There's room on the side
of the road to stop your car and look up
at the majestic forest with over
100-year-old Coastal Redwood (Sequoia sempervirons) trees. This enchanting
experience can inspire you for weeks or
months. A half-mile south of Highway 128
on Philo-Greenwood Road eight miles
northwest of Boonville is Hendy Woods
State Park. The park features two virgin
redwood groves; Big Hendy (80 acres,
with a self-guided discovery trail) and
Little Hendy (20 acres.) The Navarro
River runs the length of the park.
Located in the middle of the Anderson
Valley wine district, this 845-acre park
is warmer and less foggy than redwood
parks along the coast. The park is well
known for a fallen redwood stump that
was home for a man known locally as the
Hendy Woods Hermit.
Though the drive to Boonville from the
coast is only 40 miles or so, it
requires about an hour of driving.
Anderson Valley is a 30 mile long
coastal valley created by the Navarro
River watershed that includes the small
towns of Yorkville, Boonville, Philo,
and Navarro. Anderson Valley scenery
includes a variety of coniferous and
deciduous forests as well as an
abundance of rolling
hills. Agriculture is an important
part of Anderson Valley. At one time
apple orchards and sheep ranches
dominated the landscape. With the wine
industry growing in the area, orchards
and ranches are rapidly being converted
to vineyards, though one brewery does
quite well there, Anderson Valley
Brewing Company, producers of ales,
beers and stouts named after the valley
and a language created here, Boontling.
Boont Amber Ale, Hop Ottin' IPA (Indian
Pale Ale), High Rollers Wheat Beer and
Deep Enders Dark Porter are several of
the products sold through distributors
or available for purchase when passing
through Boonville. An annual Beer
Festival has been held for over 7 years,
usually in the spring or summer
months. Known for Boontling, a dialect
created approximately 100 years ago by
locals trying to keep information from
outsiders, "Boont" can still be heard in
local establishments amongst a select
group. While approximately half of the
youth attending school in this region
are native English speakers and the
other half are native Spanish speakers,
long time locals may charlie ball you or
hoot if you don't harp boont (locals may
embarrass you or laugh if you don't
speak Boontling). Below are a few words
that SeeCaliforniahas absolutely no way
of verifying the authenticity or
meanings of. If the locals laugh at us
for getting it all wrong, then they will
keep their secrets safe. aplenty - very
or many
apple-head - girlfriend
bahler or bahlest - good or better, best
bahl hornin' - good drinking
Baldies - grassy hills to the east of
Boonville
Bluetail - Rattlesnake
boarch - To repeatedly partake of an
enjoyable event or activity.
Boont - Boonville. The largest community
and focal center of Anderson Valley. The
town where the language of boontling
originated
briney - ocean
bucky - a nickel
can-kicky - angry
Charlie Ball - to embarrass
chiggrul - food
cock a fister - to fight
deek - to look or see
Deep Enders - Residents of the town of
Navarro, located west of Anderson Valley
and bordering the Pacific Coast
harp - to speak (Boontling)
hoot - laugh
horn - a cup, a drink or to drink
Jeffer - A large fire (named after Jeff,
a Boonter who built large fires in his
fireplace)
kimmie - male resident (of Boonville)
larrup - to beat up, whip or kick the
tar out of someone or something
lews and larmers - gossip
ling - language
neemer - not anymore
ose - person's bottom or rear end
ot - to work hard; ottin' - working hard
pike - to hike, walk or stroll
seep - wine or to sip
shoveltooth - doctor
slug - to sleep
stook on - in love or infatuated with
string - to kill or beat thoroughly
teem - time