Lighthouses and Redwoods - Sounds like a Band- 1/17/15

Continuing my roadie from my previous post, as I may have mentioned, I had 6 goals on this trip.  Sadly, only 4 were realized.  

What was also realized is that, despite my predilection for sudden road trips, I'm also a planner.  I guess I'm a fan of spontaneously planning.  Which I did and didn't do for this weekend.

That's okay though because I have a future "redo" to look forward to.  I'm really hoping to make this a fairly regular thing sometime in the not so distant future.  And to be quite honest, I had a really fun and relaxing time so I consider this trip, although aborted, a win!

So my "goals":

1)  To see a few beaches and wander them looking for shells and agates.  -- Check!
2)  To go to Point Arena and climb the tallest Lighthouse on the West Coast.  -- Check!
3)  To see the mouth of the Russian River and possibly do some exploring. -- Check!  Well, no exploring.
4)  To explore the beautiful California Redwoods, preferably in Redwood National Park & the Humboldt Redwoods. --  Check!  Well, kinda.
5)  To make it to Crescent City California and search for agates on Pebble Beach.  -- Noooooo.  
6)  Camp in a random campground near Eureka so I could be central to the Redwoods.  -- Yeah, no.  Didn't happen.

So first, the lighthouse.

I really love the lighthouses of California.  I know some people say they don't compare to the East Coast and I say they are equally wonderful, just different.  I've now explored the lighthouses at Pigeon Point, Point Montara, Point Reyes, and now Point Arena.

Driving Highway 1 towards the lighthouse in the somewhat misty weather was fun and beautiful.  Except for the lack of bathrooms.  Traveler's beware!  There are no fast food places...no stores...few gas stations.  It is hell on an old woman's bladder.   Sorry.

Anyhoo, back to the gorgeous scenery:

It's easy to see why a lighthouse was needed with all these rocky cliffs.  Fun fact!  The lighthouse is the closest piece of mainland to the Hawaiian Islands!

The backstory: Like a lot of other towns along this coast, Point Arena got its start as a tiny "doghole" port for the timber that built San Francisco. Until recently, its chief claim to fame was that it was the mainland's closest point to Hawaii; the islands' high-speed Internet cable comes ashore here.  (San Francisco Chronicle article about the area)

So gorgeous. The black and brown cliffs, the red roof and white walls of the signal building, and the majestic lighthouse overlooking all.

There are so many places to hike around here.  I really have to go back.  I stopped and walked around the cliffs above the tidal pools when I saw a ton of harbor seals hanging out.  So freaking cute!!  They were watching me right back which was kind of an amazing feeling.

Well, some of them were.  Some were just too chill. 

I had another admirer as I walked around too!  

Then this ebony bird beguiling my sad fancy into smiling, By the grave and stern decorum of the countenance it wore, “Though thy crest be shorn and shaven, thou,” I said, “art sure no craven, Ghastly grim and ancient Raven wandering from the Nightly shore— Tell me what thy lordly name is on the Night’s Plutonian shore!” Quoth the Raven “Nevermore.”

I have never seen a raven before.  I have seen crows...many, many crows.  And some crows so big that I thought it might be a raven.  But!  When you see a raven you know it's a raven.  Astonishing and cool.  

I kind of love this picture with the way the fence looks.  I would not want to be on the wrong side of that beak!  

I also saw a birdie that was the polar opposite of the stately raven...so little and puffy!  Warding off the cold from his fragile, tiny bones was a White-Crowned Sparrow.  That article says they are large sparrows, but this one and his friends that were flitting around seemed quite small. 

After using the nicest bathroom I had seen on my trip, I made my way into the lighthouse museum/gift shop to sign up for the "tour".  

The First-order Fresnel Lens was amazing.  So beautiful.

We learned that the lighthouse is quite close to the San Andreas Fault line and suffered quite a bit of damage in the 1906 earthquake.   In fact, the original tower sustained enough damage that it was deemed more cost effective to rebuild it rather than fix it. 

Exhibit A

After learning the history of the lens and lighthouse, it was time to make the climb up the stairs.  Between 90 and 144 steps depending on the source.  It seemed like more.

Going up!

The views at the top were simply breathtaking.  This is aptly called "The Sinkhole".

This is the view of my car from the top.  And the nice bathroom.  haha

On my way out, I took a picture of the plaques beside the lighthouse.  Just thought they looked kind of cool.  

And then I ran into my friend, Lenore.  Following me just like the grim portent in Poe's poem.  But I loved it. 

I mean, yeeessssss!  So awesome.  

So here is where things kind of went sideways.  I was talking to one of the nice gentlemen who worked at the lighthouse and I asked him if I was close to any Redwood groves.  He told me there was a beautiful one on Highway 128 and that I should definitely make the drive because it was 10 miles of beauty.

I thanked him for the information, but wasn't sure if it would work in my plan of heading up to Eureka via the coast. 

So I head out and I make it to the mouth of the Russian River, which was gorgeous, but not exactly as I remembered through the eyes of my 10-year old self which was the last time I remember being there.

Just after passing through, I came to a fork in the road where I had to turn either left or right.  Left, my sense of direction knew, was towards the coast.  Right, the sign informed me, was Highway 128 TO EUREKA.  This confused me.  

But I figured, "Jeah!  I can see the Redwood grove and still be heading to Eureka!"  My brain and sense of direction were saying, "Don't do it!"  But I turned right...and pulled over to the side of the road after about 100 feet.  I started to turn around.  I was really at war with myself.  But the SIGN!  It said Eureka!  

I finally pulled out my phone to check GPS and NO SERVICE!!  The first time Verizon has failed me ever.  lol  So I decided to continue on Highway 128 because EUREKA!

At first it was a good decision.  I was soon ensconced on a nice, twisty road surrounded by an old, emerald and red grove of tall trees. 

I saw this fallen, hollow trunk and couldn't resist pulling over and walking around a bit.  It turned out to be an actual grove with markers, although you couldn't see them from the road.  I think that kind of defeats the purpose.

The backside:

So many shades of green and grey.  With beautiful browns thrown in.  The trees...the ferns...  I just love the forest.

 Each tree is a work of art.

 And mixed in with the ferns were clovers!  Everywhere!  

 So much luck in this picture!  A horseshoe covered in clovers!

And the ferns I tell ya!  I love ferns.  #Olicity

After I left the Redwood grove, I became increasingly uneasy that this damn road was NOT going to take me to Eureka.  It was definitely going the wrong direction.  

It was fun because it was super wind-y (not to be confused with windy) and pretty.  I love pretending to be a race-car driver and pushing myself on roads like that.  So I really enjoyed it.  AND I saw the Husch Vineyards!!  My favorite wine is a Husch Late Harvest Gewurztraminer.  OMG so delicious.  I must go back and go wine-tasting now that I know where they are.

So bottom line...this damn road headed back towards the Bay Area and connected with Highway 101 WAY below where I was on the Coast.

Exhibit B

Dammit!!!

So my goal of reaching Eureka by 5:00 pm ish was torpedoed and I didn't get there until 8:00 even though I drove straight up 101!  And you know what?  Campgrounds in that area close at 6:00.  So me=screwed.  I contemplated sleeping in a parking lot somewhere but there were too many sketchy people around.  

I ended up driving all the way back to Sacramento (arriving at 3:30 a.m.!) after driving around Eureka and the surrounding areas for awhile trying to find a campground that was open and/or would let me stay there.

That's where the better planning would have come in.  That and having a map.  lol 

It was a fun time though.  I loved it and felt really rejuvenated by being out in nature and seeing God's beauty.  

Can't wait for next trip!  

xoxo

It's No Mystery That I've Fallen. Luckily, I Got Up.~Mystery Spot Visit 2/2/14

"It's only through mystery and madness that the soul is revealed."
~~Thomas Moore

Adrienne had never been to the Mystery Spot, so we decided to add that to our fabulous Sharks/Blackhawks weekend.  

Of course we planned this all in advance, and the weather was not fully cooperative.  That was all right with me because I love rain (as long as there is not wind involved); Adie a little less so.  But to my pleasant surprise, she was still game to go. 

Yay!

Of  course I couldn't resist taking a picture of the mystery sign AND my Alex Stalock mystery puck that I got at the game the previous night.  Unfortunately, I was trying to focus mainly on one, and ended up focused on none.  lol  Story of my life.

We had  bought tickets online and you're supposed to arrive 1/2 hour before your hike.  Luckily, they let us go sooner because it was freezing!  But there was time for me to walk around and take some photos.

I love Redwoods, although I prefer it on the living tree.  But this stump seat in the courtyard was so pretty in the rain!

Otherworldly looking. 

I've loved ferns since I was a little girl.  My mom grew them and one of my favorite things to do while visiting my family in Washington State was to walk through the amazing forest full of ferns behind the house. 

I just love the bright color contrasting with the forest floor. 

And then our tour was starting!  This was the first time I'd been 

to Mystery Spot in a long time...about 7 years.  

Way before I ever had vertigo.  But more on that later. 

This was our tour guide at the beginning of the tour.  The tree on the left is inside the actual mystery spot and the tree on the right is outside it. 

After the opening spiel, we had to walk up the steep hill to the cabin where most of the demonstration takes place.  

The rain was certainly not helping matters.  

Even with trainers on, it was a little slippery.

That's Adrienne looking like a Sleestak on my left. haha

Once we all made it safely to the cabin, our guide began his demonstrations in earnest.

The gravitational vortex allows you to do really weird things, like walk up walls and lean way over Matrix style.  Or DOES it??  

I only took one picture inside the cabin because, just as the guide had warned us at the beginning, the gravitational vortex makes some people dizzy.  Count me as some people.  It wasn't the worst vertigo I've ever had, but it definitely came on fast while inside the cabin.  

Funny Story!!

I fell down.  lol  I was dizzy and so was Adrienne (who is rarely dizzy). And the wood floor was soooooo slippery!  They had this rubberized walkway to help people maneuver since the cabin itself is slanted.  But the mat became very slippery when wet.

I was trying to make my way to the other side of the cabin during the portion where people can walk on the walls, etc.  There was a handrail as well, so I was holding onto that and walking very slowly since I felt like there was a weight pressing me backwards.  

All of a sudden, my feet slipped right out from under me!  The only thing that kept me from sliding like a bowling ball down the cabin was the handrail.  Which came up and hit me in the armpit, 

partially dislocating my shoulder.  Ouch!  

But the most mortifying thing is, my human bowling ball self almost took out other people!  They say your life flashes before your eyes in near death experiences; something similar definitely happened to me!

I could see myself sliding in slow motion, this well dressed lady walking gingerly right where my feet were sliding too!  I thought to myself 

"please don't kick her...please don't kick her..."

Just as my feet touched her gorgeous brown boots, I stopped!  Thank you handrail and shoulder!  She let out a little eek!  but didn't fall. 

Thank goodness.

Adrienne was humiliated of course, because parents.  haha  

I just picked myself up and finished making my way out of the cabin.  Once outside, I popped my shoulder back into place (old rotator cuff injury from my volleyball days) and breathed a sigh of relief.

The guide came out to ask me if I was okay and then said it was a bit dangerous in there.  No sooner had he uttered the words, than another guy fell!  So he suggested we all make our way out to the patio.

  

Just in time, too.  Just as everyone emerged, the last gentleman inside fell.  HARD! and hit his face on the floor.  He was okay, thank goodness.

The guide did some further demonstrations which were quite convincing.  I can't remember all the details but now I wonder if I wasn't fooled...

at least a little.

This ball seemed to roll uphill but I blew up this photo and the board was not level.  So maybe the ball was rolling downhill?  It's all so confusing now. lol

One thing that was undeniable was that the trees around and inside the mystery spot were definitely swirling in circular fashion.  There were also many trees who only had branches on one side 

of the trunk rather than staggered.  

I believe this was caused by the gravitational vortex because it was irrelevant to the sunlight and openings in the forest ceiling. Trees usually "reach" for sunlight, but these were "reaching" for the mystery spot. 

 We ended the tour with the guide handing out stickers.  He unfortunately told the group that they could put these stickers ANYwhere they wanted to.  So this young man harassed the guide the rest of the way down by trying to paste his sticker onto him.  haha

After the tour, we went through the giftshop and bought some rock candy and postcards (so 70's!) and then walked around the forest a little during a lull in the rain.  So I could take some photos of course.

So much love for these beautiful flowers.  I'm sure they were planted but they looked so beautiful in the rain and with the forest floor as a backdrop.

Rejuvenation! Such pretty contrast.

This little creek with the fallen logs all around it was soooo beautiful.  Too bad it was incredibly dark in this part of the forest.  I had to photoshop the exposure so it could even be seen.  

The colors were gorgeous to the naked eye. 

Looking up a magnificent Redwood tree!  Soooo tall!

And  - last but not least - lovely, rainy, emerald-colored leaves.

Two quotes that are quite apropos...

"The mystery of the world is the visible, not the invisible."  ~~ Oscar Wilde

"...we require that all things be mysterious and unexplorable...We can never have enough of nature." ~~ Henry David Thoreau

Note:  I did very little photoshop on these pictures beyond the normal.  But because it was a dark rainy day and we were under the canopy of the forest, I did have to change the exposure and/or contrast on some.