California 5/11/08

Today we drove up along the coast of Hwy 1 towards the Avenue of the Giants which features giant redwood trees. We got out and did a few hikes which really helped me appreciate the size of these trees. The roads were lined with redwoods as we drove along the curvy road and it was a magnificent drive. We both even got to walk through one of the trees but we didn’t pay to drive through any of the trees. The visitor center in the middle had some great displays and worth looking at and seeing the history of the redwoods.

After that we ended up in Eureka and drove across the bridge to the Samoa Cookhouse which has been serving food for 115 years. I would recommend anyone going near Eureka to eat a meal at this place. It cost us $11.50 per person and it was family style with one menu. We had a drink (coffee, tea, or iced tea), salad, soup, ham, baked potatoes, corn, baked beans, homemade bread, and apple pie for lunch. Plus it was all you could eat, but we never asked for more because what we got was more than enough. Not only was the food plentiful but it was good tasting too.

Next we drove up to Trinidad Bay to visit with a couple of friends that we met on a cruise last December. Steve and Karen own the Trinidad Bay Eatery and Gallery. The restaurant is in a neat location with a lighthouse down the street and a beautiful view of the ocean around the corner. It looks like a magical place to visit! Unfortunately we were still stuffed from our lunch so we couldn’t eat anything there but it was jammed pack when we showed up. Everyone seemed happy so obviously the food must be good. Since you might have to wait for a table to open up, you could look through the gallery and buy some of the neat stuff for sale (artwork, pottery, tshirts, and lots of other neat stuff!). We will have to make a return trip here for a meal in the future.