From his wiki:
Here’s a classic clip of Huell doing a spot at the US/Mexico border.
And here’s comedian James Adomian doing his hilarious and spot-on Howser impression.
Huell Howser: On ‘California’s Gold,’ he was the main attraction
RIP Huell Howser, California’s True Gold
Non-Californians probably have no clue who he is, but Simpsons fans might recall his “cameos” on a couple of episodes (There’s Something About Marrying and O Brother, Where Bart Thou?)
Huell was probably the one of the nicest and most enthusiastic guys on TV, and a booster of all things California. I saw him once in hanging out in Palm Springs, just sitting on a moped, and there was a constant stream of folks walking up to greet him and say they were fans. Rest in peace Huell, you’ll be missed.
Dammit. 
My mom walked in not half an hour ago and asked if I’d heard. We’re watching KCET (his home station) and they already showed some Simpsons clips, right now it’s colleagues talking and e-mails being read.
I’ll miss ya, Huell.
During my high school days in SoCal, I participated in an LA Times in Education program which ran a current event contest for students. I think it was the “Citizen Bee”. I don’t remember much of that event but what I do remember is having lunch with Mr. Howser, who was serving as the host.
At the time, I did remember him as “that guy on Channel 2” and “the one on KCET.” He was every bit as nice and enthusiastic in person as he was on those programs. RIP Mr. Howser.
RIP Huell, You allowed me to live vicariously back in California when I was stomping around on the East Coast. You will be missed.
I used to like watching his show(s) when I lived in L.A.
His ‘Golly, gee-whiz!’ approach as an ‘outsider’ moving to Southern California was a hoot.
Anybody else remembering him berating looters and taking down license plate numbers during the '92 riots? He sure got out a lot. For me, he was my number one most frequent celebrity sighting while living in LA.
Damn. RIP, Huell.
On an only slightly related note, my sister-in-law is an idiot. She called my wife a few minutes ago and told her Doogie Howser died.
For those unfamiliar with Mr. Howser’s work and inimitable style, his show California’s Gold is available for free on iTunes.
Before he worked in California, Huell Howser worked in the Nashville Tennessee market. That’s where I knew him from.
Huell was awesome. I remember an interview he did with a guy who ran a gravel pit or something. The guy really did not want to be on the air, but Huell didn’t give a shit and just kept asking hilariously endearing questions. That’s just the way he rolled.
I am from California, and was always amazed at the unique stories he uncovered. He was California’s Gold.
I remember an episode where he reunited an elderly elephant handler with an elephant he hadn’t seen in 30 years just to see if elephants, indeed, never forget. The elephant spotted his old trainer from several hundred yards away and ran up to him like a dog welcoming home his master…I kinda teared up at that one.
Damn, that makes me sad. I watched his show for years. It was the TV equivalent of comfort food for this California girl.
I’ve lived in California for 14 years and never actually seen anything of his.
Dana Gould appears on Adam Carolla’s podcast regularly doing long bits as Huell Howser and it was quite a while before I figured out it was an impersonation and not some original character.
So, since those bits were often funny, I appreciate him indirectly.
I’ve seen most of the California’s Gold shows. I really enjoyed the shows, even Huell’s redundant interviewing technique was funny at times. He acted like a kid on Christmas morning when he discovered some fact like, “This log was a tree once?” “Folks, this log used to be a tree.”
RIP Huell.
I’ll miss him. He was a California landmark.
I’m a native too, and it was fascinating watching him share those golden nuggets.
The one episode that sticks in my head is his discovery of ‘submarines’ in the desert near Indio. As I recall, these were like Quonset huts that had water circulated over them. (I think they had excelsior, hay, or some other stuff on them.) The water would evaporate, keeping the inside of the hut cool in the blazing heat. I moved to the Mojave Desert when I was 15, and had visited dad there for years before that; so I was quite familiar with ‘swamp coolers’. We never had refrigerated air conditioning. Huell Howser’s ‘desert submarine’ episode was the first – and only – time I’ve seen evaporative cooling applied to an entire structure.
Nitpick: the elephant spotted her old trainer. Nita the elephant, who liked jelly beans. Yeah, that’s the episode that hooked me.
Back in the day, for anyone moving to California, it was only a matter of time until you “discovered” Huell Howser. One day you would be channel surfing and come across this guy and be transfixed.
How can I describe Huell? I guess you could say he was your lovable nerd/geek in all his eager glory and proudly displaying his inner child awe on television. Sure, you could laugh and smirk - but there was something so endearing about him that you couldn’t help but like the guy. He was Mr. Rogers for adults - a safe little respite from the daily grind; a kind of comfort food for the brain as he roamed the state and showed all that was good and cool and interesting just minutes/hours from your home. California is/was an odd place to live, but Huell Howser showed you some of the reasons it was a great place to live.