A lovely Sunday morning to you. This morning’s journey takes us to the northwestern corner of California, a land of deep, dark redwood groves, condors and banana slugs. I’ve got some tips on where to eat, where to stay and where to photograph. So grab a cup of coffee and enjoy.
Just north of a sixty mile stretch of Northern California coastline so remote, rugged and impenetrable that it is nicknamed “The Lost Coast” you’ll find Eureka, California. “Eureka!” means “I have found it!” and was first uttered by the Greek mathematician, physicist, and inventor Archimedes of Syracuse (c. 287–212 BCE). For the city-weary folks such as myself from California’s “greater Los Angeles area basin” Eureka is quite a discovery indeed.
It’s a 700 mile drive from my home in San Clemente and the increasingly fewer number of Tesla charging stations north of San Francisco require fastidious planning and a small leap of faith to reach the destination on Highway 101. At my last charging stop I found myself near to midnight sitting under a dim flickering street light, playing acoustic guitar surrounded by the blackness and silence of the forest. I hear Sasquatch likes Pearl Jam …
Eureka and the neighboring/very-cute-college-town Arcata are your southernmost base of operations with a good selection of rental homes because of the close proximity to Cal Poly Humboldt. Crescent City, 84 miles north is also an excellent basecamp, and you might consider splitting your time between the two.
The tsunami-prone Crescent City is the last bit of civilization before Highway 101 climbs four hundred feet up the rugged cliffsides of the Oregon coast. In the middle of town the very photogenic Battery Point Lighthouse sits proudly overlooking the harbor, and from the lighthouse I strongly recommend taking a drive north along S. Pebble Beach Drive. There’s an odd serenity to the ocean here. The idea of swimming anywhere in the Pacific Ocean within a hundred miles seems like an instant suicide mission. But along Pebble Beach Drive, I could see myself with a longboard and wetsuit paddling out to hang ten … and people do.
It shouldn’t be a surprise then to note that former professional surfer Joe Curren makes his home in Crescent City and runs a boutique art and photo framing business in town. Joe - a terrific photographer in his own right - works directly with the local mills to harvest and cut lumber for his custom framing business. Consider a Joe frame for a photo you make here.
We’ve stayed at an AirBnB on Pebble Beach Drive, and at a spot about 10 minutes north of downtown. Both were great, but Pebble was better. Sunsets on the beach turn your photo trip into a proper vacation.
For eats, it’s hard to beat SeaQuake Brewing Company. The building has a large open plan interior and plenty of outdoor seating. The food is great. Not like an episode of The Bear … Not fancy great, it’s hearty great with plenty of craft beer choices brewed on-site. When we asked the waitress if the fish & chips was good, she pointed to the bar “See those two fellas over there. They catch the fish each morning, drop off their catch and have lunch, then go back out fishing.”
For coffee we like Paragon Coffeehouse. Enjoy the chestnut brown crème on your cappuccino over a game of chess played with an Isle of Lewis chess set. I did.
An Incomplete List of Shooting Locations
Jedediah Smith State Park’s Stout Grove is like a holy cathedral of redwood trees and an easy walking loop.
Lady Bird Johnson Grove Trail is a 1.5 mile walking loop with a terrifically photogenic footbridge and big trees.
Klamath River Overlook is an eagle’s eye view of the Pacific and the Klamath River. I also photographed the lagoon at the bottom of the hill. The lagoon is located behind a gypsy encampment, so proceed at your own risk. I wore my cowboy hat for safety (nobody f’s with a cowboy).
Trinidad Harbor is a cosy little town with great harbor views worthy of a photograph. Seascape Restaurant, located at the harbor pier was our daily must-do brunch after our early morning shooting sessions.
The Skunk Cabbage Trail has Jurassic Park vibes with plenty of hiking. Skunk Cabbage (not to be confused with cosmic cabbage or skunk weed) looks like the man-eating Audrey II plant from Little Shop of Horrors.
Trillium Falls has redwoods, foot bridges and ferns that are movie-set scenic.
A modicum of curiosity and exploration along the 100 mile stretch of Highway 101 north of Eureka will provide countless great photographic opportunities in a variety of settings, from vast oceanic vistas, to lagoons, to sea stacks and tide pools, to deep redwood forests overgrown with redwood sorrel and paleolithic sword ferns. Photograph the coast on sunny days and the redwoods under cloudy skies and morning shade. If you have more than a few people, walkie-talkies are a good idea as cell phone coverage ranges between occasionally something to often nothing.
Visit anytime. Springtime has more rhododendrons. Summertime has more “influencers”.
Until next time …
Stay focused. Stay curious. We’ll chat again soon.