Eureka, Humboldt County, California November 15-20
We are now in the town of Eureka, California. The setting on Humboldt Bay is spectacular. The architecture is a mix of late 19th century homes with lots of brick-a-brack trim, steep roof pitches, and nicely matched base colors and trim colors. Of great pride to the people of Eureka is the Carson mansion, a magnificent home near the harbor in downtown Eureka.
Historically, Eureka was a center for logging and fishing. With a population in the neighborhood of 30,000 residents, it is quaint and very friendly. Humboldt County has a population approaching 136,000. This area is the home to the Giant Sequoia trees.
Yesterday, we were hosted to a delightful lunch at Shamus T-Bones, by Carl Willoughby and Dean Charlton, from the Rotary Club of Southwest Eureka. We enjoyed an informative conversation about Rotary projects in Mexico. Dean was raised in Mexico City and speaks fluent Spanish. Past Mexico projects included an interface with the Puerto Vallarta Sur Rotary Club, which Richard and I know well. After lunch, we set the tone for our presentation to the club at noon on Friday by gathering information about time and format.
The club meeting on Friday was delightful! About 40 members were in attendance and seemed very collegial. The oldest member was 90 and the youngest looked to be early 30's. They are a very active club. For 31 years they have had a Veterans Day celebration, which they just completed. Many members were acknowledged for their participation in putting on the event.
We received a nice introduction from the guest speaker chair, Carl Willoughby. Our presentation lasted about 25 minutes and was very well received. Because the club has a history of projects in Mexico from years past, they perceived our endeavor as a way to re-engage in Mexico.
After the presentation, we had a flag exchange with President Matt Nilsen. Following the close of the meeting, many members stopped by to wish us good luck and to count on their club.
Saturday, November 18: We joined Rotarian, Dean Charlton, for a round of golf at the Redwood Empire Country Club. Neither Richard or I would have been considered for the PGA after the round, but we enjoyed the outing. For sure there was an abundance of wildlife on the course. We would see deer on every other hole.
Historically, Eureka was a center for logging and fishing. With a population in the neighborhood of 30,000 residents, it is quaint and very friendly. Humboldt County has a population approaching 136,000. This area is the home to the Giant Sequoia trees.
Yesterday, we were hosted to a delightful lunch at Shamus T-Bones, by Carl Willoughby and Dean Charlton, from the Rotary Club of Southwest Eureka. We enjoyed an informative conversation about Rotary projects in Mexico. Dean was raised in Mexico City and speaks fluent Spanish. Past Mexico projects included an interface with the Puerto Vallarta Sur Rotary Club, which Richard and I know well. After lunch, we set the tone for our presentation to the club at noon on Friday by gathering information about time and format.
The club meeting on Friday was delightful! About 40 members were in attendance and seemed very collegial. The oldest member was 90 and the youngest looked to be early 30's. They are a very active club. For 31 years they have had a Veterans Day celebration, which they just completed. Many members were acknowledged for their participation in putting on the event.
We received a nice introduction from the guest speaker chair, Carl Willoughby. Our presentation lasted about 25 minutes and was very well received. Because the club has a history of projects in Mexico from years past, they perceived our endeavor as a way to re-engage in Mexico.
After the presentation, we had a flag exchange with President Matt Nilsen. Following the close of the meeting, many members stopped by to wish us good luck and to count on their club.
Saturday, November 18: We joined Rotarian, Dean Charlton, for a round of golf at the Redwood Empire Country Club. Neither Richard or I would have been considered for the PGA after the round, but we enjoyed the outing. For sure there was an abundance of wildlife on the course. We would see deer on every other hole.
Following the round of golf, Dean took us on a tour through Ferndale, a quaint village of victorian houses and commercial buildings south of Eureka.
Sunday, November 19: Our schedule was to fly to Ashland, Oregon today. Because of weather conditions near Medford (our intended airport), we decided to cancel that leg of the trip and spend an extra day in Humboldt County, sight seeing.
Humboldt County is the location of the Avenue of the Giants, the roadway through the redwood trees. There were several locations where you could get off of the road and walk through the trees. We chose one trail that lead to a fallen tree that once was said to be the largest tree in the world (see picture below). It measured near 400 ft. tall. When the tree fell, it created a seismic reading that was recorded.
After two or three hours of looking at big trees, we went back to Ferndale for a delightful Sunday dinner at the Farm House on Main. Our waitress, Stephanie McCauley, had a friendly personality and took good care of us.
We finished our day by visiting Samoa Island in Humboldt Bay. On the island we discovered a wood processing plant, a drag strip, and a small landing strip. It was late in the day, so we cut our exploration short.
Tomorrow, off to Chico!
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