The OG Travel Guides of California: Jerry Graham...

Bay Area Backroads.

Apr 23, 2024

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There’s not much to the town of Dixon in Northern California. It’s a small agricultural town. It’s a hub for miles of grain, alfalfa, and dairy farming. They also have a long history with the sheep industry hosting an annual LambTown festival every year. The festival hosts food stalls from different countries around the world. One of those lamb/sheep businesses is a farm that I’ve written about in this newsletter.

More importantly, Dixon was the home of one my close friends whom I lost back in 2017. I have mentioned him before, but I’ve never spoken about the sudden loss and the complicated relationship I had with him.

Friends of Dixon May Fair – A group of loving volunteers in support of the legacy of the Dixon May Fair.

What began in 1885 as a 20 acre plot of land purchased by a group of men that intended to set up a harness racing track and pavilion, eventually the Dixon May Fair would evolve from annual event that began in 1876.

Listen to the story behind one of California’s oldest festivals in this 1975 recorded interview between Charles McGimsey, member of the Dixon May Fair Panel, and Sue Mills. Archived with the Dixon Public Library.

California Revealed - Dixon May Fair Interview 1975

One of the responses I got from the survey I sent out two weeks ago asked, “Do you remember the original Bay Area Backroads, the one with Jerry Graham? I had the companion books to that show, and used them on road trips to find the best non-chain or only-local-chain spots to eat. Your food+travel posts remind me of that, but I’m your own voice and with your own interests.”

Suffice to say, I did not know who Jerry Graham was! I did some research and it seems like he was the precursor to Huell Howser. How I haven’t written about Huell is a mystery to me. So, Huell is in next week’s newsletter.

Jerry Graham was one of those local characters that is historically important to the history of California, but not much is known about him. In fact, not much was shared about him prior to his death in 2013.

Jerry Graham was born Gerald Granowsky in Indianapolis, Indiana in 1934. He studied broadcasting at Indiana University and eventually took jobs as an announcer in Evansville, Indiana. Like many that work in news, he often moved to where the work was and that’s how he found himself in Binghamton, New York and finally landing in the San Francisco Bay Area in 1974. He became general manager at San Francisco's KSAN-FM.

Graham landed a co-anchoring job with KRON (Channel 4) in 1984 on a contract that was renewed annually. It’s possible the channel didn’t have much faith in a man that was fired from his previous Binghamton gig because he couldn’t stop laughing while on air. And by 1985 the concept for Bay Area Backroads was developed.

The show wasn’t a complicated production. A small budget sent silvery-haired Graham zipping through, you guessed it, the backroads of Northern California. In the first episodes, he drove a white convertible Volkswagen Rabbit.

The introduction of the show, with a blue-like simple guitar plucking theme song, setting the premise of a “down home” feel that doesn’t seem to match the energy of California. In the show he highlighted Bay Area towns, the people and businesses that inhabited them and food!

Here’s an episode where Graham shows travelers how to have a “$100 weekend getaway. We’ll go to Calistoga and we’ll show you how you can find a place to stay, have lunch, dinner, breakfast and lunch the next day. And all for $100.”

He lands on lodging at the Golden Haven Hot Springs, which is still in operation! But, the rooms currently start at $300 a night.

Another location highlighted is the Bale Grist Mill. The water-powered grist mill was built in 1846 and its 36-foot water wheel (which still operates) was partially restored. The mill is protected as a state historic landmark. It was once the center of social activity as Napa Valley settlers gathered to have their corn and wheat ground into meal or flour. The owner of the mill was Dr. Edward Turner Bale. He received the property in a land grant from the Mexican government and lived near the site until his death in 1849. The mill remained in use until the early 1900s.

Bale Grist Mill State Historic Park - All You Need to Know BEFORE You Go (2024)

Last time I visited the Bale Grist Mill was several years ago and you could still purchase grains (flour and polenta) on-site. For legal reasons, they have to label the flour and polenta as “not for human consumption.” I consumed and lived to tell the tale. It was actually really good polenta. If you want to find out why they can’t legally sell it for human consumption, I encourage you to take a docent-led tour!

In 1993 Doug McConnell took over as the host and senior editor of the Bay Area Backroads until the show came to an end in 2009. It seems like Kron tried to revive Bay Area Backroads in 2022, but I could only find three episodes, so it doesn’t look like it picked up much steam.

The show produced a series of companion books. All of them are out of print, but I was lucky enough to find some used copies on Amazon and eBay.

Graham passed away in 2013 at his home in Santa Cruz. As basic as the show was, it showed you didn’t need an expensive budget to get the job done. It also paved the way for others to continue on with the a similar concept. Enter Huell Howser.