We have added a few more pics to our photo album for this trip (see squirrel-mobile below).
Luckily the rain in Santa Cruz lasted just one night and one day so started to dry off by late Sunday afternoon and by the time we left on Monday everything was pretty dry and ready to pack.
On Monday we did the monster drive all of about 60 miles to Pacifica. We found a RV place in Pacifica that looked like it might be a good alternative to staying at the Candlestick RV Park so we decided to stay at least one night to check it out.
On the drive up to Pacifica the temperature dropped and strong cold winds greeted us when we arrived at the Pacifica RV park. We had hoped to try out their pool (it was still open) but the wind was so strong and cold that we decided against it. The park is within walking distance to a little shopping center so we stocked up on some groceries then went to a "lounge" for a couple of glasses of wine. We to use the word "lounge" rather loosely as it seemed more like a clubhouse, but we sat and took in the action both in the "lounge" and on the tv while we sipped our wine then headed back to the trailer. On the way back, we walked past the most amazing "squirrel mobile" car...
Although we only stayed the one night in Pacifica we concluded that it would be a good alternative to the Candlestick RV park...
- Only about 10 minutes drive to the SF Zoo where you can park and take the muni downtown for much less than parking downtown. There are also commuter buses... Candlestick is a drive only place.
- The park is within walking distance to many amenities... Candlestick not!
- The park has a pool... Candlestick not!
Definitely doable!
On Tuesday we headed north across the GG Bridge to the KOA up in the mountain above Cloverdale. Even in the pouring rain this is a beautiful place. Since the KOA is a bit out of the way, we had bought some steaks to bbq but ended up deciding that it was way to wet to do anything outside so we saved them for the next night to see what the weather would be like then.
The rain abated overnight and we awoke Wednesday morning to a clear, slightly crisp day. Perfect. We drove down to Healdsburg for a day's outing. What a charming little place. A really nice garden plaza in the centre of town surrounded by cool shops and eateries. We spent most of the day there. Wednesday evening back at the KOA was a beautiful starry night, perfect for that long awaited bbq.
Thursday we drove north to Arcata where we spent two nights. Thursday evening we went into downtown Arcata for a very nice pizza. A downside of Arcata is that everything seems to close up early and they appear to subscribe to the low light theory so the streets are not brightly lit making them not the most comfortable places to walk around in. There also appears to be a rather eclectic collection of street folks (mostly harmless it seems) wandering around in Arcata, resulting in an apparent abundance of fodder for The Arcata Eye Police Blotter which makes an interest, albeit humourous, read most days.
Friday we divided the day between looking around Arcata and Eureka with a lunch break just south of Eureka at "Gill's by the Bay"... this is a fabulous seafood place. Check it out if you are ever in the area.
Even though the weather in Arcata was mostly clear and sunny it was still a bit on the chilly side so we decided to keep heading north towards home knowing that the short (and long) term forecast for the Oregon coast was mostly rain. Leaving Arcata Saturday morning we stopped in Crescent City for a nice lunch before heading into Oregon where we hit a lot of fog and rain just north of the state line. Pretty much a waste of the Oregon coast when you can't see any of it! Oh well, another time!
Ended the week with a night in Coos Bay where we went to the local casino. They'll be glad to see our backs leaving town. Took them for $35... :-). They have a seafood buffet on Saturdays .... oh, I know, casino food, how bland ... but we are deep in the heart of seafood country here and the selection of salmon, fresh oysters, crab, cooked fish, shrimp, mussels - all very good. Vegetables, not so much. What they did to vegetables can only be described as a culinary crime.
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