Saturday

I forget to include pics of me tending my fire in Trinidad. That’s me in my Guinness Toucan hockey jersey!

Sunday

We stopped in Newport on Sunday to kill an hour since we couldn’t get into the condo until 4 pm. While there we visited some old friends.

Monday, October 25

Sunday’s 60 mph winds had pretty much passed by Monday morning. But Monday was essentially a rain day. There were periods of dry and periods of driving rain. The seas were enormous. As you looked out, it was like one big white cap. We had breakfast at Gracie’s Sea Hag in Depoe Bay, across from the ocean. Mushroom omelet and hash browns for Elaine; Fried oysters, eggs, and hash browns for me (with the obligatory side of bacon). As we left Gracie’s, there was a brief lull in the rain so I snapped a couple of pics (using my phone, not my camera).

So, back home, it rained. As cocktail time approached, God saw fit to let the sun show through for a bit, so we, bundled up, had cocktails on the balcony. (Yup, our green folding chairs were still in the condo closet.) The sun stayed out for quite a bit. The seas were fierce. We hear this weather system is headed east eventually toward New England, so you all may get a taste of it. And, lo and behold, we had an eagle (or eaglet) land on the rocks right in front of us. Alas, no pictures to prove it, but it happened!

Dinner was homemade chili and Dave’s famous cornbread. Elaine made a big batch, so we’ll be having it again. More rain tomorrow, I fear. Back then or the next day. Forecast for later in the week looks better.

Sunday, 8/24

I said no post today, but just a quick update. We expected horrible weather on the drive. It didn’t happen. We had only light rain when it rained except for one five minute squall. It was windy but not windy enough to affect driving. In Depoe Bay the sun was actually out when we arrived, but it was very windy (50-60 mph). You couldn’t sit on the balcony because the wind blew salty spray from the rough seas onto the balcony. First time we ever saw that. Late at night we got driving rain. The winds died down substantially by morning. It’s 7:00 am Monday now. More tomorrow.

Saturday, 10/23

It was raining gently when we got up. We ended up doing basically nothing today. We drove into McKinleyville (15 miles) to go to Safeway for something or other. We had an early lunch back at the Eatery. We both had delicious clam chowder (chock full of clams). Elaine had a fish sandwich; I had fish and chips. Both were OK but not memorable. I did enjoy two Steelhead Pale Ales. The ales did me in. After a no nap Friday, I settled in for two-hour midday nap. Elaine read.

No pictures today. Live with it.

Thanks to everybody for all the comments. We read them, each and every one, and appreciate them all.

We were originally bummed when the hotel in Bakersfield and the lodge at Bodega Bay didn’t have FS1 in their cable lineup. In Trinidad we have no cable; in fact, there is no TV here. So we missed watching all three disappointing losses. Wait ’til next year! (Thanks, Fred, for letting me know I could have watched them on my computer using the Fox Sports app and logging in with my Cox account – that will hopefully come in handy some day.)

Sunday is a drive day from Trinidad to Depoe Bay. No post. Be back with a post on Monday.

Friday, 10/22

It rained during the night, but when we got up at 6:30 am or so, the rain seemed to have stopped. I had my yogurt and Irish breakfast tea, and, lo and behold, is that a small patch of blue sky? We decided to quickly head to Trinidad center and Trinidad State Beach for some pictures before the rains came. We saw the Trinidad Pier, the small historical Trinidad Light, and Trinidad State Beach. The lighthouse was once fully functional but replaced many years ago by a modern one. The ground the lighthouse was on was fast eroding, so the town took it upon itself to move the light from the harbor area to downtown. Now it has been repositioned in roughly it’s original location. Frankly, it’s disappointingly small, but it has history. Pictures of the morning follow.

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We returned home, expecting the rains to come. They didn’t. Rather the sky cleared! Do weathermen actually get paid? Some pics taken today from around the house.

Anyway, we had lunch (chicken noodle soup and bread) and then headed out to Patrick’s Point State Park which has been rechristened Sue-Meg State Park in honor of the Yurok People who have used this land since time immemorial. It sits on a lushly forested promontory beside the Pacific Ocean with breathtaking overlooks. We drove though the park and visited three of the best overlooks and then stopped at Sumêg Village, a recreation of an actual Sue-Meg village from the past. The paths to the overlooks are steep dirt trails with lots of steps, some of them quite high. Tough going. I missed one step climbing back up one trail and went down in a heap. Elaine freaked, but I was fine other than a bruised ego. The little round hole in the building in Sumêg village is just big enough for people to get in and out, but not big enough for the bears in the area to get in. (We didn’t see any bears,)

Mussel Rocks, Wedding Rock, & Patrick’s Point

Sumeg Village

It was nice enough to have cocktails and cheese and crackers outside. The clouds rolled back in as we finished up. Then we had a nice fire in the wood stove you saw in the pictures above. Dinner was leftover Costco meatloaf and mashed potatoes. Early to bed. One more full day here. Forecast: rain, of course. We leave Sunday morning for Depoe Bay.

As a bonus, here is a short video of the raging Pacific:

Thursday, 10/21

Early to bed last night, up early this morning. First thing, check the weather. No rain. Here is the full moon at 6:20 AM from our front window:

As we had breakfast, the sun rose and the weather looked good. But the meteorologists insisted rain was coming. Since it was still rain free, we decided to do something. It’s redwood country so at 9:00 am we headed for Redwood National Park which is actually five or six different redwood areas spread across sixty miles along the 101 in northern California.

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It’s only twenty miles to the section we decided to visit. The visitor center is located right on US 101 at a beautiful (but treacherous) beach. Not a redwood in sight there.

Then it was on to the Redwood Forest. Because 60 mph winds three days ago brought many branches down, the scenic drive through the redwoods was closed. But the trails were open. We chose a three mile hike that took us to the “Big Tree”. It was a wonderful walk. Redwoods are amazing. Pictures tell the story. (No, that’s not a prehistoric monster in the photos, just a hunk of dead redwood.) Did you know that redwoods get 50% of their moisture from fog? We didn’t either, but it’s a fact.

Then we headed back to Trinidad for lunch at the Trinidad Bay Eatery. Good food! We split an appetizer – French fries covered in melted parmesan cheese and blanketed with fresh crab meet. OMG good. Elaine had mussels and fries as her main; I indulged in the gigantic Pandemic Black and Blue Burger with bacon and a side of onion rings. We had absolutely no room for their signature blackberry cobbler.

As we ate, the rain started. Major rain. Sideways pelting rain. We stopped at the local Murphy’s grocery store for a couple of items and then went home to hunker down. Our cocktails were indoors in the living room as we watched the rain coming down in buckets. No dinner required. Still full from lunch.

Early to bed with prayers for at least some rain free hours tomorrow.

Wednesday, 10/20

So, Wednesday involved a five-hour drive north on US 101 through clouds, mist, light rain, and periodic fog.  Not much traffic.  The 101 here is known as the Redwood Highway, and one sees lots of redwoods, some very close to the road.  Some are actually on the road on the backs of logging trucks.  We stopped in Eureka, CA to visit Costco and pick up some wine and other essentials and to fill up with gas – $4.79 per gallon for premium, about 40¢ cheaper than at other stations in the area.  While at Costco we had lunch.

We also stopped in McKinleyville, which is, as you probably don’t know, the home of the world’s tallest totem pole. At least they say it is the tallest. It’s surprisingly uninspiring as you can see in the photo down below. The Safeway we visited was equally uninspiring but it had the groceries we needed to buy. 

When we arrived in Trinidad, it had stopped raining.  The cottage is very nice – clean as a whistle and practically on the cliff overlooking the Pacific.  The skies actually cleared for a bit and it was nice enough to have cocktails outside.  The ensuing sunset was beautiful.  We engrained it in our memory because the forecast looks worse and worse.  The ten-day forecast shows nothing but rain.  Good for California and the fires and the drought but bad for us tourists.  By the way, through the entire drive from Scottsdale to Bakersfield to Bodega Bay to Eureka to Trinidad, we saw absolutely no sign of fire.

Back again tomorrow. Pictures follow.

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The Totem Pole in McKinleyville and the Coast from Downtown Trinidad

Our Trinidad Cottage

So, finally, we are back. Alas, Ireland was cancelled again and rescheduled to April 2022. So we are off on a Road Trip to Depoe Bay once again.

Monday 10/18

An uneventful Interstate-free drive to Bakersfield, California via Wickenburg, Parker, 29 Palms, and Barstow. We had another great takeout dinner from Nuestro Mexico, the best Mexican seafood restaurant north of the Baja. Best ceviche ever. The Marriott Springhill Suites didn’t get FS1, so we couldn’t watch the Red Sox game. Bummer! We kept up via the computer but couldn’t watch live

Tuesday 10/19

Another driving day, this time mostly on Interstate 5 and then Interstate 580 north through California. We passed through downtown Oakland before crossing into Marin and then Sonoma County. Our destination for the day was Bodega Bay, California for a night at Bodega Bay Lodge. Before checking in we had a late lunch at Fisherman’s Cove Restaurant in Bodega Bay. This was our main meal for the day. Best clam chowder ever (said Elaine)! Then she had calamari and chips. And I had the best crab sandwich ever!

We did a short nature walk and then stopped at a little store and bought cheese and crackers to go with out gimlets and wine in the room at the Lodge. Quiet night. Again, no FS1 so no Red Sox. Kinda glad we missed that terrible ninth inning!

A few pictures follow at the end.

Tomorrow we head to Trinidad, California where we will spend four nights. The weather has been great but the forecast is dire through Saturday – big front going through. We’ll see what happens.

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