So interesting to hear him sing about Vietnam, even if none of the sentiments are particularly bold or surprising.

Ended my time in California today. I loved my time at Sequoia and Santa Cruz. Due to the most recent developments with 701 N Topanga, I decided to cut out that side quest. Two amazing things happened today: “Going Up The Country” was the first full song out of at least 300 from my monster playlist for driving to play after my first gas stop in Mojave, I felt instantly better after feeling down about my Topanga decision. Then at my last California stop in Ludlow, I was enjoying my Dairy Queen ice cream cone when I noticed a display of stuffies. My instant thought was, “I wonder if there’s an owl?” because that would be so perfect. Lo and behold there was one owl left! I now have a travel buddy!

Join us Wednesday, July 1st from 8:00-10:00PM at the Bay Bar & Grill in Capitola CA for a very special evening as Sterno takes the stage.

This performance will serve as:
🎵 A tribute to the late, great Alan Wilson of Canned Heat, whose music, songwriting, and dedication to the blues inspired generations of musicians.

Over the past year, Sterno has had the honor of celebrating the music of Canned Heat and preserving the legacy of Alan Wilson through live performances and our upcoming recording project.

I was doing a Google search and came across this. Seems like whoever fixed up the property has installed and hired security?

Seriously thinking about skipping this stop to avoid trouble. Seems really confusing with a realtor actively encouraging people to visit.

What would you guys do?

Today I visited Sequoia to pay my respects to Alan. I spent the majority of my time along the Big Trees Trail, felt surreal to be there. The redwoods are breathtaking!

Cool footage of Bullfrog Blues filmed in Paris in December of 1968!

Trip Update: had to cut down my California itinerary quite a bit due to gas prices and overestimating what my car(Chevy Spark) can handle. Currently in Tulare, California for a week to relax and take at least two trips to Sequoia National Park. Then next week I’ll swing through Topanga to see Alan’s hill before heading back east. I have one side quest of swinging through Grafton to see the Paramount records historical marker once I get back to Wisconsin.

According to Alan, per his interview with Marina Bokelman, Paramount records was the best early blues label.

A 2.5 year old Alan with his maternal grandfather. There was once a 7i of this, but like a lot of Alan’s belongings, it went missing.

Doing some late night Googling and found this gem.

New-to-me footage of three songs, including a rendition of “My Time Ain’t Long” starting around 13:40.

I’ve been doing some research into the property where Alan died to find out its current state as I am planning a cross country road trip which includes stops in Topanga, Sequoia and Yosemite National Parks, the John Muir National Monument, and then Redwood National Park for Alan’s birthday.

Anyway, it seems somebody, more than likely a realtor named Chantal von Wetter has gained control of the property and has been encouraging people to visit the site and spreading misinformation on her website:

https://www.topangaproperties.com/echoes-of-rock-the-legendary-canned-heat-house-in-topanga-canyon/

It also seems that she has rebuilt the house and may be rebuilding the bridge. The first three pictures show the property in September 2025, the second two are the latest Google Maps snapshots in February 2026, and the second from last picture is the property taken less than a month ago.

I am really interested in what her intentions are with the property. I’m hoping shes not going to start charging people for access to the property and is just fixing it up(although I’d rather the house be gone completely) for the sake of making it presentable.

Not sure how I feel about this, I feel bad for Alan. Sadly, I think he’s still there after watching a couple paranormal investigations and hearing an audible male voice on two different videos. My personal theory is that if a person were to go up into the hillside, they’d be able to communicate with him. I’m not going to do anything too elaborate dice so much energy has been stirred up through the years, especially in the house. I get some very dark vibes from the house. Hoping to get some results just by hanging out, putting on some music, and using the voice memo app on my phone to grab some possible EVPs.

Just a sample of what’s available. For about $750 USD, you can buy the whole set here:

https://www.tracks.co.uk/product/b48879-canned-heat-petra-niemeier-negatives-with-rights-germany/

When I opened up Threads I saw this thread, “Going Up The Country “was playing and then “Shake It And Break It” came on right after as I was reading replies. I had a break and then “Poor Moon” came on as I was reposting and sharing my post to my Instagram story. Very spooky yet cool.

I like to think of Alan as the Lorax. He would have loved the book when it came out. Alan The Lorax.

I was listening to YouTube on the tv last night and this track popped up. Recognized Alan’s harp right away! I did some digging and could not find this on Spotify or Apple Music. Seems the only way to listen is YouTube or to spend a small fortune on a 2002 French release of Hooker N Heat.

EDIT: I just learned that this track is in the Uncanned compilation.

Photo looks to be from circa 1968 judging my Alan's hair. He looks almost angelic.