A good buddy of mine from So. Cal is accompanying me to the UW game Friday Nov 2nd. Assuming our hangovers are manageable, we're gonna charge it on Sat up to Eureka and/or Crescent City and then return to Oakland Airport really late on Sunday. Even as a student, I only made it up to a little past Ukiah before turning around but I was more of a degenerate back then and I don't have the benefit of illicit substances now.

We'll be strictly on a coffee high now. Anyone know some good places to stay or things to see in that neck of the woods on an impacted schedule? Site seeing and good pubs are more our style these days. We're charging it regardless so no negativity on the impossibility of it all. It we miss our flight, we call in sick Monday. GO BEARS and thanks in advance...

MoragaBear;841978425 said:

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Really nothing to see in Crescent City. Kind of a depressing place.

By Eureka, there's a classic old cookhouse in a little logging town called Samoa, called the Samoa Cookhouse: http://www.samoacookhouse.net/. Bring an appetite if you go there.

Further up 101 south of Redwood National Park, there are some great areas to see elk. They'll come right up to you. You can take a great hour or two hike in RNP, too. Pretty incredible place.

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Thanks MB, you might have saved me a pointless drive. I forgot to add he's a free lance photographer :headbang

MoragaBear;841978425 said:

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Really nothing to see in Crescent City. Kind of a depressing place.

By Eureka, there's a classic old cookhouse in a little logging town called Samoa, called the Samoa Cookhouse: http://www.samoacookhouse.net/. Bring an appetite if you go there.

Further up 101 south of Redwood National Park, there are some great areas to see elk. They'll come right up to you. You can take a great hour or two hike in RNP, too. Pretty incredible place.

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Just outside of CC is a pretty great grove of Redwoods (my favorite, by far). Stout I believe http://www.redwoodhikes.com/Jed%20Smith/Stout%20Grove.html It is some trouble to find, but it is almost empty, and freaking fantastic photo opportunities.


Kalameth River where it hits the water is some epic views, and a great ever shifting sandbar.

Also, there is one of my favorite bridge ruins, and a great opportunity to take some pictures with some really old bears.
http://bridgehunter.com/ca/del-norte/douglas-memorial/
[url]https://www.google.com/search?q=Douglas+Memorial+Bridge&hl=en&client=firefox-a&hs=QB1&rls=org.mozilla:en-USfficial&prmd=imvns&tbm=isch&tbo=u&source=univ&sa=X&ei=X_N8UKKuD8PkiwL17IGQDg&ved=0CEYQsAQ&biw=1366&bih=617[/url]

Just straight off from that broken bridge is an "abandoned" road that skirts the sea cliffs where they used to get gold from the beach sand, but it turned out to not be economical (to Mule up the sand and water to flue(?) it down to extract the gold), and is now protected, so the beach still sparkles with gold... also pretty cool to see.



Edit: now that I see that your friend is a photographer, I would say it is absolutely not a wasted trip.

I heard there's a cool place up there called "Pelican Bay". You should check it out!

Also you might want to search for the legendary Yreka Bakery.

There's something called the Sundial Bridge which looks kind of cool.



You can go check out Bumpass Hell. It's cool because it's called "Bumpass Hell":



Maybe the coolest place I've been up there is Lava Beds National Monument:



One of the scariest things I've done was to go deeeeep into this one lava tube, then we took a crossover (to another main tube) that was too tight to crawl; we wriggled through it lying flat, and we weren't even sure we were in the right place and that it would open up again into another tube.

TouchedTheAxeIn82;841978433 said:

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I heard there's a cool place up there called "Pelican Bay". You should check it out!

Also you might want to search for the legendary Yreka Bakery.

There's something called the Sundial Bridge which looks kind of cool.



You can go check out Bumpass Hell. It's cool because it's called "Bumpass Hell":



Maybe the coolest place I've been up there is Lava Beds National Monument:



One of the scariest things I've done was to go deeeeep into this one lava tube, then we took a crossover (to another main tube) that was too tight to crawl; we wriggled through it lying flat, and we weren't even sure we were in the right place and that it would open up again into another tube.

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Whoa... I am scheduling another drive up there now... All of those things are awesome.

Phantomfan;841978430 said:

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Kalameth River where it hits the water is some epic views, and a great ever shifting sandbar.

Also, there is one of my favorite bridge ruins, and a great opportunity to take some pictures with some really old bears.
http://bridgehunter.com/ca/del-norte/douglas-memorial/
[url]https://www.google.com/search?q=Douglas+Memorial+Bridge&hl=en&client=firefox-a&hs=QB1&rls=org.mozilla:en-USfficial&prmd=imvns&tbm=isch&tbo=u&source=univ&sa=X&ei=X_N8UKKuD8PkiwL17IGQDg&ved=0CEYQsAQ&biw=1366&bih=617[/url]

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I was thinking of a golden bear, but I think what I was thinking of is different from what's in those pictures:

liverflukes;841978403 said:

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A good buddy of mine from So. Cal is accompanying me to the UW game Friday Nov 2nd. Assuming our hangovers are manageable, we're gonna charge it on Sat up to Eureka and/or Crescent City and then return to Oakland Airport really late on Sunday. Even as a student, I only made it up to a little past Ukiah before turning around but I was more of a degenerate back then and I don't have the benefit of illicit substances now.

We'll be strictly on a coffee high now. Anyone know some good places to stay or things to see in that neck of the woods on an impacted schedule? Site seeing and good pubs are more our style these days. We're charging it regardless so no negativity on the impossibility of it all. It we miss our flight, we call in sick Monday. GO BEARS and thanks in advance...

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It all depends on which route you take. The Northern Coast (Hwy 101/1) is by far one of my favorite places to vacation in the country. (A little fun fact) if you drove through Crescent City during the July 4th celebration, you'd be hard pressed to find any place to stay (Camping or motel) within a 40 mile radius, as it has one of the largest 4th of July firework displays and in California.

If you enjoy a peaceful, spiritual vacation, than this is the place, and Fall is the best time to go. The Ocean and Redwoods without the hefty crowds, it doesn't get much better IMO.

Definitely travel through and spend a few hours at the Trees of Mystery and visit Paul Bunyan and the blue Ox (Hwy 101) and don't forget to drive through the tree that has a tunnel carved in the middle of it. Also, make sure to bring a lunch and take the gondola up to the peak of the mountain so you can enjoy a lengthy walk through the great Redwoods.

If you do make it to Crescent City, there is an amazing seafood restaurant called the Chart Room. Haven't had it in a few years, but what I can remember was they had the best clam chowder around. This coming from a person who grew up on Spenglers in Berkeley. While eating you'll have an amazing view of the Ocean to boot!

The other locations people mentioned above would require you to cut over to highway 5 (from Hwy 101) at some point during your adventure down. Usually it doesn't make sense unless you wanted to drive on a two lane road that is really long and whindy that could take up most of your day if you get behind a rig.

If you opted to cross over to 5 in Oregon and bi-pass the North Coast all together, than you could always drive through Ashland, Or. which is always a fun place. You could stop by the Shakespeare festival, catch a play and a Brew at any one of the pubs if that is what you're into. If you continue on 5 you'll go through a little town Yreka and than through Shasta which has some natural spring spa's, as well as where you'll find Mount Shasta and all it's splendor. Drive a little further and you'll eventually end up in Redding Ca. where you'll discover the the Sundial bridge, definitely a must see and all of it's architectural magnificence.

Redding would be a good place to park it for the night if I was driving through (and single). Id probably stay at the Red Lion where they'll have plenty of ladies and dancing. Good luck, have fun!

:gobears:

There's the Humboldt Brew Pub in Arcata. I haven't been up that way in many years, but I heard it was run by Humboldt State students, but I think I'm mistaken. Maybe I heard it was OVERrun by Humboldt State students. They have a website.

TouchedTheAxeIn82;841978440 said:

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I was thinking of a golden bear, but I think what I was thinking of is different from what's in those pictures:

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That is the replacement bridge for the bridge I posted. It is 101 across the Kalameth.

The Sundial Bridge is in Redding, CA, off I-5; it is a lot more picturesque to take Highway 101 to Eureka.

In Arcata, check out the Wildberries market (=like a mini Berkeley Bowl) for good coffee, sandwiches, vittles: http://www.wildberries.com/

Obviously from the link the Samoa Cookhouse is alive and well, but I thought I read a number of years back that it was closing? Am I thinking of another place?

I grew up in Eureka and have spent time in Del Norte County. I have also lived in Willits and now live in Santa Rosa.

I assume you will take 580 to 101. If you like wine tasting, I recommend stopping at a winery or two on your way up 101. Francis Ford Coppola north of Healdsburg is good. If you like steak, stop at the Broiler just north of Ukiah going up or coming back down.

You might want to stop at the Benbow Inn to eat or look around just south of Garberville. Take Avenue of the Giants if you want to see the redwoods in southern Humboldt. I like to stop and walk along the Dyersville Giant which fell in the 90's to see how big these trees really are.

If you like beer, go to Lost Coast Brewery in Eureka. Samoa Cookhouse is good. Walk in Old Town in Eureka to see the marina and the Carson Mansion. I enjoy the Humboldt Bay cruise on the Madaket. Ferndale is an interesting side trip if you have time.

When you get north of Orick look for the Prairie Creek State Park exit and take that route instead of 101 if you want to see elk. If you have time, walk through Fern Canyon. The Klamath River bridge has the Golden Bears which you will see on your way to Crescent City. If you want a break, stop at Trees of Mystery.

The lighthouse in Crescent City is a nice tour, but you can only visit it during low tide. Crescent City is a magnet for tsunamis. You will see signs showing the high water mark in downtown caused by the 1964 earthquake in Alaska.

I recommend filling up with gas in Ukiah or Willits since it will be even more expensive as you go further north. There is a Costco in Eureka, but it will not be cheap. Since the Eureka Inn has lost it's allure, I do not have a favorite place to stay. It really depends on which town you want to spend the night.

Enjoy Redwood Country!
Richard

Founder's Tree and Chandelier Tree are both really cool and quick spots up north right on the 101.

My son is from here in Long Beach and he is a USFS wildland firefighter stationed in Gasquet these past 3 fire seasons. He is 24 and lives in Crescent City with a firefighter friend. He would probably tell you to completely ignore CC, but we have visited him and love the redwoods, ocean, quaint mini Big Sur qualities, and clean air/beauty. The Smith River is the cleanest river in North America - lots of hikes, mountain biking, etc. He finds nothing much to do at his age. Rather than adding what the others have said - just one warning about the drive north of SF up 101/1...it is very twisty and slow..count on adding on alot of time taking this into consideration. Also, the rain/fog/mist is very common along that coastline so don't be disappointed if you don't see any sun. Have fun!

72CalBear;841978723 said:

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My son is from here in Long Beach and he is a USFS wildland firefighter stationed in Gasquet these past 3 fire seasons. He is 24 and lives in Crescent City with a firefighter friend. He would probably tell you to completely ignore CC, but we have visited him and love the redwoods, ocean, quaint mini Big Sur qualities, and clean air/beauty. The Smith River is the cleanest river in North America - lots of hikes, mountain biking, etc. He finds nothing much to do at his age. Rather than adding what the others have said - just one warning about the drive north of SF up 101/1...it is very twisty and slow..count on adding on alot of time taking this into consideration. Also, the rain/fog/mist is very common along that coastline so don't be disappointed if you don't see any sun. Have fun!

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Ah, Just an addition:

Roads up there have lots of trees right up to the traffic lanes... Dont drive fast. Not worth it unless you have a car that can knock down a redwood.

Home and Garden stores up there carry the largest bags of fertilizers you'll ever see.

I'll second the Benbow Inn, as A1 suggested - actually proposed to Ms. OldenBear there. It's more of a spend-a-couple-nights/romance kind of place, but a pretty cool building. Might be worth some photos, and it's just off 101.

Also think a must-do is the Samoa Cookhouse. If you've been driving for a while, bulk up there. Good food, great atmosphere.

Lots of Victorian-style houses in the Eureka/Arcata area, too. And check into the town of Ferndale. Heck, they do a Lighted Tractor Parade at Christmas, and there used to be some art-oriented human-bean powered vehicle race, too (that may have disappeared). Can't be all bad.

Take your time on the drive - as others have said, lots of slow roads. Great scenery, though, and a nice off-the-beaten part of the state.

The Kinetic Sculpture Race is on Memorial Day weekend and starts at the noon whistle in Arcata on Saturday. It ends on Memorial Day in Ferndale.

101 is a lot better than it used to be when I drove to Cal from Eureka in the 70's. There is now a very high bridge that bypasses where slides would occur north of Confusion Hill. Caltrans also bypassed the only spot where I would stick to the 10 mph speed limit or slide off the edge into the Eel River. The only place I am careful now is Richardson's Grove because of the curves, the redwoods, and Bigfoot.

My father graduated from Cal in 1917. He must have taken a schooner from Crescent City to Berkeley.

Go Bears!
Richard

Thanks for all the tips and advice guys. Hopefully, I can make it up that way. Sounds awesome.

GO BEARS!

I second Fern Canyon and the samoa Cookhouse, although it's been almost 2 decades. Making me pine to do the North Coast road trip.

Just remember that it's a solid 6 or 7 hrs to Eureka from the Bay. I grew up in Fort Bragg and have spent lots of time up in Humbolt and Del Norte. Fern Canyon is maybe the most beautiful place I've ever been, and Prairie Creek in general is incredible. I'll never forget sleeping on the beach at Prairie Creek and having a female elk wake me up as she brushed against my tent.
If I were you though, I wouldn't necessarily go North of Eureka just because of time constraints. There's lots of amazing Redwood Groves in Mendocino County and Southern Humbolt on the way up 101 (Richardson Grove being one.)
The Samoa cook house is cool, it's a really old place that was once used to house and feed the loggers from that area. It's family style and not gourmet, but a definite an experience. They serve food like a Basque restaurant and just put huge portions of food in the middle of the table and go for it. Eat dinner there and then go to the Lost Coast brewery in Eureka which is a great brewpub.
It's fun reading the comments from everyone, as the North Coast of California holds a unique place in my heart. Hopefully Cal wins and you can ridicule all the UW fans who choose to take the scenic route home.

I'm from Arcata so if you have any questions feel free to PM me I also agree with suggestions people are making, samoa cookhouse, larrupin cafe, redwood national park, patricks point, and other nature-y type things. I wouldn't bother going much north of there.

Benbow Inn if the weather is good is great. If you have a choice between Eureka and Arcata go to Arcata for most stuff outside of a few restaurants.

edit: lots of microbrews