Patrick's Point State Park

Wedding Rock at Patrick's Point State Park

Patrick's Point State Park is 30 miles north of Eureka, CA, off highway 101. There are a number of sea stacks (large rocks that stand alone off the coastal shore). The sea stacks used to be part of the mainland but have been eroded and separated by the pounding surf over thousands of years. This beautiful park is five minutes down the road from Sound of the Sea RV Park on Patrick's Point Drive off 101 (where we are staying for about a week). This is why you can hear sea lions and sesals on the offshore rocks in the southern part of the park. You can ride your bike down to the state park, it's downhill on the way there but a bit of a struggle uphill coming back, or you can drive. But if you ride your bike in, it's free! There are some great places to explore there...Wedding Point Rock, Agate Beach, Abalone Beach and some nice hikes for starters. There's also an authentic Yurok Indian village constructed here.

This is also a great place to be (along the California highway 101 coast) any time from January to May, as the great grey whale migration is happening. The whales are traveling from their winter feeding grounds (Baja?) to their summer feeding grounds in the Bering Sea. Supposedly you can see mothers and their calves quite frequently, but we haven't seen any here at the park. What we did see on an exploratory bike ride and hike, was a pair of rock climbers, climbing Wedding Rock. Yikes!

And here's his female friend who capably climbed up right after him......It was fascinating to watch them work their way up to the top of Wedding Rock...it was amazing to see how much work it was to set the equipment in place, anchor themselves, then work their way up to the top when there didn't appear to be any places to hang onto!

We're looking forward to checking out the beaches and the tidal pools if we can before we leave later in the next day or two....tides are a complicated thing. I knew there were high tides and low tides, but I didn't know there were variances in the low and high tides within themselves and that affects how much you can see each day in the tidal pools. At any rate, we hope to at least check out Agate Beach for the beautiful agate stones and polished rocks. And hopefully, we'll get the tides right for checking out the pools at low tide. With all the warnings around the beaches here, they make you nervous about going out on the beach looking!  "DON'T TURN YOUR BACK ON THE OCEAN"  "WATCH OUT FOR ROGUE WAVES!"  But we'll be at the beach, provided it's not pouring down rain!

Kinetic Grand Championship Bike/Sculpture Race

The small town of Arcata, CA is home to an unusual bike race held every year around Memorial Day weekend, the Kinetic Grand Championship Bike Race. We happened to see an ad for it in a welcome center a couple of days ago and decided to check it out. The founder of this race, Hobart Brown, started it in 1969, and it's been going ever since. This year was the 42nd annual race. Contestants have to design a bike sculpture that will go over sand, land, water, and mud for 42 miles starting in Arcata, CA and ending up in Ferndale, CA. It's a three day race. This race was a HOOT!

The whole town gets into this....locals dress extra funky for the race, the team participating in the race has a kinetic pilot who steers, a pit crew that helps them with the design and machinery functions of the vehicle, and peons. The peons do whatever it takes to help the team "get glory", like bribe the judges and the spectators, which is expected. The first part of the race is on pavement, then they have to go over sand dunes, and through Humboldt Bay. We didn't see the sand and water part of the race or the herculean efforts to get some of these contraptions over the sand, water, mud, and everything else, but a lively crowd follows them for three days from the town of Arcata to Ferndale, CA at the end of the race on Monday, Memorial Day.

We had a great time today watching and taking photos of the craziest vehicles we have seen. The crowd, estimated by one judge to be around five thousand, enjoyed all the unique kinetic inventions as well. People were laughing and snapping photos like crazy with cell phones and cameras. People sat on the tops of the buildings in Arcata town square, their feet dangling over the edges of the rooftops, in order to get a better view of the shenanigans. My favorites are shown pictured, but the coup de grace was the fire breathing dragon! What an awesome bike sculpture! I wish we could see how these guys get through the mud, sand, and water, but we're not going to be able to see that.

They had a local band playing, and they were a hoot, too! The band really got into the music, rockin' and rollin' with their instruments while playing and in goofy costumes to boot. They really enjoyed playing to the crowd and the crowd was very appreciative of their efforts.  This is a town that knows how to have fun!

The bike sculptures parade around the town square at least twice, then they take off on the race. It was surprising to see how quickly some of these vehicles got up to racing speed! And some that didn't....

We thought this person might be one of the local dignitaries....

We sure had a great time today...if we can, we're going to try and find a couple other spots where the race is going on this weekend and see how the competitors are holding up. I guess one of the coveted awards (and there are quite a few of them) is the "Mediocre Award"....a prize for finishing in the middle of the race.  And the goofiest thing was, we happened to turn on the TV Monday, and the videotape of the sand and water segments were on local TV. Hilarious!  Great fun, great race, great town, good job, Arcata!

 See you who-knows-where tomorrow!?  

Newton Drury Scenic Highway and ELK!

Hi, everybody! We are at Sounds of the Sea RV park, 5 miles north of Trinidad CA, just off highway 101. Well, it's not quite the ocean view we had in mind. The website is probably deliberately vague on their descriptions of what the actual campground looks like. It's  not on the ocean side as the photos would have you believe. When checking out the website, it seems as if it is, but the descriptions never quite say that. The campground is on a bluff overlooking the Pacific Ocean through a dense canopy of big spruces, hemlocks and other greenery. You can barely see the ocean. If you want to get to the beach, you have to walk at least 20 min. to get there, or drive to several different ones. There are PLENTY of beaches here, they're just not accessible at this park. Phooey! But wait till you see what you can see if you don't mind driving about 10-20-45 minutes! Plenty of hiking trails, some biking trails, so Sparky is a happy camper! Our first scenic drive, here it comes........

If you drive about a half an hour north of Sounds of the Sea RV Park (which is 5 miles north of Trinidad, CA) off Highway 101, there is a scenic drive called the Newton Drury Scenic Highway. All along this drive are the California redwoods--grove after grove after grove. Humboldt County, where we are located at the moment, is home to the tallest and largest stands of old growth redwoods. You've got the Redwood National and State Parks, AND Humboldt Redwoods State Park. And all these parks have hiking trails that  go back into the deep woods with beautiful ferns, mosses and trillium surrounding you....We checked out a couple of those trails today just to see the gigantic and majestic redwoods. We even rode our bikes for a little bit to check out one of the trails. It was like being in Jurassic Park, the mosses coating and covering the vines and branches of lower trees, huge ferns growing underneath the trees, and lush greenery everywhere you look...We also checked some of the overlooks on the coast as well, in hopes of seeing some more whales on a calmer day. No luck with whales at the Requa Road vista overlook off highway 101, which was recommended in this area for some good whale watching. Beautiful scenery, however on the trails in the woods and the scenic drive....

WOW! You just can't capture the humongous stature of these trees in a photo.....Wish we could! The height and girth of these trees are jaw dropping! The biggest redwoods are in Redwood National and State Parks, and Humboldt Redwoods State Park, as I mentioned. The Newton Drury Scenic Parkway takes you through the heart of the redwoods. It's a beautiful  ten mile drive. This drive is just north of Orick and rivals the Avenue of the Giants for tremendous redwoods. (Avenue of the Giants--a tourist destination of humongous redwoods) is quite a bit further south on 101.) We bypassed it on our way here. Today we saw mammoth trees named Big Tree and Corkscrew, which was a twisting, gnarled big redwood that you could climb inside the middle of as it twists around.

We saw half-ton Roosevelt elk in meadows along the way as well! I think the elk were just as big a thrill as seeing the giant California redwoods. They were HUGE! Sometimes they were by themselves, sometimes they were in herds of 20 or more.....

We saw big herds of elk on our way BACK on highway 101....Unlike other reclusive animals, elk like to be out in meadows in the daytime, grazing or resting while their stomachs digest.

Here's a big dude.....We aren't quite sure why he still has a mature rack, but maybe he hasn't lost it yet. They usually shed their antlers in late winter and start growing new ones in the spring....

By the end of our scenic drive, we were in Klamath, a town that has the distinction of having the Tour-Thru Tree...you can drive your car through the heart of a redwood tree--just barely! The tree is 735 years old, and some time ago was scarred by fire. The tunnel through the tree was made in May, 1976, and for five bucks, you can drive your car through it in about ten seconds. We saw the sign  as we were driving so we just had to stop and check it out! We had to put in our side mirrors on the car just to be sure. What a thrill! (Uh, we've had lots bigger thrills, Sparky!)  Yes, we have, dear.....but it was still fun....

Our little Honda CRV made it thru ok....We'll leave you with some of our views from various outlooks off highway 101....

Love the papery thin blossoms with the veins showing through...we saw these on our walks through paths to the local beaches and vista points along highway 101. And here's the pounding surf......

 We'll see what we can find tomorrow..it's been a spectacular visit so far!

San Francisco Scenes--Our Last Day

San Francisco is one of the most beautiful cities we have seen, but it has it's not-so-pretty parts, too...Quite a few homeless people at Maritime Plaza across from the ferry terminal....laying under blankets right there at the park...all their worldly possessions with them....very sad.....

There's an interesting fountain at the Maritime Plaza....

Goodbye to all the beautiful street cars and cable cars.....there's a little free museum dedicated to preserving information about all these antique streetcars still in use...right at Maritime Plaza....The Fisherman's Wharf (the "F" line and Market Street) are the most popular historic streetcar line in America....

The "Milan" car was beautiful...lots of wood on it.....It dates back to 1928 and looks very similar to this beautiful orange streetcar.....Many of the cars date from the 1940's...they are so cool! Each car has its history printed in a central location inside the car for you to read.

And one more.....

Tomorrow we leave for Trinidad, CA, on the Pacific Coast off Highway 101...The RV park is called Sounds of the Sea..It's near Eureka, CA and the redwood forests, AND  Big Foot country!  It's a little pricey, (45.00 a day) however, pay for six days and get one free, so we are hoping for an ocean view for a few days and it's close to many attractions....Sometimes that makes up for not having to drive so far to see things by paying a little more to stay in a park, but we'll see.....for now, it's bye-bye San Francisco...

Alcatraz Tour

Alcatraz guard tower

There are some tours that even though they are a little pricey, they are one-of-a-kind that you really shouldn't miss...We feel that if it's connected to our country's history in a significant way, that makes it even more worthwhile. Alcatraz is a national park and one not to be missed! The Alcatraz Tour is a great tour to find out about what prison life was like back in the day.....we chose to take the boat tour that lets you off the island, and gives you an audio guided tour for 24.00 a person if you are 62 and older, and 26.00 if you are under 62. The audio portion is included in the cost. If you DON"T want it, you can get about 8.00 of your ticket refunded. You can spend as long as you want on Alcatraz inside the prison, and outside on the grounds. There's a ferry running every 30 minutes so you can hop back on and get back to San Francisco. It's about a 15 minute ride from the ferry dock (Pier 33?) to the prison which is on an island just outside San Francisco.

Some of the famous inmates

There is a significant climb to the top of the prison to get the audio tour...we got our workout for the day!  A tram is available for those who have difficulty climbing a steep hill or managing uneven pavement. Once you are inside the prison, you pop on the headphones and away you go! You can stop the audio commentary any time you want, or stop to listen to volunteers or park rangers who work at the prison national park, offering unique insights and stories into prison life. They give alternate tours different from the audio tape. The audio tape was really cool--lots of sound effects of what a prisoner riot sounded like, gunshots, and verbatim accounts of the attempted escapes. Exciting events unfold as the audio tour tells you what you are looking at and where to go next. There are real people who lived and worked at the prison who give some of the commentary. Photographic panels on the tour tell you intimate details of prison life and accompany the audio....The audio portion is about an hour and a half.

typical cell

Here's one of the informational panels we saw...

And, another one.....We found out all about the attempted escapes and the ingenuity of the prisoners in faking out their guards. But very few ever got away from Alcatraz....

It was a great tour and we highly recommend it! Tomorrow's blog is a farewell to San Francisco, Sonoma County and the orchards and vineyards of sunny California...makes me sad to say we're leaving, but-----WE'LL BE BACK SOME DAY....We loved this part of California.....

External guard tower at Alcatraz

Whale Watching at Bodega Bay Head

We found out through a brochure, that we could travel about 35-45 minutes to a point just a little further out to see past the town of Bodega Bay, called Bodega Bay Head. This point, jutting out into the sea, had an observation point on a bluff where you could stand and watching migrating grey whales and their calves swim through the bay....whoopee! Whale watching, and it's FREE!  On the way to the observation point high up on a bluff, we spotted these people digging...for clams? Oysters? Not sure which....I had no idea whatever they were digging for was so deep down!

We saw some cool birds at the water while the tide was out....

And beautiful flowers blooming on the sides of the cliffs...these grow all over the place on rocky shores and have pretty yellow, white and pink blooms, although you can't see the blooms here.

So we went, me, dressed in shorts and a short sleeve tee shirt and a lightwindbreaker, Eldy dressed in about the same, only he usually has on more layers. Layers are good when you are out on a bluff with a stiff wind blowing and sea spray coating everything you own--clothes, camera, and glasses. Our first clue that we were inappropriately dressed for the day's observations was a couple parked in a pair of lawn chairs on the bluff---she had on a snowmobile suit, wool cap and snowsuit hood pulled over her head so you could barely see her face. He had on Carhart's and a hooded sweatshirt and they both were wearing winter gloves and hiking boots. Did I mention that the coast temperatures that day were in the low fifties? The wind chill factor felt like the twenties, the wind was a GALE, or at least seemed like it!...Needless to say, we didn't last that long, but while we were there, for about an hour, the gal saw at least 7 or 8 sightings of grey whales! Either spouts or actual bodies....she was the epitome of excitement when she saw one--really screaming it aloud at each sighting. Sometimes we saw them with her, and some times we didn't. When I did see one with her, I jumped up and down excitedly like a little kid, screamed and yelled and we high-fived each other! Woo-hoo! Shortly thereafter, we decided to come back again the next day, better prepared....and we did!

Here's my better half, Eldo, dressed for whale watching the following day....we saw at least 7 or 8 whales or spouts in a very short period of time, about 20 minutes. The grey whales migrate with their young from January thru May through this spot and along various lookouts off Highway 101 along the coast. Unfortunately, the whales were at a distance, very rapidly surfacing and then diving, and we weren't able to get a photo...the sea spray was fierce again today with the winds blowing VERY hard again for the second day in a row. They were blowing so hard you couldn't stand up without being blown a couple of steps in any direction...It's a rugged outlook, but worth it to see the number of whales going by!

We met a volunteer, Bea Brunn, who has been giving information and manning the observation bluff at Bodega Bay Head for 24 years. She's originally from Norway, and the other park staff have given her the nickname "Whale Mother"....she was a very interesting lady and told me that she has definitely seen the effects of climate change on the number of whales passing through, and their migrating habits. She said a pod of "teenager" whales seems to have given up on the idea of migrating to Alaska and they stay to hang out in this area because of a possible lack of food in the northern latitudes......not sure if that was going to happen this year, but she's noticed that for the last couple of seasons.....

After we got done whale watching and were frozen to the bone, we stopped off at Bodega Bay at a little cafe called Spud Point Crab Company...they had the most delicious chowder I have ever eaten! And you can see, Eldo is one serious chowder eater! He loved it, too!  Tomorrow, the Alcatraz Tour!  See you in prison!......

The man is serious about his chowder!

Fisherman's Wharf

I could spend all day at Fisherman's Wharf, (Pier 39 on a cable car stop after you get off the ferry)....there are the most interesting people and entertainment for you to enjoy along the wharf! You've got your sea lions who are very entertaining to watch, almost as much fun as watching the people watch the sea lions!

You've got your street entertainers who are regularly scheduled to appear along the streets as you walk the wharf, and the entertainment in the form of music--very talented musicians play at the main wharf daily--the wharf where the Aquarium is, is where some of the best music seems to take place. One of the cutest things we saw was a guy in his seventies, at the MINIMUM, dancing on inline roller blade skates to the jazz saxophonist who was playing at the time. The elderly skater put all of us to shame the way he was so agile on his skates--little hops, skips and jumps and twirls in time to the music. It was wonderful and doesn't he look dapper in his hat!?

We saw a man totally painted silver, skin, hair and clothing--he was walking to his "gig" when we saw him. We saw another guy who was a gold pirate--gold skin, again, gold clothing and dressed to the nines as a swashbuckling pirate....

We saw another guy, or rather, I didn't see him...he was hiding behind some branches of shrubbery, sitting at the side of the sidewalk, and as unsuspecting passers-by passed him by, he revealed himself with a big loud "ARRRGH!" scaring the you-know-what out of people who weren't too observant at the moment. ("Hey, he got you really good, didn't he?" asks E. "You should have seen yourself jump out of your skin!") Yeah, yeah! This was how this guy was making a living at the moment! Geez, I need to get more creative with my money making efforts while on the road, me thinks!

Now, your guess is as good as mine, what this guy's gig was....

We didn't see how he grabbed the guy off the street, but everybody was laughing and having a good time, and isn't that what it's all about when you are seeing a new city for the first time?

Fisherman's Wharf may be touristy, but it's beautiful and interesting! There were some heckuva great buys in clothing--San Francisco labeled fleece lined jackets for 14.95 that looked every bit as good as an LL Bean jacket, great tee shirts for less than 10.00, ball caps for 5.00 and MADE IN THE USA--Yay! We each bought a ball cap...you can never have too many hats as they get lost in the RV and buried in the car...I bought a couple of great tote bags for 5.00 each to stow my knitting in and they appear well made.

And the FOOD! If you are a "foodie" like me, you'd love all the restaurants and streetside seafood shops to get CHOWDAH,  dungeoness crabs and other delectable delights, like Boudin's sourdough bread. Eldy likes to say we are eating our way across America, but honey...I'd like to stay long enough to eat my way through San Francisco...(Uh, it's a good thing we are moving on soon! says E.)

Boudin's Sourdough Bread

We had a great time today walking the wharf...and we'll definitely return again some day......