Hello from gorgeous Humboldt County, CA! I made it to Eureka late yesterday afternoon after a rainy yet beautiful drive up through the Sacramento Valley and then over highway 299 through the mountains (read: more race car driving). Shannon and Brian are renting the cutest little house and are the perfect hosts, and Shannon's years as a travel agent in California have resulted in me actually having a clue what I'm going to be doing this week. I owe you one, Shannon! Or a billion. Can we work out a payment plan?
Anyway, today we had lunch in Arcata, a very charming hippie town that's home to Humboldt State University, and went hiking in a redwood forest that's right next to the campus. I honestly think it was that first time I had ever seen redwoods, and I was speechless. It was like walking through a time warp into this ancient forest grove full of enormous trees covered with moss, and ferns, and it was just beautiful. I kept expecting a dinosaur (or Ewok, as Shannon suggested) to lumber out from the trees. I didn't get a whole lot of photos because the thick cover of trees didn't afford enough light, and I hadn't brought my tripod, but I don't think I'll soon forget that hike. Just magical.
Then we headed for the coast, making a few photo stops as we headed up Highway 101. The weather, which was predicted to be kind of crappy, turned out to be perfect. It was sunny with a little bit of foggy mist, making everything all soft and shimmery. There were moments when the rays of sun came streaming through the giant trees and I thought I'd died and gone to heaven. It's every photographer's dream. And to smell the sea (and feel the sky, as Van Morrison sings) was also just what I needed. The day was just one gorgeous thing after another. And we saw elk! Just lounging by the side of the road!
And just because I haven't mentioned food in a while, I have to tell you all about the gastronomical delights: another stop in Arcata for hand-dipped, homemade ice cream (a scoop of ginger and a scoop of pumpkin pie), and dinner at Hurricane Kate's, where I had butternut squash, bean, and corn soup served in a small, hollowed-out pumpkin and a very nice glass of Barbera. Oh, and for lunch I also had a cup of pumpkin and corn chowder. I thought I'd keep the theme going throughout the day.
Tomorrow morning I plan to make my way down to Mendocino, driving along the Avenue of the Giants (redwoods); stopping at MacKerricher State Park to see some harbor seals; then at Fort Bragg to see the glass beach (they say no collecting the beach glass, but I may have to sneak a piece or two into my pocket); Russian Gulch State Park, where I'll do another waterfall hike (I've been assured it's much less strenuous than my Yosemite hike); and exploring and dinner in the village of Mendocino, where Shannon used to live. Brian did some web surfing, and Shannon made the call that got me a small one-room cabin at Jug Handle Creek Farm. It's got a wood stove! Hopefully I won't burn the place down.
After just a taste of the coastline today, I am even more excited about the rest of my drive. I plan to go as far south as Monterey and Carmel (my pilgrimage to Edward Weston and Charis Wilson's former home) before going back up to the Bay Area for the weekend. I have plenty of pictures to post, but it's super-late and I have to get up in less than six hours to hit the road. Patience, dear readers, have patience...
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