It's been a pandemic year of daily walking for my wife and me, and we never left Humboldt County. From January through April, we continued to explore our local trails and enjoyed the wildlife and emerging spring flowers.

Once we got our Moderna vaccination shots, we masked up and joined vaccinated friends and neighbors for a mix of community outdoor events in May, June and July. Then our local COVID-19 test rates and hospitalizations soared from August onward. No county fair attendance for us in August and for the rest of the year, we only attended in-person events that required all attendees to be vaccinated. Here are some highlights of what we enjoyed throughout it all in our county.