October 4, 2012

Chinook RV Resort, Klamath, CA

We planned on taking the kayak out again today but both of us were a little sore after our paddling yesterday and it was very overcast and chilly.  So we did plan B which was head out toward Eureka approximately 60 miles south of Klamath. 

We noticed a sign for Patricks Point State Park and decided to check it out.  There was no one manning the booth so we went through to the Visitor’s Center.  I inquired inside about rates for possible future camping.  $35 a night is a little steep for us but we drove around the campsite to see what it looked like and found out that the sites are very small.  They are geared more towards tents and could not accommodate our size.

We continued on and detoured again when we came across the town of Trinidad. 

 What a little gem!  According to a brochure distributed by the Chamber of Commerce, Trinidad was discovered by the Tsurai Indians whose descendants are still residents and are noted for carving graceful, seaworthy canoes from giant redwood logs.  During the gold rush, Trinidad was used as a supply port for mines on the Klamath, Trinity and Salmon rivers. 

We parked at the Trinidad Memorial Lighthouse which is actually a replica of the Trinidad Head Lighthouse and was erected by the Trinidad Civic Club as a memorial for those lost at sea.  At a later point names of those who were buried at sea were added.

  The Trinidad Memorial Lighthouse sits on a bluff overlooking the Trinidad Bay.  There are a set of steps leading down to the bay. 

 We went down the stairs and walked along the beach, inhaling the clean fresh air.  The sun peeked through the clouds and the view was spectacular. 

  As we climbed back up the stairs, I counted them.  230!  It had been a lot easier going down then up and I had to stop every 10 to 15 steps to catch my breath.  We finally made it to the top and in order to get to the car, had to pass a woman smoking a cigarette.  I was already out of breath and the last thing I needed was to inhale second hand smoke.  It kind of ruined the experience. 

We needed gas and started looking for a station.  We saw a gas station just before getting  back on the freeway but didn’t like the $4.89 a gal price so we opted to take a chance that the gas would be less expensive in the bigger town of Eureka.  I had packed us a picnic lunch so we started looking for a place to eat.  I had a craving for potato chips to go along with the chicken salad sandwich I made for lunch so we got off the freeway in a town called McKinleyville.  I bought a bag of chips and lottery tickets and asked the clerk if there was a park nearby with picnic benches.  She gave me directions which we followed and promptly got lost.  We came across a gas station selling gas at $4.59 a gal and filled up.  Who would have ever thought that paying $4.59 a gal for gas would be considered a good price?

While Monte was pumping the gas, I entered “parks” in the GPS and saw that the park the clerk gave me directions for was only a couple of blocks away.  We drove there and it wasn’t exactly what I had in mind for a nice setting for a picnic lunch but it was already 1:30 and I didn’t want to wait to eat.  Monte says I get cranky when I am hungry.  While we ate we watched a woman training a great dame.  After 10 minutes of drills she put the dog in a cage in her truck and then took out another dog and did the same routine.  I got a little apprehensive when she unleashed the dog and walked a few feet away.  But the dog stayed put until the woman gave the “come here” command. 

Eureka was only 10 miles south. 

 We easily found a place to park in Old Town.  I had done some research on Eureka and it had sounded like an interesting place full of Victorian houses, historic buildings housing shops and restaurants.  It is the largest city north of San Francisco on the Pacific Ocean.   BUT I have to say I was very disappointed. 

The Old Town area has been declared a Historic District by the National Register of Historic Places.  Honestly, I can’t imagine why.  The town was dirty as were many of the shady looking characters walking around.  We walked down by the port but didn’t stay long because it was quite cold and I didn’t feel safe. 

 We quickly walked back to the car and drove around in search of the Victorian houses I had read about.  We found several and most of them are in disrepair. 

 The one gem we did come across was the Carson Mansion.  I learned that it is one of the most written about and most photographed Victorian houses in California. 

 

After leaving Eureka, we stopped at Mckinleyville again to pick up a few items in Safeway.  When the bill came to over $70 I thought that there must a mistake.  But after placing the four bags in the trunk of my car I looked over the receipt and it added up.  The food prices in California are the highest prices we have encountered since leaving Florida. 

We planned on going straight home after leaving Safeway because we had bought juice and other perishables but made one more detour when we saw a sign for Elk Meadow.  We had passed a herd of elk on an elk farm a few miles before seeing the sign for Elk Meadow and thought there might be a good chance of seeing elk in the wild especially since there were several posted signs warning about approaching the elk.  We parked and walked a little on the trail. 

There was evidence (in the way of big mounds of poop) that elk or some other large animal had been in the area recently.  But we didn’t see anything, although I have to admit I kept expecting to see a bear at every turn.  Monte wanted to keep going on the trail because he was finding lots of berries and couldn’t seem to get enough of them.  But I reminded him that we had food in the car and he reluctantly agreed we should leave.

With only three miles left to go before reaching “home” we were delayed for over 20 minutes by some road construction. 

Back home, after putting away the groceries, I heated up some soup and cut up a few slices of the sourdough crusty bready we had bought in Safeway and had a quick and easy dinner.  The temperature had really dropped so soup was a perfect choice for dinner.  It had been another awesome day. How lucky are we?