the valley of the moon 🌙

Some time last month, my family and I took a day trip to Jack London State Historic Park. It was our first time visiting, so we didn't really know what to expect. As someone who once attended a school named after Jack London, I honestly didn't know much about him. I recall searching him up once years ago out of curiosity, but couldn't remember any other details aside from him being a famous writer. Surprisingly, my school never really mentioned much about him either. So, I was looking forward to learning more about who he was.

Well, it turned out that there was a lot to not only learn, but also see! My family found ourselves walking up towards the House of Happy Walls upon arrival. This home was built by Charmian London, Jack London's second wife, in his memory. Originally, they were both to live in what they called the Wolf House (second picture), but it was burned down when they were away. The House of Happy Walls was a much smaller, more formal version of the Wolf House filled with information on Jack London's childhood and life, including that of Charmian's, and all of their unique belongings they attained during their many travels around the world. I especially admired the style of the home/museum, such as the window seats and Charmian's personal clothing and shoes (the woman had style!).

Other areas of their estate that we got to visit included Jack London's Cottage and their Beauty Ranch. It was cool to go "back in time" as everything was just was it was when Jack and Charmian were alive. Their homes felt like a space that could be lived in today - the cottage especially felt pretty cozy. I wondered what it would feel like if I could sit down and write away in one of their rooms.

I definitely left with much more information about Jack London than before. It was also interesting to learn about Charmian's life too and how she helped with some of Jack's works. Some of his characters were also inspired by her too.

So if you're in the Bay Area and looking for a place to visit for the day, I recommend checking out Jack London State Historic Park!