Eureka

We crossed over into California on highway 199 just after breakfast this morning, leaving the Cascade Mountains with their volcanoes behind and driving through red wood forests to reach the ocean on the coastal 101 highway south, at Crescent City, a sprawling selection of stores and businesses along the shore line. The breakwater there is being repaired after the recent tsunami caused by the earthquake in Japan.

There were more red wood forests, this is serious timber logging country, before we arrived in Eureka in Humboldt County, a historic centre of the timber industry, situated in a natural inlet of the sea.
The old timber Baron, by the name of William Carson, built an ornate town mansion here, of red wood, painted a mid green and now used as a gentleman's Club. The timber house opposite which he gave to his son on his marriage is painted pink in contrast, and is known as the Pink Lady House.

Lunch was in a fish restaurant on a wide street in the historic part of town with beautifully renovated and colourfully painted buildings reminiscent of the old colonial style.

A new miles further on and we have an overnight stay in the small town of Scotia on the river Eel. The inn reminds us of a country hotel somewhere in Scotland, a bit quaint and old fashioned, quite a different feel to the other hotels we have stayed in on this trip.
Our bed for tonight is the size of one of the two beds we had in MtSt Helens. We will be extremely cosy if nothing else.