Aug 31, 2011

It is sunny, clear, and of course since it is clear and sunny it is windy today.  We decided this would be a good day to head out to Samoa.  It was a pleasant, short drive.  We first stopped at the Cookhouse, which we thought was a tourist place with little shops and such but it was really just a family style restaurant with a little room on to the side with some antiques.  The Humboldt Maritime Museum was in a small building right next door, but it was closed.  From there we headed out to the end of the island or peninsula, not sure which it is.  Anyway the area is a popular ATV area but we had it to ourselves today.  There are bunkers all over from WWII, unfortunately they are all locked and you can’t go inside.  One thing I learned today was that a Japanese submarine torpedoed a Petroleum Tanker off the Mendocino Coast during WWII killing several crew member while the rest abandoned ship. There are unconfirmed stories of subs spotted off the coast being bombed by our seaplanes or blimps equipped with bombs and Japanese paraphernalia being washed ashore afterwards.  Interesting stories, which may be true since the confirmation of the sub attack off Mendocino! We drove further from this point and came to the edge of the South jetty. Walking up the dunes we could see the North jetty and South jetty at the same time.  No wonder it is considered the most dangerous port on the CA coast, the water is fierce for sure.

We drove east from there and into Arcata and back into Eureka along 101 again.  We stopped at Fort Humboldt Historic Park.  Again, the visitor center was closed but we had a nice walk around the area.  There was also an historic logging exhibit.  There was a sign that said they will have a self-guided interpretative tour completed in 2012.  No sign of that happening yet, but there were a few signs around to explain what we were looking at.  I was surprised to see that Ulysses S Grant was stationed at Fort Humboldt.  The purpose of the fort was to ease relations between the Native Indians and the settlers coming to the area.  I guess we all know how that turned out.  This was also a gathering place where the Indians were then sent to the reservations.  A sad time for history in the Americas.

Tomorrow I think we will go to Crescent City.