About Me

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I am retired and like to travel by motor home across the United States and Canada. In the winter I hope to spend more time with my WIN (Wandering Individual Network) friends in the California and Arizona desert. I know my trip reports are having too many details, but I am writing them for myself, if anybody else enjoys them, that is fine too.

Monday, September 25, 2017

Eureka - September 2017 (2)



September 24, 2017.
Monday, we hiked the Hammond Trail in McKinleyville. It is an Urban Trail. At the start of the hike it rained a bit and only six people showed up. After a while it cleared up.


In the evening, I went dancing at the lodge.
Tuesday, I enjoyed the Chinese Acrobats at the Arkley Center for the Performing Arts.
Friday, I hiked the Trillium Falls Trail with the Ramblers. The fall is very small but the scenery was almost like at the rain forest in Washington State.  The weather was fantastic. We were twenty hikers.


Saturday, I went to the Arcata Marsh and Wilderness Sanctuary in Arcata.


 I joined the ninety minute guided walk.


The marsh is a component of the City’s wastewater treatment facility. A series of ingeniously constructed ponds treat the water naturally with less reliance on chemicals.


A large flock of small birds entertained us by flying in formation over the pond back and forth.


In the evening, I went to the North Coast Repertory Theater for the play “Arcadia”. It is going to take some time for me to digest the play. It was not easy to follow the action.  
Sunday, I drove to Patrick’s Point State Park in Trinidad for Sumeg Village Days.
The Yurok Tribe built several houses on Park land to show how members of the tribe lived in the past.
Today, there were traditional cooking demonstrations, displays of baskets and craft items. A young Yurok and his daughter were giving information about Yurok life and answering questions.


Young ladies were modeling their dance costumes. Some of the dresses weigh forty pounds.


My next stop in the park was Wedding Rock, and there was a wedding. The bride and other young ladies wore high heel shoes. It is a mystery to me how they walked on that rough trail.




September 30, 2017.
Monday, I walked with the Ramblers in the Humboldt Bay National Wildlife Refuge. The refuge is on the Pacific Flyway and birds use this refuge as a stop-over where they rest and replenish energy reserves.
Other birds spend the winter here and some use the refuge for nesting.
Our next stop was the Hookton Slough Trail, which is part of the refuge. There we walked three more miles. The weather was fantastic. The rainy season will start soon.


Wednesday, I walked the first time with the Wednesday Walkers. They walk only an hour and usually in or around Eureka.
We walked Cooper Gulch Park and Myrtle Grove Memorial Cemetery. Those two places are side by side.
In the park are steel cages on posts. Frisbee players use them. Instead of a golf course it is a frisbee course.


The cemetery has gravestones from the 1800s. It was another seldom summer day. The temperature went up to 81 degrees F. which was a record for this time of the year.


Friday morning, I walked for an hour with the Ramblers. We walked at the Elk River Headwater Preserve. This trail is very easy at the beginning and after three miles it gains elevation.
Since this area seldom gets frost the fall colors are not that spectacular.


The river does not have much water right now. The Forest Service built benches from a fallen tree.


I rushed back to town while the rest of the group went on. The Accordionaires were playing at the Senior Center before lunch. It was birthday celebration day for the month of September.  I did not want to miss this. There was dancing. The Accordionaires played a lot of German songs.


Saturday, I went to the Oktoberfest in Fortuna. The Accordionaires and the Scotia Band were providing the music. Some dancers of the Monday dance club where there and we did some dancing and took a polka lesson.


I stayed two hours and then went to the Greek Festival in Eureka. I wanted to eat some Greek food.
There was dancing too. It was not ball room dancing though.


Claudia and Scott lived next to the church when they were younger. The house was too small with two children.


Sunday, I walked a bit down town and the rest of the day I cooked and rested.  



Sunday, September 3, 2017

Eureka - September 2017

September 3, 2017.
This was a strange week. I spent most of the days on the couch. I missed two fantastic hikes and dancing at the Swiss Club and the Moose Lodge.
Today my left leg feels better and hope I can go dancing tomorrow.
Yesterday the temperature went up to 81 degrees F. I believe this is a record for September. I liked it but the locals complained.
Claudia and her best friend went with the children, for the long weekend, to Medford in Oregon. They had made reservations and did not want to cancel them. There, the temperature was above 100 degrees F.
 
September 10, 2017.

I was able to dance Monday night. My leg did not hurt anymore. I skipped the hike though. I really would have liked to go to Patrick’s Point State Park.
The park has fantastic trails through the Redwood Forest and along the Pacific Ocean.
Tuesday, it rained. I hope it helped the fire men fight the fires in this region. It rained again Thursday.
Friday, I walked again with the Ramblers. We hiked McKay Community Forest here in Eureka. It is a second growth forest.


Saturday, I went with Nicolette and Jacob to the Oriental Buffet in Arcata for a Chinese lunch. After the lunch I went to Old Town Eureka for Cruz’n Eureka. Second Street was blocked off and people displayed their old cars.


This 1934 Mercedes 500 K is similar to the white one I saw in Fortuna last month.


Sunday, I went dancing at the Swiss Club. They celebrated Oktoberfest with bratwurst, parsley potatoes and sauerkraut. Lindy Mantova played a lot of waltzes, tangos and polkas.
 

September 17, 2017.
Monday, I went with the Ramblers on a wonderful hike in the Chaney – Drury Grove on the Avenue of the Giants.


Our next stop was the French Grove where we walked to the Girdled Tree. We had blue skies and the temperature was in the seventies.


In the evening I went dancing at the Moose Lodge.
Friday, I hiked with the Ramblers the Toypo-Hope Trail at the Prairie Creek Redwoods State Park.
It was not an easy hike. We had to climb over fallen redwood trees.


The trail goes through a burned out tree.


We ate our lunch on the trail.


Saturday morning, I went to Fort Humboldt where they had open house. The fort is now a museum.


Displays show how the native Americans were treated by the settlers.


The fort is located on a hill overlooking Humboldt Bay. The Bay Shore Mall is below the hill.


There are also displays of equipment the logging industry used and still uses for logging the giant redwoods.
A little locomotive and trailer gave children and some adults a ride.


In the afternoon, I drove to Arcata where they had the North Country Fair. Nicolette was dancing, at 3:00 PM, with her Belly Dancing Group.


In the evening I danced at the Moose Lodge.
Sunday morning, I went to the Italian Festival. The Humboldt Accordionaires provided the music.