Holidayers and Haze - Still Loving the Coast

 June 29 - July 5, 2023

Trinidad, California

Seeing Trinidad Bay the first time in 2015 I immediately fell in love. It was a magical photograph come to life. Since then we've stopped here every two years. The magic remains.

There's something so romantic about a small bay dotted with fishing boats.

Our 90 minute drive south on Hwy 101 is uneventful, continuing the calming combination of ocean and forest. The road has taken a beating in many places that are being rebuilt. Again (or maybe still?). 

Making late reservations for this July 4 holiday means we aren't staying at our favorite place among the large elk herd. Instead we're at Sounds of the Sea which is a pretty little park near Patrick Point SP about 5 miles north of the village of Trinidad. Lots of flowers and large green sites are a lovely improvement over the asphalt and rocks of our last stop. 50 amp FHUs with sporadic WiFi and adequate laundry facility which I end up not using. Our satellite connects through the tall trees.

We sit in the clouds most of our first day, and nearly all mornings.

Flowers brighten up the entrance drive.

Friday we head south to Eureka for groceries, lunch and viewing the vintage homes above town. There are several streets with old Victorian beauties. About 3/4 of them are restored, but there are still many that need some TLC. In case you need a project??

Many aren't afraid of bold colors - they accent the details so well!

I really want to see the inside of this one.

When your garage is as cute as your house!

Probably not a landscaping choice but I like the fluffy stairs from the sidewalk.

Window treatments add pretty layers - I really like these fringed blinds.

Something a little different that adds to the colorful neighborhood.

Saturday the holiday hordes fill the park. Everyone has a trailer or 5er and soon the place looks like a pickup convention - and they're all the same colors! Lots of families with lawn games, bicycles, scooters, campfires, and a wide variety of doggies. While entertaining, it's remarkably quiet compared to how it otherwise appears! We venture back to the little village where we find a parking place but still wait 45 minutes for a table at the Trinidad Bay Eatery. Worth every minute for one of the best grilled shrimp salads I've ever had - grilled veggies and goat cheese for the win!

We're loving the cool temps, but it does mean our beach time is much less than normal. Sunday we head north to what has in previous years been a little used beach at Dry Lagoon. Not today! The parking lot is full and as we're heading back to the highway another six vehicles are coming in. Let's go look for the Elk herds! None at the campground meadow where we normally stay, and the parking lot at Davison Road is also completely full with no animals in sight. It's almost like it's a holiday weekend or something! Back on Hwy 101 we see cars pulled over and grab a slice of dirt for ourselves. A small herd is tucked in the trees and brush, heads down, clearly loving whatever treat they've found. They're beautiful, and we just watch them for a bit before making room for someone else to get a peek.

With everyone at the beach or looking for Elk we head up to the small Redwood grove just northeast of Orick. It's a steep pull up the narrow two-lane road. Before we reach the grove we find - a traffic jam! Too funny, this is definitely a new experience for us in this area. After about 20 minutes we inch forward to a spot I can turn around. There are 15 cars behind us, and as we make our way back down there are another 15 coming up. Including a 30+ foot Class A who is about to have a really bad day.

The road goes another ten miles to a couple ranches, but we assume this backup is for the grove parking lot around this corner.

 

A couple beautiful Redwoods to reward our effort.

A quick stop along a stretch of windy beach on the highway.

It's a tumultuous sea today with no surfers or swimmers in sight.

We know we're blessed that this isn't our only opportunity to see all these beautiful places, that we don't have to go back to work (ever), that we aren't limited to holidays to be "out here". 

The day's experience tells us the village is packed, but we try for another shot at the Eatery - and again find a parking spot right in front! And again wait 45 minutes :-) We walk to the harbor overlook and admire the pretty gardens that flourish in this coastal environment. The addition of a tasty Bloody Maria further improves the wait. and our fish and shrimp "linner" is scrumptious.

We've all found the occasional "oops" shot in our day's photos - usually the sidewalk or our leg - but this one was a nice surprise that I kept :-)

I'm a fan of flora that adds color even without flowers.

Arcata, California, is home to Humboldt Cal Poly University, with a cute downtown plaza. On July 4th it plays host to a small outdoor festival that we peruse for a short while. The overcast is back and temps never reach 65 degrees. I'm tempted at many locations but walk away empty handed. The people-watching is superb :-))

A couple campers set off some poppers around 9:30 then it's a nice quiet July 4th for us. 

Our last day in Trinidad is hazy and overcast all day. The high is 60 degrees, so still no beach time. We attempt some exploring at Moonstone Beach, but there are unleashed dogs with their owners paying zero attention to where they're running so I take Tessa back to the car. Sometimes people......well, arrrggh. 

Waiting for brunch. He's happier than he looks :-)

Scenic Drive runs south from Trinidad with wonderful glimpses of the rugged coast.

Camel Rock 

Moonstone Beach to the south.

A blend of sky, water, sand and wood.

Thursday we'll continue south on Hwy 101 a couple hours after a hopefully quick stop at the Cummins service shop in Arcata. The orange engine light has been on for several stops, and while I'm confident it's a computer update or the new gas cap, I'll be happier when it goes away.

Elliott loves giving kitty a ride - 

but there's also room for him and a baby :-)

M&M ready for some Fourth of July fun!

On the other coast, Penelope and Reese watch the local July 4th parade.