North Coast Journey - Stage 2

On day three, which was the Tuesday before Thanksgiving, we began our day with a hike on the beach and a nice breakfast at our B&B.  We did spot some elk in a distant field, but never did see one up close.  Next time, eh?  Then onward, south-bound, toward a plethora of wonderments which included beaches, redwoods, Victorians, crashing surf and much more.  At the end of the day, we dove onto Rte 1, which got me carsick, so the rest of the night was a wash.  Got to our hotel in Fort Bragg and crashed immediately.  (don't know what Jeffery did)

The poor-man's agate beach.  Jeffery on a drift-wood stub.

Love the patterns of receding waves

Surfer enters the water before he has to go to work.

Picked up some curly driftwood pieces for Sara to use in her natural mobiles.

Jeffery in a driftwood hut

Me welcoming you into our "beach cottage"

This is as close as we got to any elks.

This inn was no longer in operation

The Samoa Cookhouse, which is a giant kitchen-dining hall and museum.  Samoa is an old logging camp community near Arcata, and it's where we first met the Eel River, which guided us down the road until we hit Hwy 1.

The Samoa post office, where we mailed some postcards

Jeffery liked this house in Samoa

All the homes, which are company-owned, were painted in bright pastels.

The famous Carson House in Eureka, which is now the Ingomar Club, so we couldn't go in.

detail 

more details

my favorite window section

Across the street is the Pink Lady, which, even though I prefer green over pink, was my favorite building.

Look at the fine-ness of it.

The entry porch is so beautiful, I want to cry for joy!

more details; makes me want to do a pen and ink drawing!

Imagine painting all the pink bits.  I tell you; you could cure insomnia just considering such a task.

Informative plaque

The Carter House

They don't build them like this any more.

details

We never saw the County Line for Humboldt Co., so I took this to prove I checked off #46.

The Loleta Cheese Factory

Love places like this!

Onwards towards Ferndale, which Jeffery was all excited to show me, and which was incredibly wonderful

Downtown Ferndale.

The Gingerbread House

detail

An imposing church.

The Ferndale Library, which I took for Lucy

A sidetrip through the dairy country, with a lunch stop above the Eel River

Jeffery took this to show the tree growing out of the redwood stump.  I think it's a linden, but don't know for sure.

This fellow watched Jeffery take the photo of the tree

In Scotia, we admired the lumber mill, and later, the huge very-full lumber yard as we passed it on the highway.

We entered the Avenue of the Giants, but I didn't photo it through the windshield, due to the darkness that engulfed us when we got into the trees.  This is the Immortal Tree

Explanatory data

Stopped at Founders Grove for a hike.  The photos aren't the best, due to the darkness, but here they are anyway.

The Founder's Tree

Jeffery by a root.  Redwoods have very shallow roots, but they intertwine with other trees for stability

Blurry one of me near another root.  There's a fallen tree attached to the other side that lays a long ways across the forest

Fallen trees take about 400 years to decompose, and meanwhile, life takes hold on the nutrients it provides.

wet ferns on a dead stump of redwood

The broken debris left after a tree fell and splintered, knocking down other trees in the process

A damp soft path through the forest.

At the bottom of the Avenue of the Giants, just south of Richardson's Grove, is the Benbow Inn.  I first learned of this fine hotel from billboards along Rte 101 near Santa Rosa when I landed in California back in 1975.  I always wanted to stop and see it, and now, here we are; 42 years later!

Not as impressive outside as the Victorians, and with the remodel debris cluttering the approach, but.....

Once we climbed the steps to the entry, we knew it was a lovely place.  Look it up online for better details.

The main living room-lounge

I'll have a wee dram and read my book here, eh?

Such details in the wall stucco and ceilings were throughout the main floor rooms

Christmas decorations were beginning to be put up

The hallway to the pub/snug

I had to go up these stairs to see what was at the top

Another hotel full of wonderful turns and stairs and long hallways and glass-topped doorways

The dining hall

The back-side of the Benbow Inn, which overlooks the Eel River.

County #47!!  Waaaaahhhhoooo!

As previously noted, made it to Fort Bragg in the dark.  One more post to come, including our Thanksgiving revelries with family, which was the best part of our vacation.  See ya then!