right there. >> uh-huh. >> so if you keep panning around, you'll see another rock window back there. >> another red rock, another famous movie story, another famous movie star story,

jim. >> right. and this rock behind me here, right in the middle, with the red cap on it, ronald reagan, back in his early days when he was a movie star, got shot in a western film and was killed and fell off the top of that rock and he was chasing his brother who was a cattle rustler, but he didn't know it was his brother. so when he looked down and saw the guy, he hesitated when he saw it was his brother and his brother shot him-- >> oh, my gosh. >> --and he fell off. >> fell off that rock. >> fell off the rocks. >> and to this day, when you give your tours, this is called? >> ronald reagan's rock. >> ronald reagan's rock. >> because everybody recognizes the name and says, "oh, yeah, president reagan." >> there're angles in this park. >> yes, there are. a lot of angles. when this park was originally-- when this territory was originally formed many, many millions years ago, it was a lake bed, and in the bottom of that lakebed, layer after layer after layer of sandstone over the millions of years, and then a volcanic and tectonic action

cracked the lakebed and tilted it up so that what you're seeing all the way through here is these tilted rocks. >> and there's a specific angle to these rocks. >> about 17, 17 1/2 degrees throughout the park. >> why 17 degrees? >> nobody knows for sure. it just happens to be the angle that everything broke off at and slid back. >> so that's a 17-degree angle and there are 17-degree angles all through the park. >> throughout the park. >> there are red rocks in this park, but look over here, that's not red. oh, look. that's modern history. >> coming right out of edward's air force base. >> the old and the new. >> yeah, that's it. >> now, let's look over here, at this. this isn't red. this is pink. >> okay, that's pink and that's from a pyroclastic volcanic explosion that happened many million years ago. and material blew out just like mount st. helens and-- >> so it's a huge, huge explosion. >> massive explosion

and all this material flowed in here and then it settled down and solidified, and it's pink because it was a very foamy material, a very foamy air-filled material. >> wow. >> so that's why it's a different color from the black basalt that was a slow flow that came in later. >> and the red rock which is sandstone. >> sandstone that was at the bottom of the lakes. >> see, i'm learning my geology-- >> isn't it amazing? >> --pretty quickly. yeah, but i guess most people ask these same questions, don't they? >> absolutely, the same questions. they look at all of this and say "why, why, why?" and that's my job, is to explain to 'em how this happened and why it is the way it is. >> now, this really just happened. this was not planned, was it, jim? >> no, it was not. >> you were reachin' down to pick up this piece of basalt to show us what basalt looked and felt like, and this basalt was put here approximately how many years ago? >> oh, many million-- 10, maybe as much as 13, 14 million years ago. >> give or take, a few million years. >> right. >> all right. so we got the basalt. that's 13 million years old,

then, cameron, our cameraman, was walking around and with his cameraman eyes spotted what? >> that's a piece of pottery, and that pottery could be as much as a hundred years old and probably came through with settlers that came through here back around 1900 or earlier, and the hallmark still visible on the back of it. and, you know, the right people can look at this and identify it and tell you were it was made and approximately when. >> so we got everything here. there's a lot going on, there's a lot to see, and there's a huge timeline here at red rock canyon state park. >> yes, and what's nice is it's all exposed. it's all been uplifted and exposed so you can see literally anywhere from seven to 13 millions years of geologic history here, and it's just here for everybody to look at. >> and this little piece of-- >> piece of modern man shows up. >> a pottery kind of came to the surface and exposed itself too. >> right. >> so it's all here. boy, when you start lookin', and this is a perfect place

to demonstrate it, we're standin' behind what look like flat tables here. this is sandstone, but it's white sandstone. >> that's correct and it's white because it's got some ash from volcanic ash that came into this area and it turned it slightly white. >> now, isn't that sandstone too? >> that's also sandstone and that's got iron ore in it which turns it the rusty color and you can see the rust coming right down, washing right out of it. >> well, yeah, and also, see, it looks like it was formed by water, by waves. >> yeah. it was formed in lakebeds and in stream beds, so it sort of takes-- it shows the path the water took and then, of course, it got compressed over the years and still shows some of the original shapes of the flow of this material. >> where did this color come from? from iron ore which what? washed from-- >> from up in the sierras-- there's lot of iron ore up in there, and that material washed down in the lakebeds and it would-- when it was coming

from that direction, you'll get the red-colored stones and you can always tell by looking at these cliffs which particular areas flowed in from the sierras. >> yeah. can we walk over here? i know we're not supposed to touch, but boy, it's just so beautiful. it just kind of glistens in the sunlight. this is a beautiful-- this is like a piece of art. >> yes, it is. that's why it's so beautiful and why people love it here. it's the beauty and grandeur of red rock canyon state park. >> we're walking down an old wagon road. and before we talk about the road, if you thought it couldn't get any better than what we've seen already, look at this. every turn you make, jim, it's another homerun. >> yes, it is. it just keeps going and going and going. >> all right. now, let's talk about this road because it's a road right through here and you said it went up through that point up there. what was this road all about?

>> well, back around the turn of the century and maybe a little bit before, there was people who traveled through here in wagon trains and there was one of these roads that came up through and over the top there. >> wait a minute. a wagon train could come through this country? >> yes, it could. they took wagon trains through some awesome country around here. >> wow. >> and, remember, bein' pulled by horses and oxen, they could go through some pretty terrible terrain. >> boy, they must have. as terrible and as hot as it was, they must have been at least excited when they saw somethin' like this. >> oh, yeah. i'm sure that just beauty and grandeur of all this kept them pretty happy and they didn't worry too much about the heat. >> all right. let's walk down the road because today, this old road is part of the hiking trail. this is where people come to hike back here in the back country. it just goes all the way back through that gap up there. we have arrived on the surface of another planet.

at least, that's what it looks like to me, jim. this has gotta be one of the favorite stops on your hiking tour. >> yes, it is. and the people come back here and we always explain to them that several famous movies, one of mars and one of the moon, was made back here. >> what were those movies? >> the movie was "destination mars" and "rocketship x-m." [music] >> this looks other-worldly. look at this over here. all the way around here, and boy, you can see that 17-degree angle right up there when you know what you're lookin' at and then this is where we just hiked from. how far from the road are we? seems like about 10, maybe 20 miles.

>> no, i don't think so. we're probably about a mile at the most. >> oh, that's it. so this is available for people. lots opeople could come and see just what we have seen today. >> and we bring the people back here all the time on our tours, and you can come back here on your own, too. i mean, there's trail markers and, you know, you can come back here-- >> wow. this is so interesting. it's such a surprise to see this. it's a whole 'nother look from everything we have seen so far. and look up here, at the sight of this hill here, this mountain. this is a feast for the eyes. there's no bad shot, there's no bad angle. photographers must go crazy here. >> they do. they--and they come back constantly by themselves so they can get the right sun angles. they'll sit back here half a day to get just the right angle so they can get their contrast just right. >> yeah. >> and they return. and just like cameron said, "i'm gonna have "to come back here on my own and get some of this stuff--" >> yeah. because the different angles

at the different times of the day show a different look. but let's just look right out here. it doesn't get any prettier than that. lots of layers, and you can see all the way back to where we started on this mile-long hike even though it seems like about 10. it was just a mile. we had spotted a camel out here in the desert. camel sighting right here. >> yeah. that's camel rock right there and you can notice that it does have the shape of a camel, including the hump on his back and everything so-- >> now, who discovered-- who named that camel rock? who saw that the first time? >> probably rudolph hagen 'cause he came through here and named almost all of the unique formations back in the 1910, 1915 time when he ran this place. >> now, when people walk by here, they probably, unless you point that out, don't realize it looks like a camel, or do people notice it? >> some people notice it, but most of them you have to point it out before they really see it and then they go, "oh, yeah. i see. that is a camel." >> thank you, sir, for this tour.

this has been absolutely wonderful and in conversation with jim along the trail, i found out that before he became a volunteer docent here at red rock canyon state park, you were in aerospace for 40 years and helped build the space station. >> that's correct. yes, i did. >> well, you're still in space out here. look at this. >> that's why i like it so much. >> well, congratulations. you're doing a great job. when you come out here to visit the park, maybe you'll get jim as one of your tour guides. another one of his talents is playing the harmonica. so as a segue from this segment to the next segment of this adventure. we're just gonna leave you out here in space, playing the harmonica, okay? >> all right. >> go for it. [music]

the adventure continues. red rock revealed in layers. we have now come inside to the visitor center to cool off. we'd met up with another volunteer docent. jim was a volunteer, the fellow who took us on the hike. lou, you're a volunteer as well, and you're here to tell us about the fossils that have been found in red rock canyon over the years. jim was telling us, i think he mentioned elephants and rhinoceros, is that right? >> yeah, that's right. around 10,000 years ago, the actual terrain that we have out here was totally different. the animals that we're finding are more like camel-like giraffes, and we have-- >> wait a minute. giraffes? >> yeah. >> oh my gosh. and wait a minute, over here, here is the-- >> this is the actual-- the bone of a gomphothere where its tusk is shown

right in here. >> a gomphothere means elephant, doesn't it? >> it's a type of an elephant, and here it is right there. >> oh, there it is, over there. >> it's got a short trunk, not normally what we see in the african elephants but we did have that type of animal out here. >> wow. >> and here is one of its bones right in here. >> wow. so, all of this was found-- was it found on the park itself? >> yes. it's found in the local area. what they do-- a lot of times what happens is when caltrans starts doing highway work out here and they have to go ahead and move some materials, and all of a sudden they find bones out there. >> they'll give you a call late at night and say, "get out here." all right. let's look over here because this is a very interesting display. it just goes on and on. we have got cats and dogs. were these big cats and dogs? >> they're about the size-- they can range anywhere from the size of a cougar to a small cat, house cat. >> wow. so the place was-- these were undomesticated, obviously. >> definitely, definitely. >> this was how many years ago? >> over 10,000 years ago. >> wow. camel ankles down here.

camel footprints. horse teeth up here. sabertooth--oh, look at that. from the cougar. boy, these were big animals, weren't they? >> oh, yes. definitely, they were. carnivorous-type animals that we've had here. >> now, we're ending up right here by this nice little painting over here because this-- a picture is worth a thousand words, isn't it, lou? >> right. exactly. 10,000 years ago, this is what where we're standing at right now used to look like. >> green, not red. >> green. lush grasses growin' there, a lot of rain, a lot of water. and that was able to support this type of life. but as they started drying up, the animals started disappearing and dying off because they were not changing with the environment, but other animals came in in its place and started taking over. that's why we have these fossils. >> so, these fossils were stuck in all of these layers-- >> yes. >> --that we're seein' today when we hiked around

red rock canyon. >> exactly. exactly. >> wow. it's an amazing story that is told right here. you're summing up something that happened-- how many years ago these animals were here? >> we are looking at these animals found here were from about 10,000 years but we can go almost back to the periods where the pleistocene almost about a millions years ago. >> really? >> yes. >> so the fossil history, the animal history of this part of california goes way back. >> way back. >> and thank goodness, it's been preserved. >> yes, definitely. >> and thank goodness, caltrans is still finding this stuff when it's widening highways. >> exactly. that's where most of the finds come from, accidentally. >> okay. we have left the visitor's center. and what makes this whole adventure so interesting is that everywhere we have been so far today, all the things we have seen, all the adventures we've had, have taken place in about 10 acres out of 27,000 acres

in red rock canyon state park. you can hike this park, you can go on horseback through the park, and ron, you can do what we're doin' right now and drive through the park. what's that all about? >> that's correct. we have over 30 miles of primitive roads that are available for vehicles that are high clearance, two-wheel drive, some four-wheel drive that are needed in this area. and you can drive on these roads, but just don't ask you that you don't drive off-road, that you can get to many destination points in the back country by these primitive road systems that we have maps for at the visitor's center. >> so people can come to the visitor center, get a map, and kind of start out on their own kind of self-guided tour. and i'm not sure i would know for sure with any great certainty where i was headin' but it really doesn't make any difference, does it? because almost anywhere you go

on these roads, you're gonna have a true, honest-to-goodness california back road experience. >> that is correct, yes. >> and we're bumpin' along. >> yes. >> which is part of the adventure. we didn't say it was gonna be smooth. we said it was gonna be an adventure. >> and these are primitive roads, so they kind of go with the territory. >> boy, what a wonderful day we have had and how many surprises did we discover here. thank you so much, ron. we have seen the fossil history, we have heard about the movie history, we have heard about the human history, the mining history, we have hiked, we have driven, we have walked, we have discovered. boy, there is a lot to see and do here and i'm a little bit embarrassed that for all these years, but it's happened with a lot of people, we have driven right by this place, highway 14 is just

a hundred yards from here. i haven't stopped until today but, i guarantee you, i'll be back. >> very good. >> you'll be here. >> we want everybody to come back and we'll be here, yes, we will. >> we're just glad you made it out of the canyon back there with your harmonica okay. >> yeah. good. >> he played the harmonica for us. pull that harmonica out and play a little bit more for us as we say goodbye. we have had a wonderful day here at the park, red rock canyon state park, which is definitely one of "california's golden parks." oh, we got a duet going here. [music] captioning performed by peoplesupport transcription & captioning

we ended up what we started with a surprise, and we ended up with a surprise. it's all part of red rock canyon state park, one of california's-- i'll say it again, one of "california's golden parks." red rock canyon state park is well worth a visit. and if you'd like to go on this particular adventure again or share it with family and friends, it's available on video cassette and on dvd. all you have to do is call 1-800-266-5727 and we'll be glad to send it to you right away.

[captioning made possible by california farm bureau federation] >> coming up on "california country"... they're small, but they're mighty popular this time of year. then the hills are alive as a community gets to work harvesting liquid gold. next, it's off to the races as we get a behind-the-scenes tour of a true california classic. it's all ahead, and it starts now. as the farm to fork concept has grown, farmers are used to hearing from chefs on what they like and what will make a great dish. for example, the foreign cinema restaurant in san francisco has garnered local, national and international acclaim

as a quintessentially san francisco dining experience. all thanks to their flair for keeping the menu local and fresh. a list of seasonally inspired fare is what restaurant legends are made of. but as any good chef will tell you, they are nothing without their ingredients. >> the menu is really from just a lot of local farmers around here. >> but at the top of today's menu is watermelon. that's right, the once picnic staple is now moving into more and more white tablecloth eateries as more people discover it is an important meal component, not just a colorful garnish. >> we saw that, it's just very refreshing to pair watermelon with something savory like a salad. >> while the traditional large seeded varieties are still the standard in the industry, there is evidence that chefs and consumers are beginning to want something different. >> for me, it's hard for me to buy a big watermelon. i don't have a place to store it. so i usually try-- i get a half.

>> and now, farmers are listening. not only to chefs but consumers as well, as they grow produce to match a demand for smaller, sweeter fruits. and in a world of supersized menus, some fruit are actually shrinking, which is apparent at the hammond ranch in fresno county. here, small, round watermelons, about the size of cantaloupes, are now being bred to match the declining size of the average american household and a taste for something new. >> we understand the public's looking for convenience, and there's nothing more convenient than these personalized watermelons. they're so easy to store, and they store for a lengthy period of time. so i think it's the future. >> and while the watermelons may be small, the harvest is a big one. and what amounts to a giant easter egg hunt, some of the most skilled eyes and hands in the business scour the green vines looking for signs of ripeness. >> these folks have a trained

eye to know when the color is just right. >> the many watermelons that thrive at mike's farm are part of a resurgence in the whole industry. consumers are now snatching up nearly 83 million pounds of the fruit a year. which is exactly why mike and other growers were approached by the orange county-based farm dulcinea to grow the new melons, as well as other exciting and different fruits and vegetables that the public was demanding. >> the thought process behind the development of dulcinea farms was in the beginning, we looked at the category of produce and asked consumer what they were most dissatisfied with. and based on their answers, we took the 13 products that they were most dissatisfied with from a consumer standpoint, and we went back to our parent company syngenta a asked us what type of products did they provide that really brought those consumer attributes back to the category. >> and what they came up with

was a first--demographic demand agriculture. instead of farmers picking what and why to grow the crops they did, consumers were now dictating choices. and today, dulcinea-based farmers are growing specific items, like smaller produce, sweeter fruit and longer lasting vegetables, all to meet consumer demand. in addition to the personal size pure heart watebmelons and a tuscan-style cantaloupe, dulcinea is also experimenti with a new type of tomato-- rosso bruno tomato. >> well, the obvious thing that differentiates this tomato from other tomatoes is the color, first of all. then, secondly, it does have a much richer, deeper flavor that is completely different from another standard tomato. >> at casey's greenhouses, just outside of oxnard, you'll find the typical roma tomatoes on the vine, but you'll also see another dulcinea product--the uniquely flavorful and colorful russo

bruno tomato. it's a meatier, sweeter, and, yes, browner version of its redder counterparts. >> so the key here is is to eat it when it's ripe. now, traditionally, we would think it's gotta be red. russo bruno hato be kind of a tinge of red-brown-green color on it, and then you hit that perfect flavor that is very unique to this particular variety. >> popular in europe, this brown tomato is now available year-round in the states, proving the demand is up for something that defies our thought of what a tomato should look like. and while brown tomatoes and some diminutive-sized fruit may have seemed a little far-fetched a few years back, they are now part of a new trend in agriculture, as farmers and chefs learn what consumers want one bite of homegrown food at a time. for "california country," i'm tracy sellers.

>> brought to you by allied insurance, a member of the nationwide family of companies, which also includes nationwide insurance. on your side.

>> welcome back to "california country," the show that takes you on

an all-expense paid trip to experience the best-kept secreãof the golden state. >> at sweeney's restaurant in the town of brentwood, about 40 miles northeast of san francisco, chef peter charitou loves cooking with olive oil-- california olive oil. it's locally grown and pressed just a few miles away. >> i'm greek. it's in my background to cook just about everything with olive oil. >> this unmistakable passion for california extra virgin olive oil makes 38-year-old sean mccauley smile widely. >> we want to have our niche, we want to have our niche market, and we want to be the best we can be, you know, just like anybody. >> walking around his 76 acres of olive trees, sean mccauley admits he's living his dream. on the mccauley's brothers olive grove, dozens of family members,

friends, and workers are all picking olives the centuries-old way--by hand. so you look busy there, sir. >> yes. >> what's your technique? >> i'm just kind of sliding it down, trying not to do too much damage to the tree, you know. i don't want to do too much damage to it. i don't want to put it in shock. we want to show it love so that way, it will do more next year, you know? >> mccauley, a second generation farmer, knows that despite the fun, there's also plenty of hard work ahead. last year, his company produced 1,100 gallons of california olive oil. now, the first rule of harvesting is don't let those olives fall on the ground. >> just like an apple, if you drop an apple on its face, it bruises, and that raises the acidity of your oil. and so, the less bruising, the sooner it gets to the press--so you want to press the same or the next day. that's important. >> sean's parents were almond growers, and he knew that, like them, he would someday make

a living working off the land. he skipped college and began looking around. the almond market was too volatile for him, so... >> so he decided to plant olive trees. >> did you say, "honey, i love you, but you are nuts" [laughs] >> he is nuts. [laughs] he would qualify as nuts. i think most people that know him would let you know that. he always comes up with really crazy ideas and follows through with them, and you never know what's around the corner next with him. >> undaunted, sean pressed on, buying 2,100 young olive trees, propagating them from european trees. and then, in 1998, he planted his first olive tree. back then, his neighbors also thought he'd lost his mind, especially since the land was so overgrown. >> this was weeds and rattlesnakes. and people used to dump all kind of garbage on the road. sean moved here, and he started planting all these

beautiful trees. >> yeah. we started planting these, and a lot of--a few of them asked, you know, "what's going to happen when they all drop on the ground? you're going to have a big mess." and i'm like, "well, we're going to pick them." [laughter] >> we're going to press 'em, you know? >> but tell me, when you first started--when he first started, did you think "he's nuts, planting olives--" >> well, to tell you, the truth is we never thought we could plant anything here and that nothing was going to grow 'cause of the--you know, we don't have that much water. we have seen people driving by here now just to look at it. >> sean grows mainly tuscan variety olives. olive trees don't need much water, which is perfect for california's climate. and get this--one tree can produce olives for thousands of years. sean's whole family's

involved at harvest time, especially his 3 young daughters. >> yeah. they bring their friends, you know, the days we pick, and they have a blast, you know, and they have fun. it teaches them a little bit about agriculture, which is nice. and then, a lot of kids right now aren't exposed to that. >> like many small artisan olive oil producers in california, sean sells his product directly to lal restaurants and grocery stores. since many of his olive trees are on a hillside, his brand is called what else but mount of olives. most of the olive oil sold in america is actually imported from countries like italy or spain, and so, not a lot of people are familiar with california's olive oils. well, the mccauley's, they are hoping that they can change all that. >> and then, i'm using, of course, mccauley's olive oil. this is the vinegar, the balsamic vinegar, and the extra virgin. >> every week, at his own brentwood country store, sean mccauley's friends and local

chef makes mouth-watering dishes for customers to sample and to buy. >> i met sean and maria a couple of years ago, actually. and then, they said that we need to do something someday together. and of course, i use a lot of olive oil. so that's--they opened up the store, i think, in july, and i came in september, and we just did it as a trial. sean already knew he was going to use me. he just said, "you need to come in here and do this," and offered me this room, and here i am. and so, now i've turned it into a dining room. >> while hordes of customers are sampling the tasty food, sean's family are busy bottling the olive oil by hand and creating the labels for the bottles behind the scenes. the olives are usually bottled about a week after they've been pressed. in just 3 months, the mccauleys have sold 3,700 bottles of olive oil. chef peter charitou thinks they've got a winning formula, which is why at sweeney's restaurant, he's always cooking with mccauley's fresh california

olive oil. >> the aroma is fantastic. >> in brentwood, charlotte fadipe, "california country tv." >> this segment is brought to you by the california farm bureau federation. we'll be right back with more of the magical creations from california's most famous kitchens after this.

>> welcome back to "california country." >> california's unique climate allows its flower growers an advantage in prucing the finest cut flowers in the world. flowers in every shape and color thrive here, with approximately 5,000 acres devoted to the commercial growing of fresh-cut flowers in california. and here in california, there are more than 275 growers that market cut flowers. but none have quite the international flair that they do here at brand flowers. in the quaint, coastal town

of carpentaria, just south of santa barbara, is where you'll find brand flowers, the pet project of a lady who knows a thing or two about growing one of california's most prized commodities, wilja huppe. don't believe me? well, just ask her. she's more than happy to talk about her favorite subject. >> i think i know a lot about flowers. we have gerbers, germinis, actually. you know, the gerber is native to south africa. and not long ago, people developed the germini. it's a lot smaller, but it is better for bouquets, smaller arrangements. the best thing about gerber is not only that it has instant color, it's very easy to take care of. you cut about 2 to 3 inches off the stem. make sure that there is flower food when you buy gerbers. put the flower food in the vase, and you put the gerber in and the gerber should last you for about 2 weeks. this is how bouquets are made in europe. and we would want to brought this to the united states. so you keep turning

that bouquet. >> in addition to being owner and ceo of brand flowers, wilja's also chairwoman of the california cut flower commission; a group that strive to help growers market their flowers. it's all part of a dream that started decades earlier for this green-thumbed goddess. >> i came to the country 20 years ago from holland. i was born and raised in holland. and already since childhood, i knew that holland was not big enough for me. so i wanted to explore new worlds. i lived in england, i lived in germany, and even that was too small. so i said, "ok, what about the u.s.?" so i ended up in california and started planting flowers in 1990. >> today, brand flowers is one

of the leading cut flower and green nursery operations in california. they have more than a million square feet of cut flower production, specializing in dutch flower varieties like tulips and lilies, as well as begonias and daffodils from england, and hundreds of other flowers that originate all over the world and then come to brand flowers in the form of bulbs. more than 30 million of them arrive here every year, where they are transplanted into the rich soil for wilja and her crew to grow, market and distribute, all while still keeping track of all the new trends sprouting up in the industry. >> i have seen, too, over the years, you know, a lot of shift in colors. what good hybridizers look for is the colors that the car makers are looking out for. in 4, 5 years from now, what are going to be the popular colors. car makers are basically the color setters for the world, yeah. and then the rest follows. like the wallpaper follows,

the paint follows, and the flower growers follow as well. >> and although it may seem like wilja does in fact know everything about flowers, she says there's always more to learn about the industry that gave her hope and a new outlook on life so many years ago. and now she's more than willing to return the favor through what else but flowerq. >> i think selling flowers is easiethan selling tennis shoes, because you sell an emotion. be it for a happy occasion or a sad occasion. but still, there's emotion attached to it. it is wonderful if we have a flesh of a product and we donate to a local hospital, a local nursing home, just to have people come up to you; people that are older, even, and say, "nobody has ever given me flowers before." so, you know, that makes me really, really happy.

>> hi, tracy. i understand you have a little problem. can you tell me? >> i do. it's a personal problem, evelyn. but i can't plant without breaking something off the plant. what do i do? >> see, it's really easy to break these, isn't it? >> yes, yes. >> and maybe you're not the most agile planter, so this is for everybody who needs a little help. we call this "evelyn's painless patented potting plant." and all you have to do is follow along, and i guarantee you'll become an expert. so first we're going to start with our, in this case, this is one of these new natural material fiber baskets that have a plastic liner. make sure you have holes in it. >> ok. >> and then you're going to put a layer of soil in there, right? first, good, new soil. you take the pot off the plant. we got our plant. so you gotta remove the pot, set the plant over here, ok? >> like that one, ok. >> then you put the empty pot on your layer of soil.

and we have to fill the soil in. so can you put a little more soil in there? >> ok, i can do that. i can work. >> you can't break anything, so don't worry about it. just dump it in fast. >> as long as i don't break a nail. >> this is quick and dirty. i guarantee, you won't break anything. at least not till later. ok. >> a little bit more. >> yeah, a little bit more. then you're going to start packing it down hard all the way around, see? and when you're finished with that, you're going to end up with something that looks like this. with all that soil around. then we have to water again so the soil is wet. so that's your job to water. >> ok, i can do that. good watering, nice, don't be little girly with it. that's it. good. now, all that water's going to soak in. that's beautiful, beautiful. when you water, then you get to sit down and pour yourself a drink of some kind. if you have wine, you're going to be happier. if you have iced

tea or water, you're going to be healthier. >> hmm. >> so which one do you want here? >> all of the above, probably. >> all of the above. >> like, frankly-- >> yes, uh-huh. after you've had your drink, the water's had a chance to soak in. >> ok. >> and you might need a little more soil, maybe, just, you know, a little bit to bring it up some place. and then you're going to carefully remove this empty pot. and what we have here is an exact muffin tin mold. exacy the right size to take our plant here. ok, the plant we chose to use today is a marvelous plant called begonia dragon wings. it's one your annually type of begonias. push it down with your fingertips a little bit. >> uh-huh. >> water it again. >> uh-huh. >> don't fertilize it right then. wait a couple days, few days. the plant is potted. we hope you're not too potted. and the whole thing has been totally painless. and i'm still waiting for the patent fees to come in, but nobody's ever paid me for this. >> someday, someday. >> but anyhow, this is evelyn

at weidner's gardens with your good gardening hint for the day.

>> welcome back to "california country." >> what do seabiscuit and bing crosby have in common? they're both part of the legendary history here at the del mar thoroughbred club. for more than 60 years, this is the place that legends are made of. and it all gets

started here on opening day. >> you gotta remember, there's 200,000 horses born a year. only one can win the derby. [music playing] >> riders up! >> del mar has got a great history. i mean, one of the reasons we're so successful is really our history. i mean, bing crosby lived up the road at a ranch up there, and he was looking for a place to run his horses, so he convinced the state that they should build a racetrack here at del mar, so he did it. [bell ringing] [crowd cheering] >> we've been raising horses for 40 years or so, and california goes way back in the 1800s with a lot of horse farms. it's got a real heritage here and it employs a lot of people. if somebody just gave you a little baby horse, you might have 20,000 into it by the time it ever got to a race or maybe more than that. [crowd cheering] >> oh, horse is everything.

i mean, we're just a passenger. i have a lot of respect for horses, because these horses try hard. they're great animals, and i love the way they act, and they respond for me, they'll try as hard as they can. >> [playing tune] >> it's a freak show. it's like being back in wrestling. it's, you know what, it's wrestling with hats. yeah, you know what, it's the place to be today. >> i have a friend, he's the best handicapper in the world because whatever horses he likes, i go the opposite. i used to not know anything about betting horses, but i go opposite of what he likes, and i win. >> the three things about the track that are absolutely the truth is that the owner of the track has the chauffeur, the book maker has a mercedes, and the horse player has 2 jobs. >> what is it about opening day, though, that gets everyone out here? >> everyone's been anticipating it for so long.

>> and we get to dress up and have a good time. >> well, a day without going to the track is like a day without sunshine. >> and that's pretty much it, you know. there's a smile on every face. even the losers are smiling here at del mar. >> that concludes today's tour of the best of "california country." join us next time for more undiscovered treasures from the most fascinating state in the country. [captioning made possible by california farm bureau federation] [captioned by the national captioning institute --www.ncicap.org--]