So...we left Sonora...and drove the long steep road to the highest point on the highway when Ed pulled over to the side and stopped. We were overheating. Immediately the police and other highway helpers were there to check on us. It was just a short coast downhill into Willits. We were diagnosed with a ruptured hose. A few hours later we were back on the road.
It was beginning to get dark so we stopped at this general store in Leggett to inquire about a place to spend the night. They told us to stay just where we were parked!! We had a good nights sleep, purchased coffee and breakfast in the store in the morning and sat at the tables outside and visited with the locals. Seems the small town of Leggett has been hit hard by the decline in the logging industry. Their "local business" is growing "medical marijuana." We learned ALL about it. (You can each have only 25 plants and the business has gotten dangerous so you don't make as much as you used to.)
And so we waved goodbye as we pulled out of Leggett.
There's that cute guy again...standing inside a tree.
Couldn't resist shooting up the trunk. These trees are massive.
A lovely way to end the day...
Victorian is the style of the town. So we started looking around.
Who said pink is feminine??? This lady stands with pride.
This is the local theatre. I wonder if it began as a vaudeville house. Had to!!
There's one Victorian that they claim is the most photographed in the U.S. We parked our car in front to see if we were a match. Maybe we'll put in an offer...
The truth: It's a private club with invitation only membership. We couldn't even get to the front door.
We fell in love with painted murals all over the city and dedicated an afternoon to photographing them.
This huge one is a tribute to architecture and performing arts and is 70 feet by 70 feet.
Bucksport Sporting Goods was so happy with the mural on the parking lot side...
...they had the artist do one for the other side too!
Louis Armstrong is in the back parking lot of the performing arts center.
The Coop Market - a sort of Whole Foods style place that I loved shopping in - boasts the longest mural made up of six 20 foot panels. Sustainable living is their focus.
The car and plane are on a travel agency. It's unusual because it incorporates the grass into the painting. It's titled Murry Field Vintage 1930. Murry Field is the local airport - and still looks the same.
Title: Animals Are People Too. Nuff said...
The horses are the side of the old Volunteer Fire House #1. It's called Firehouse Alarm.
We put Finn into daycare and took the time to drive about an hour north up the coast to see the really big trees. We got poured on!! turned around and came back. We'll catch the Lady Bird Johnson grove later. We did make a stop in Trinidad (pop. 300) and visited the lighhouse there. Such a pretty view of the coast.
Ben says we have to return to buy some mustard sauce. We will make an effort to do so.
When we returned to Eureka, we drove over to Samoa Island and had a soup and salad lunch at the Cookhouse. This place is the oldest continually operating cookhouse in North America. Samoa Island, a 2 minute drive west of Eureka over the Samoa Bridge, was a company town and the cookhouse is where the workers had their meals. It was opened to the public in the 60's. They prepare 3 meals every day, all home made and served family style, with the only white bread I have ever eaten that was amazing.
The business of the town - logging. Today they still manufacture wood pulp.
There a little museum off to the left, but the stars are the cookhouse
itself and the interesting folks who eat there.
Ed enjoyed the bread so much he wanted more so I made him some tortas using Trader Joe's pizza dough in a dry frying pan in the RV. :-D
Next stop: Ferndale. The whole mainstreet is Victorian. Shops are as expected but it was fun for a short visit.
A couple miles from Ferndale is Loleta and it's cheese factory.
We watched them making cheddar...
Bought some...and headed out.
Humbolt Bay National Wildlife Refuge.
We had big hopes. We saw cows. We don't remember them being considered "wildlife."
The marsh land was drained and used for agriculture. It has been returned to its natural state and is now a birdwatchers haven. The trails are just beautiful. Water everywhere, and a cacophony of bird noises.
This field of cattails seems to go on forever. I couldn't see where it stopped.
The reflections in the water...I'm conscious of them since our photo walk in Yosemite.
Everyone kept telling us that we had to attend the 44th annual
Kinetic Grand Championship Bike Race.
It's a 3-day event that begins in Arcata around the town square.
On day one the riders race twice around the town square and then travel over sand dunes and the six miles to Erueka.
On day two those remaining race about a mile in the Eureka marina in water.
On day three those remaining travel 20 miles to the finale in Ferndale.
That's the serious business of the race which is made up mostly of monkey business.
The events are attended by the musicians....
....the cheerleaders. (These on the water on day 2)
People dress up in costume.
Some outrageous and some completely nuts
We attended the first two days of the festival. Yes, they really raced twice around the square. Many of the teams had Krews with costumes tying them all together. We had to cheer for the little guys, but were most impressed with the big guys.
(I've tried to tie the photos together - on land on day one and on sea on day two.)
These are some of our favorites.
The Elephant with his Krew.
Peddling away in the water. Many of the Krew were in kayaks and there was a lot of community out in the water - boats, canoes, surf boards, and kayaks. And lots of noise cheering them on.
Shooting fire from his tush.
And doing the same on the water.
Bigfoot came around the corner followed by Sasquatch.
He did very well on the water though people kept calling,
"Trim your toenails!"
 The Crab. His pincher's kept on going. |
 Even in the water.   Krew was pulling and pushing them.     
What fun we've had!!! We will travel into Oregon tomorrow. First stop: Eugene.
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