Thanks John and Barbara!

One of the main reasons we stopped in this sea-side section of California was the good things some of our earlier campground neighbors said about this area. We met John and Barbara about a month ago when we were camping in Southern California and they convinced us that Humboldt County should definitely be in our travel plans. They bought a house here thirty years ago, and found it to be a beautiful place to raise their family. 

They were a great source of tourist information for a couple of wandering Oklahomans who were passing through. They told us about the Community Forest in Arcata, so we went there for a soggy walk among their redwoods.

It was so wet that the slugs were even complaining about too much moisture.

We met our first banana slug here in the forest. When we tried to put a foot nearby to show how big he was, he began shrinking in fear. But this guy was about six inches long.

The trillium are loving the moisture, and we saw more blooming here than ever before.

If we would stand still too long, we think something would start growing on us. That's what happened to this redwood stump--another tree sprouted roots and just started growing right over it.

We had planned on a rainy day, but the clouds cleared and we were given the blessing of blue skies. We stopped in for a hike around Butcher's Slough--another place that Barbara and John had mentioned. We don't usually hike around a wastewater treatment facility. But the town of Arcata turned their facility into a natural habitat that attracts birds and hikers.

Our next stop is the seaside village of Trinidad, where we started at the memorial lighthouse. This is a monument to those lost at sea, and the surprisingly long list of names has overflowed to plaques on the retaining wall. It's a great view over the Pacific Ocean from here, and there's a staircase down to the beach.

It was 200 steps down to the sand. We know that number because Denisa counted them coming back up.

We are seeing a change in the coast line as we get further north. There are more and more boulders in the water. They make for a dramatic shoreline at Trinidad Beach.

Denisa got a phone call while we were on the beach. It's nice to be in an area where AT&T has service! In the two years we have been on the road, this northern coast of California is one of the few places that we have struggled with phone service.

As we wandered around the cute village of Trinidad, we stumbled upon another beach. There were 200 more steps to get down to the water, and by now the clouds have returned. We found out later from John and Barbara that we had found College Cove, known by the locals for the nude sunbathing here by college students. We are glad to report that it was a little chilly for any "clothing optional" students today. 

As we left the parking area, we were asked for driving directions by a woman who had walked to the beach. She happily accepted our offer for a ride back to her car a couple miles away. We are starting a new philosophy on offering rides to stranded strangers. It has helped us to meet interesting people that we can help in a small way. We dropped Linda off at her car in the parking lot near to our next destination. Our last piece of advice from John and Barbara was to hike up to Trinidad Head. That is the hill to the right from the Lighthouse Memorial.

On the way up the hill, we saw many of these delicate pink blooms decorating the path.

Denisa also spotted a tree with unique blue blooms that seemed to accentuate her outfit today. She's always looking for an excuse to take more pictures of flowers.

But the real star of this hike were the views from the top of the head.

As Mark scrambled further down the rocky slope, Denisa was able to sneak in more pictures of wildflowers that are spilling over the rocks.

Mark seemed to be more interested in the bugs rather than the blooms. He got down on eye level with this big slimy banana slug on the trail. We had seen seals bobbing in the surf earlier today, but that is almost a daily occurrence for us now. Is it a sad that the banana slug got wildlife picture of the day over some cute little seals?

As we hiked down from the head, we could see the boats moored in the bay, as well as the dock at the bottom of the picture.

The hike downhill took longer as we watched a loaded fishing boat come into the dock. We watched as the blue cranes swung over the boat to lift the heavy containers of fish up to the dock.

We hurried back to the car, because we had a dinner invitation with our friends John and Barbara. We were so honored that they invited us to their home in the hills over the ocean for the evening. We enjoyed learning more about this part of California that they have called home for much of their lives.

Barbara might love flowers as much as Denisa, and we enjoyed sharing her blooming rhododendrons. But more than that, we enjoyed the fine meal of fish that John had caught and Barbara cooked for us. We even got a tour and expert insights of California wine-making. It was such a fun evening!

We got great advice on things to see along this north California coast, and we appreciated having our personal tour guides. But as beautiful as the beaches and forests are around Trinidad, our best memories will be of time spent getting to know our new California friends. Thanks John and Barbara!