There is nothing quite so satisfying as leaving the Monday through Friday grind behind for a weekend of fun and relaxation on the beautiful North Coast. Justine and I each put in very full work weeks last week, so we needed to get out of town, breath some fresh sea air, soak in some sun, catch some tasty waves, and generally revel in nature. Saturday morning we woke up, threw some gear and beer in the van, grabbed some bagels, and pointed the van north. Just over an hour later, we were weaving around lagoons and past redwoods, trying to decide if we'd rather hike and then camp on the beach or if we'd rather surf and then camp in the redwoods...I know it sounds rough, but those are the toughest decisions we try to make during the weekends.
We decided our best bet was to catch some waves before we made any more decisions. so we headed towards Crescent City CA and the friendly waves at South Beach. South Beach is a wonderful little anomaly of our coastline. The beach is south facing, so the north winds which clear our skies up during the winter and spring also groom the surf into classic offshore conditions. The beach is protected from the massive swells which reel down the coast from the Gulf of Alaska, so it makes for a pleasant surf spot. The wave itself is generally a gently rolling beach break, a very beginner friendly wave and fun spot for
longboarding. The beach is a very scenic, to the south lie several large cliffs which fall into the water and are covered in a number of hardy trees which thrive in the temperate, moist, salty climate which defines our region. To the north, lies the harbor of Crescent City and beyond is the Coastal Range.
Justine and I both quickly struggled into our wetsuits and booties. I don't know if you've ever put on a wetsuit, but it's a rather touchy enterprise...more so for ladies who don't want to bare skin for other beach-goers. I take a rather indifferent approach to it, if someone driving by happens to catch a glimpse of my nether region...well I apologize. Justine on the other hand, thankfully, is very methodical about suiting up.
The surf was
allright, it was decent size, but the shape just wasn't there. The waves were breaking in sections, instead of peeling down the line. It was a beautiful day though, with the sun shining and the smells of the forest and ocean mixing together. After a couple of hours spent splashing around in the brine, we paddled in, got out of our wetsuits (an ordeal...), and plotted our next move.
We decided to drive a bit down the road to camp on the beach and have a bonfire. Lucky for us, South Beach has one of the best selections of driftwood ever, so we filled the back of the van with as much wood as we could squeeze in between the surfboards and sleeping bags. After a much needed pee stop, we were off through the redwoods and to another almost deserted beach. Since I mentioned it, a pee break that is, I'll digress about the importance of not peeing in your wetsuit or while surfing. Now I'm all about peeing in the water most of the time, I'll pee in the pool, the lake, just about anywhere without a cop or a lady within site, but never in the Northern Pacific. There are a number of accounts from people who have been bitten by
Ol' Whitey that the last thing they did was take a leak while surfing. It doesn't seem to bright for a mammal to pee in the water when the main predator hunts by scent. Anyway...
We camped Saturday night at Gold Bluff Beach, just north of
Orick and within the boundaries of Redwood National Park. The campground has maybe 20 campsites and I bet it gets busy during the summer, but it's March and we scored a great campsite and only had to share the sunset with a few other people. There is something spectacular about camping on the beach. Bonfires seem larger, beer tastes better, and the stars shine brighter. We were hungry after our long day of surfing, frolicking about the beach, and walking through redwoods. Luckily we planned ahead and brought some steaks, veggies, and artisan bread to enjoy with our local
microbrews. I felt like something different, so I brought along a thick slab of lamb to roast over the fire. Lamb roast over a driftwood fire is just about the most delicious thing I've ever had to eat. The smells of sizzling lamb mingling with the cedar smoke and salty sea air, well you'll have to try it for yourself to understand. After dinner we stoked up the fire and lounged back in our lawn chairs, trying to take it all in. Stars came out, the ocean roared, the fire crackled at our feet and all of the crap that we went through in order to make it to the point in our current lives where we can have experiences like this became worth it.
Late that night, we decided to walk to the edge of the world and peer into the vast nothingness which is the Northern Pacific at night. Now I know you are thinking that you've been down to the beach hundreds of times at night and it isn't anything incredibly mind blowing, but come out here for a visit sometime. I'll take you out to that desolate stretch of beach which is close to nothing besides mountains and trees and wilderness, we'll walk down to the edge of the ocean, and I'd be willing to bet that you're heart may skip a beat or two as you strain your eyes to see out past the rolling white breakers that constantly thunder towards you. There is something incredible about the way the beach feels at night. The sand is cold, the wind blowing off the ocean is cold, and the water is absolutely freezing. It's just a completely inhospitable environment for something as frail as us humans. I remember going for frequent night swims when I was living on the Outer Banks, a few of us would just kind of walk down to the beach and take a dip, or maybe body surf. The thought of going for a swim that night made me shudder. I guess 45 degree water and 15 foot surf changes the equation a bit.
The next morning, we woke up early and
boogeyed out of there. The park charges 15 bucks per night for each campsite, which I feel is a bit steep. The ranger didn't come around the night before to collect the cash, so that meant he'd come around early the next morning to ticket those who didn't pay. After a couple summers of frequenting campgrounds pretty constantly we knew the drill pretty well, so we woke up early and scrammed before he came around. We used the money for a delicious breakfast at our favorite little diner in
Orick.
After breakfast we headed towards a redwood grove we had yet to explore, the 'Lady Bird Johnson Memorial Grove'. Good
ol' Lady Bird Johnson visited the area in the 60's and felt the majesty of the redwoods firsthand. After her visit, she became a vocal supporter of protecting the remaining old growth redwoods. The trail is short and has an interesting self guided tour pamphlet available at the start of the trail. It's a good trail to take your time on and really take it all in. It's one of the few trails through redwoods which offers ocean views. We made quick work of the trail and headed back south towards our home. It was another glorious, beautiful, sunny Spring day in Humboldt County...and it is only March.
On the way home I stopped to surf in Trinidad. The surf was mediocre at best, but it's always good to get wet on a sunny day. Just south of
Orick we had checked the surf at a long stretch of beach along the highway, it was spectacular there...but I
wussed out and decided to wait and surf a more
familiar break. I figured if it was that good there, how great will it be farther south. I'm still kicking myself over all of those barrels which went
unridden, but there is always another wave. That's the thing about waves, as soon as one passes by, there's always another one starting to roll in...right behind it. Kind of like weekends...You just got to have the patience to make it through the lull of the work week.
College Cove is a good beach to go to when the north winds of spring are blowing and the surf elsewhere is huge. After a winter of rain and wind it's nice to kick back on the beach with a Hunter S. Thompson book and soak in some sun and salt spray.
Nothing beats a beachfront campsite with a backdrop of Sitka spruce and redwoods. How much would you pay at a hotel with a view so good? There's a pretty nice little beach break wave just out front.
The van does kick serious ass, but to quote a friend 'it takes an oil field to move that thing". Justine and I clearly needed a small, fuel efficient car. Here's the beauty we picked out. It's a 2008 Honda Fit and it's get triple the MPG's as the van. 
We went for a drive along a rural stretch of coastline last weekend. The whole drive was through pasturelands with views of the Pacific Ocean, farms, and distant snow capped peaks. It's reassuring to see undeveloped stretches of coastline. This cow has to have one of the best views of any bovines. I don't feel bad about eating him, he's had it pretty easy. 
