West Coast visit

[John V. G. Mayton]

Yesterday was superlative in every way imaginable.  Driving into Crescent City from Smith River, Marina and I joined my brothers Steve and Michael, along with their spouses, Lori and Antoinette, for breakfast at the North Woods Inn.  The jokes, quips, and laughter made our table one seriously raucous focal point for bemused glances from the other patrons.  Even out server got caught up in our levi...ty and joined right in with a few quips of her own.  Photographs were taken, hugs and misty eyed goodbyes given and Mike and Antoinette departed for Seattle.  Steve and Lori had to go run a company and Marina and I had a couple of hours to spend exploring the harbor area while we waited for Becca, my niece, to get out of class.  We surveyed the horrendous damage that last year’s tsunami did with empathetic horror because as sailors we could easily relate to how it must have felt to see one’s boat smashed to pieces by the series of waves that demolished the harbor.  Waves that had traveled clear across the Pacific to smash into the West Coast with devastating results.  The Crescent City Harbor is being rebuilt, however, and in a few years should be back to providing services and moorings for the local fishing fleet and sailors transiting the West Coast.  As we continued our exploration Marina spotted a couple of groups of sea lions vying for places on two pier ends so they could work on their tan in the sun.  She hurried down the ramp to get as close as she dared to watch and take pictures.  The wonder on her face was worth a picture as well which I’ll post as soon as I figure out how to get photo off the phone onto the computer.  After that we drove out to the point and climbed the big rock there to look out over the harbor on one side and the wild rocky shore line on the other.  I haven’t done much rock climbing for a long time and I admit I was feeling a bit shaky in the knees when we got to the top.  Not that the climb was anything as technical as I used to do back in college, but it was steep and high and I, more than a little out of shape at 67.  After the climb we drove along the shore up to Point Saint George to enjoy the view, then headed back to the Lighthouse Hotel where we were to meet up with my Niece. Becca was on time and after greeting her and her mother, Ruth, we got into the car and headed south to Fern Dale.  The drive down the North Coast is spectacular in every sense of the word.  Driving through the redwoods along a road cut into the cliff overlooking the sea and rocky shore line is glorious to say the least.  It took us a bit over two hours to get to Fern Dale, a place that I have always wanted to share with Marina, and to do so with my Niece with us doubled my pleasure of the experience.  We started out with the Kinetic Museum where some of the award winning self-powered creations were housed.  Fantastical vehicles everyone. Then we walked up the main Victorian decorated street stopping in the little shops and examining art, clothing, jewelry and stuff.  My favorite was the blacksmith’s studio.  We wanted to stop at the museum but were a few minutes late for that so we went looking for the grave yard.  With some directions from a couple walking their dog we found it and enjoyed climbing up the steep stairs to the top and examining the various inscriptions, many from the last century.  Our grave yard exploration completed we acknowledge our hunger and drove back to Eureka, CA to have supper at Marie Calander’s.  The food was great but the company was even better.  We talked and laughed until our plates were clean and after the girls had some pie we headed out to return home.  The drive along the winding road in the dark and sometimes foggy conditions pushed any hint of after supper drowsiness away with ease.  It was with considerable relief when we topped the last ridge and coasted down the hill into Crescent City with its lights like rhinestones glittering along the shore.  After dropping my Niece off at her home we returned to where we were staying in Smith River and gratefully crawled into bed, tired but more than a little happy.