Canyon's second best kept secret...

If you ever need a passport or want to do your holiday mailings fast, go visit Elena Tyrell and Carla Williams at the Canyon post office. Here they never run out of your favorite stamps and have more designs to choose from than any other post-office I ever visited. That includes the one up north inside the "Avenue of the Giants" by Benbow, California. 

You will find Elena, Carla and their sugary treats in the middle of a Redwood forrest between Montclair and Moraga. Far away so close to the hustle and bustle of Oakland and surroundings.

It is a fantastic biker's route if you feel so inclined. 

The post office was built along with a convenient store by loggers in 1922 and originally was called Sequoia. The biggest tragedy happened in 1969 when Shell employees were on strike and dynamited a pipeline. The oil ran down the creek and killed all fish, including spawning salmon for the next two years. It ignited the fire in the wood stove and burnt everything down to the ground. A Shell employee passed later with severe burns while on the pay-phone to his superiors. Several other people were badly hurt.

Shell later put up a $ 1000 reward to find the person responsible for the blast. The reward has yet to be redeemed.