Eureka

And what a Eureka moment it was. This little town of 27,000 is filled with lovely Victorian homes which are in strange contrast to the number of homeless people wandering the streets. Our first stop was in Old Town for a bite to eat.


Then we wandered around the downtown area but not for long as it was windy and cold. It seems that almost everyone carries a back pack. The ordinances are very strict about no parking in parking lots due to so many living in their cars. We stayed at the Moose Lodge where most would be homeless but could afford an old rv or a tent and a Moose membership. A nearby geocache search early in the morning provided me with not a Moose, but two deer with velvety antlers.


We decided to focus on the positive side of the town and away we went to see the ultimate in Victorian. This house built in the 1880s by a lumberman is most impressive and set an example for others in the community. It is now a private club enjoyed by only a few.


And what a view they had of the bridge to Samoa and Humboldt Bay.


Across the street is the house that lumberman Carson built for his daughter.


The Carter House Inn is a re-creation finished in 1982 from 1884 blueprints of a house in San Francisco destroyed by the 1906 earthquake.


Nearby an early morning walk along the boardwalk below provided us good views of Humboldt Bay. It was odd to see elderly people sitting in the sun on the side of the path. There were other trails in town that we thought it would be wise to avoid.


The town began as a Gold Rush transport center and later was a mining and logging town which was full of brothels and card rooms patronized by sailors and loggers. Logging is a principal part of their local economy still. A drive over the Samoan Bridge that crosses Humboldt Bay led us to the Samoa Dunes Recreation Area where we enjoyed a walk on the jetty.


On the opposite side of the road we watched the waves roll in while many brought their dogs for a run in the ocean or spent the morning snuggled in their sleeping bags.


Nearby at the Samoa Cookhouse, the last of the old time cookhouses that fed the loggers, our food was served family style and plenty was provided.


It also included a room with old logging artifacts. Check out the blade on this chainsaw.


Next door we visited a small nautical museum where the old gentleman minding the museum was from Searcy, Arkansas, but he had left in 1948. This industrial area gave a glimpse of what it must have been like in busier days. We had a quick tour down to the Woodley Island Marina as we crossed the bridges back to Eureka. The marina has berths for 350 vessels. A sculpture stands at the end of the island and is dedicated to the fishermen who have lost their lives at sea.




At one point we pulled off the road into a cemetery so Leon could take a phone call. It sure looked like a car wash to me!


There must have been twelve sprinklers running with a tremendous force so we strategically parked Hernando in various spots for a bath. Looking good, so we moved on to Arcata.

Ferndale

As if an ocean drive and a trip through a redwood forest weren't enough excitement for one day, we ended the day with a tour of a Victorian village.


Ferndale is situated in a pastoral setting not far from the lost coast and the redwoods. So many of the town's Victorian homes have been preserved that the entire town is designated a state historical landmark. I was just in heaven.

This is just the perfect town in which to ride a bike but it kept being a little bit too cool for our taste.


Our campground is a $10 dry camping spot at the county fairground. We are parked in a lovely spot by some picnic tables away from most of the folks in the grassy field. A real surprise has been the girl that keeps trotting by on her horse.


The top listed thing to do in Trip Adviser is a visit to the cemetery. Ah, perhaps we should check on the former residents. I can see why so many people go. How picturesque it is climbing the side of the hill. And climb the hill we did once we learned there was a geocache there. It was at a spot where the movie Salem's Lot, based on the book by Stephen King, was filmed. What a view of the town we had.


The town was founded by Vermonters in 1852, but the Danish established the dairying industry in the 1870s. We listened to the cows that live across the road in the evening. With only 1300 people they might be outnumbered by the cows.


And as with most farming communities in this area there is the local creamery.


While geocaching at the bottom of a hill that leads to the lost coast we were surprised by the log trucks that ascended upon us. We had read that the road was rough and decided we shouldn't go in the van. I can't imagine if we had and met these guys. The road further south is named the Lost Coast because when they built 101 they decided that area was too rugged for a main highway.


Before leaving Ferndale we did drive 5 miles through the beautiful pastoral countryside dotted with cows to the coast and cooked breakfast there. Then we were ready to head north. I thought the graffiti was interesting as there were no gang signs among the messages. Just innocent teenagers announcing their existence!