Humboldt County
H
umboldt County is in northern California, not northern California as in San Francisco, but way northern California, like almost 300 miles north of San Francisco and 85 miles south of the Oregon border. It is the land of 1960s hippie immigrants from the Bay Area and their progeny, both genetic and philosophical. It is also the land of generations of lumbermen and fisherman. Sociologists could have a field day investigating the dynamics of the two cultures and their relationships. I, on the other hand, am going to tell you about my favorite places and activities in Beautiful Eccentric Humboldt County.H
umboldt is the home of jewelry made from an unusual, if not unique material: fish eyes. Greta Daniels makes the jewelry using an Old Norwegian Method passed down by her family. Greta and her mother, my friend Carol, literally pop the fisheyes out of fish. Neither Greta nor Carol will tell me exactly how they pop out the eyes, how they dye them, or how they process them so that they don’t deteriorate. I will tell you that the colors are rich and lovely. Greta’s designs are stylish and fun. I think that fisheye jewelry all by itself gives Humboldt credibility as an eccentric place.T
he Lost Whale Inn sits in a beautiful, exquisite garden, overlooking the Pacific Ocean. From most rooms, you can hear the seals bark from Turtle Rocks, just offshore. I was excited to go to sleep to the sweet sounds of the seals the first night I stayed there. As the night wore on and the seals kept barking, the romance wore off. Closing the sliding door muted the sound and did nothing to reduce the pleasure of staying at the inn.C
ommercial fishing has been strictly limited since I moved to the area. Sport fishing has also been restricted, but there are times when it is permitted. Greta gets a lot of her fisheyes from sport fishers (you may be accustomed to reading fishermen, but I have it on good authority that the nongendered term is fisher). The Jumpin’ Jack, owned by Tom Lesher, out of Trinidad is the boat to charter for a day of sport fishing. With Captain Chris Jager running the boat you will have a great day. Even if you don’t catch a fish, you will enjoy Chris’s company.R
enata’s Creperie in Arcata has to have the all-time most creative names for its crepe creations and some of the all time best flavor mixtures, like Blessed Heart, made with Loleta Jack, artichoke hearts, sundried tomatoes, mushrooms, and basil. The décor is gloriously funky and the bar (my favorite place to eat) is exquisitely fun. Be sure to have a salad with your crepe—Johnny’s Garden has a Dijon vinaigrette that my daughter and I thin Renata should bottle and sell.Seascape Restaurant in Trinidad is easily my favorite place in Humboldt County. If you have lunch there, ask if Erica is available to serve your table. She is the best. She is also Greta’s sister. Everyone loves her and she knows everyone. She also knows all of the boat captains sailing out of Trinidad. If you go for dinner, Erica won’t be working, but there is still a good reason to eat there: the hand-battered fried shrimp. The fried shrimp is good at lunch, but it is not hand-battered. You will have to make a choice: Erica the wonderful server or hand-battered fried shrimp. Or, you could eat there twice, which is my recommendation.
My daughter says that I have to include Hurricane Kate’s in Eureka, a place that makes you feel like a regular on your second or third visit. There are crayons for the paper table covers and a display of the table art on the wall by the kitchen—some good stuff there, as well as the more professional art on the restaurant walls. The acoustics can be a little tough, but if noise is a problem for you, ask to be seated by the serving buffet in the back of the restaurant. It does not make sense, but it is quieter there. The food is creative and filled with flavors and textures. The sweet potato fritters are phenomenal, even if you don’t like sweet potatoes—trust me on this one. The hamburger and fries are the best in the area, but I have to have the New York Caesar salad for lunch.
H
umboldt County loves to play. There are area festivals galore: oyster, jazz, blackberry, fried fish, and on and on.The Kinetic Grand Championship is held on Memorial Day Weekend. A triathlon for artwork, the championship begins with a parade in Aracata and then a trek over some sand dunes. Day Two includes a race across Humboldt Bay—yes, on the water--to Eureka. The race concludes on the third day in Ferndale with bands and crowds and lots of cheers.
The Winter Arts Faire in Redway at the Mateel Center, held the second weekend in December, is not the largest Christmas-type fair in Humboldt, but it is easily my favorite. It is a fun fair with great music and a wide range of materials, styles, and prices. Be sure to check out the Viola’s Garden’s booth. I have yet to meet a woman who doesn’t love the body scrub.
T
he redwoods are one of the most notable and beautiful things in Humboldt County. You can’t miss them—in places they shade Highway 101. In Richardson Grove, a passenger could almost, almost, touch one of them from inside the car. Further north is the wonderful Lady Bird Johnson Park. It has an easy trail. Trust me on this, I don’t do hills and I don’t scrabble around on slippery trail beds.I
f you are a boomer or younger, you may have heard of Humboldt Gold. In fact, it may be the only thing you know about Humboldt County. It is renowned around the country as some of the finest cannabis grown in the United States. The importance of the agricultural product is acknowledged throughout the county. Marijuana supports Humboldt’s economy, with estimates as high as $500 million in sales per year.O
n the south side of McKinleyville, there is a wonderful yarn shop, Handmade Memories. It is a great place to stock up on yarn for the next part of your trip, but it has more than yarn. If you have a few minutes, or an afternoon, bring in whatever you are working on and pull up a chair at the table. You will find some great conversation, often some kind of snack that someone has brought in, and some wonderful and talented knitters and crocheters. Janice, the storeowner, will gladly help you decipher the directions for your project—as will any of the incredibly creative and talented women who regularly hang out there. You really are always welcome to hang out and knit or crochet away. Tell Janice that Suzanne sent you. Or, maybe I will see you there.Fisheye jewelry: www.fisheyejewelry.com
Kinetic Art Race: http://kineticgrandchampionship.com
Winter Arts Faire: www.mateel.org
Richardson Grove: www.parks.ca.gov/?page_id=422
Lost Whale Inn: www.lostwhaleinn.com/