Picks and Pans – In and around Arcata, CA

Due to California’s state budget crisis, their state park campgrounds now charge the astronomical rate of $35 per night (not including showers or any other extras). Lucky for us, Del Norte County has either done a better job managing their budget or they haven’t noticed the cash cow just sitting in their county campgrounds because they only charge $10 for almost the same type of campsites that the state owns just down the road.

Although their campground is prohibitively expensive, it is entirely worth it to check out Jedediah Smith State Park during the day, especially if you enter on Howland Hill Road. Right near the beginning of Howland Hill Road, where it crosses the Smith River, there were some incredibly tempting swimming holes that were spared our disturbance by the fall morning chill in the air.  A little further up the road, we stopped for a short hike on the Stout Grove trail, which winds its way past, over and under some of the largest redwoods in the park. Continuing our venture down Howland Hill, we stopped to hike the 6 mile Boy Scout Tree trail to Fern Falls, which was more about the redwoods along the way than the end-of-summer trickling falls at the end of the trail.

Although this overlook is featured on the map handed to everyone that enters Redwood National Park, it is tucked away on a short bit of coastal highway that protects it from excessive human intrusion. When we arrived at the single picnic table out on the bluff’s point, there was a father and son that had been sitting in the sun since morning and said that we were only the second group of people to arrive that afternoon. Our short chat was punctuated by the crash of the surf on the rocks far below, and we soaked up some of the bright fall sunlight before we continued to Arcata.

Looking for a more scenic route while driving in Highway 101 may seem like sacrilege, but embrace the blasphemy and take the Newton B. Drury Scenic Parkway. It has fewer cars, is closer to the ocean and is mostly under a cathedral like ceiling of redwoods.

Elk Prairie was glowingly golden when we drove up on an October afternoon and true to its name’s promise there was a family of elk nestled in among the shoulder high grasses.

Sean says: Lots of good and reasonably priced microbrews and free wifi… what could be a better place to stop when your wife needs a nap?

When we called Chris and Rose prior to our arrival, they mentioned the possibility of Mexican food for dinner, so when we drove past the Fiesta Cafe en route to Chris and Rose’s house, I had high hopes that this was our dinner destination. It looked just the non-fussy, family-run Mexican place that I usually like. And in this case, appearance was a good predictor. The food was solidly good, the staff was friendly in a way that only happens in California and the pitchers of beer were cheap.

After a morning of sitting around with Chris in his living room, dorking out on our laptops, we joined forces with a just-released-from-class Rose and hit the great outdoors at Patrick’s Point State Park. Patrick’s Point is an unusual combination of natural and human influences. Rather than the typical human footprint of a campground, Patrick’s Point has a native Sumeg Village that is still used for ceremonial purposes. We explored the living quarters and the sweat lodge, and, thanks to Chris and Rose’s knowledgeable guidance, I avoided a near run-in with the bad energy lurking in the sweat lodge. Leaving the bad mojo behind, we went to the native plant garden where we met up with a sedate old toad, some bright orange mushrooms and enough pepperberries to discourage us from much huckleberry eating. Then we climbed out on to Wedding Rock for some ocean views, which piqued our interest in exploring tidepools. Rose and I were dissuaded upon getting a closer look (and feel) of the crashing tide, but Chris and Sean soldiered on, only to be turned away by a thorough ocean soaking.

Hidden on the backside of a building on Arcata’s main plaza, Hunan Plaza makes a distinctively good sweet and sour soup. It’s thick in the way a flavorful gravy is full of pleasant vegetable textures. The other dishes we tried were less distinct, in that they were tasty, but familiarly reminiscent of other good Chinese restaurants.

I would like to take this opportunity to say a special thanks to Chris and Rose for finding yet another way to inoculate our senses of humor with the BBC comedy virus. It began with the BBC’s “The Office”, proceeded to “Coupling” (thanks to Margot’s influence) and is now really complete with our exposure to “Red Dwarf” and “The IT Crowd”. What this means for our ability to socialize with those not exposed to the BBC antigen we have yet to find out.