Tag: California

Disturbing Sculptures Art Gallery — It’s a Real Place

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Disturbing Sculptures Art Gallery (that’s really the name)
1100 Highway 101
Crescent City, California

Well, if you’re gonna name your art gallery “disturbing,” you’d better deliver. And this Northern California roadside attraction earns its name. One minute you’re cruising north on Highway 101, almost to the Oregon state line and promised nirvana, and the next minute you’ve U-turned so fast your dog yelps.

 

According to a Roadside America article, this gallery is the home of 3 artists, two of whom appear to be quite normal (driftwood sculptures and chainsaw sculptures). But the third, who luckily was not on-site the day I visited, has some issues.

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Roadside Attractions – Klamath, California to Gold Beach, Oregon

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75 miles
Gas $2.75/gallon (thank you, Oregon!)
Pacific Reef Inn, Gold Beach
$99/night + $20 pet fee
Oceanfront room with full ocean view and private patio

Photo by Stephanie Roberts, ObsessiveHobbyist.com
Photo by Stephanie Roberts, ObsessiveHobbyist.com
Photo by Stephanie Roberts, ObsessiveHobbyist.com

Before cruising out of Klamath (minus several $$$ left behind in the Redwood Casino), I cruised through town. Whenever I’m in redwood country I feel compelled to drive through a tree. It’s not PC, I know, but you kinda have to admire the business model, at least. All day long, Jewel at Tour Thru Tree (I think Drive-Thru Tree was already taken) sits there (or goes to the post office and leaves a note), collecting $5. And there can’t be much maintenance on a 785-year-old tree.

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Funky Fun – Samoa Cookhouse and an Indian Casino

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Eureka, California to Klamath, California
65 miles
Gas $3.02/gallon (why is it going up?)
Holiday Inn Express in Klamath (great, brand new hotel attached to a tiny Indian casino)
$117/night + $25/pet fee

Just north of Eureka is the Samoa Cookhouse – I love finding unique places like this (thanks, Roadtrippers). It’s off the beaten path, but worth the 15-minute drive from Highway 101. Built circa 1893, it’s the last lumber camp-style cookhouse still in operation in North America. Established by the Vance Lumber Company, Samoa is one of the last company-owned towns in the US, and the cookhouse was operated for the working lumberjacks. Today, they still encourage you to eat like a lumberjack. Continue reading →

Highway 1 Fun – Point Arena, California to Eureka, California

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180 miles
Gas $2.86/gallon in Fort Bragg, California
Red Lion Inn, Eureka
$71/night + $15 pet fee
Nice big room with a view of Humboldt Bay. Very nice staff. Location not great (can’t walk to anything), but there’s a restaurant on-site.

Beautiful weather today — unusually warm for October, 82 degrees. Just 40 miles north of Point Arena is Mendocino.

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Coastal Cruising – Carmel, California to Point Arena, California

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260 miles
Gas $2.69/gallon (awesome!)

Wharf Master’s Inn, http://wharfmasters.com
$139 + $15 dog fee
http://pointarena.net

There’s only one way you should travel from Carmel…via Highway 1. South is Big Sur, but I’m headed North this time. There are so many adorable little coastal towns and stopovers…Moss Landing, Santa Cruz, Swanton Berry Farm, Half Moon Bay, San Francisco. My destination today was Point Arena, a quaint little town I’d passed through several times on my way to Mendocino. I always wanted to stop, but when you only have 2-day weekends you have to make tough choices. This trip is about making those other choices…stopping everywhere I want to, taking an exit that entices, following signs to antique stores, Mystery Holes, and ghost towns.

The first stop is Moss Landing, 22 miles north of Carmel and home to some of the best whale-watching cruises on the coast. I’ve always done the Blue Ocean trips — it’s a nice 60-foot boat with a top deck the other boats don’t have, and the onboard naturalist, Kate, is friendly, informative, and genuinely enthusiastic. These photos are from trips this past year…

Photo by Stephanie Roberts, http://ObsessiveHobbyist.com
Photo by Stephanie Roberts, http://ObsessiveHobbyist.com
Photo by Stephanie Roberts, http://ObsessiveHobbyist.com
Photo by Stephanie Roberts, http://ObsessiveHobbyist.com
Photo by Stephanie Roberts, http://ObsessiveHobbyist.com
Photo by Stephanie Roberts, http://ObsessiveHobbyist.com
Photo by Stephanie Roberts, http://ObsessiveHobbyist.com
Photo by Stephanie Roberts, http://ObsessiveHobbyist.com
Photo by Stephanie Roberts, http://ObsessiveHobbyist.com
Photo by Stephanie Roberts, http://ObsessiveHobbyist.com
Photo by Stephanie Roberts, http://ObsessiveHobbyist.com
Photo by Stephanie Roberts, http://ObsessiveHobbyist.com

Santa Cruz is a cool, funky,  counter-culture center filled with old hippies, young hippies, surfers, and homeless people. The Boardwalk is an old-fashioned Coney Island-style carnival, right on the beach. I recently spent a dreamy night at Dream Inn, on the beach just north of the Boardwalk and the wharf — it’s a great location, but is unfortunately not dog-friendly. 😦

The beach area gets lots of attention, but downtown Santa Cruz is funky fun, with cool vintage shops, sidewalk cafes, bookstores (with actual books), and antiques.

Photo by Stephanie Roberts, ObsessiveHobbyist.com
Photo by Stephanie Roberts, ObsessiveHobbyist.com

Swanton Berry Farm is my secret stopover. You might pass right by the cool vintage pick-up truck with the giant strawberry in the back and never know what you’re missing. This charming u-pick farm is a great stop on your way to San Francisco. The friendly farm store has an “honor till” — you throw your money in the drawer and make your own change, for delicious fresh strawberries, jam, scones, fair trade coffee. If you have time, sit a spell and play dominoes. This place reminds me of a great fruit stand on the old highway between Charleston and Beaufort, South Carolina. It’s got a very laidback, southern vibe.

Photo by Stephanie Roberts, http://ObsessiveHobbyist.com

Half Moon Bay is a sweet coastal town. The main street is not on the beach, but a few blocks inland. A great dog-friendly hotel is the Half Moon Bay Inn, right in the middle of Main Street. Another 28 miles up Highway 1 and you’re in San Francisco. Highway 1 actually becomes 19th Avenue through San Fran, sending you right through the world-famous Golden Gate Bridge. I took Highway 101 up to Petaluma, then cut over to Bodega Bay to re-join Highway 1 (you can cut over earlier, but I like stopping over in pretty Petaluma). This San Francisco suburb has it all. A funky history, funky stores, and a funky future. And you know that “funky” is one of my favorite adjectives, awarded only to the most-interesting places I run across.

Photo by Stephanie Roberts, ObsessiveHobbyist.com
Photo by Stephanie Roberts, ObsessiveHobbyist.com
Photo by Stephanie Roberts, ObsessiveHobbyist.com
Photo by Stephanie Roberts, ObsessiveHobbyist.com
Photo by Stephanie Roberts, ObsessiveHobbyist.com
Photo by Stephanie Roberts, ObsessiveHobbyist.com
Photo by Stephanie Roberts, ObsessiveHobbyist.com
Photo by Stephanie Roberts, ObsessiveHobbyist.com
Photo by Stephanie Roberts, ObsessiveHobbyist.com
Photo by Stephanie Roberts, ObsessiveHobbyist.com

From Petaluma it’s an easy hop over to Bodega Bay on the coast, most famous as the setting for Alfred Hitchcock’s movie “The Birds.” Then straight up Highway 1 to Point Arena, population 473. I rolled in about 6:00, just in time for a pretty Pacific sunset. Stayed at the Wharf Master’s Inn, home to the home of the Wharf Master, originally. It’s now an inn, built around the original 1865 home, which you can also stay in. It’s on the hill above Point Arena Cove and the pier, and provides a spectacular view. But don’t think about staying here if you can’t do stairs — they’re everywhere! And funky wooden sculptures. The cove and wharf are small, with a very East Coast feel. The beaches are rocky, so not much fun for dog-walking or sunning, but I did see surfers and kayakers.

The view from the Wharf Master’s InnPhoto by Stephanie Roberts, ObsessiveHobbyist.com
That’s the Wharf Master’s Inn behind the Pier Chowder House, from the wharf — the green house is the original wharf master’s house.Photo by Stephanie Roberts, ObsessiveHobbyist.com
Photo by Stephanie Roberts, ObsessiveHobbyist.com
Photo by Stephanie Roberts, ObsessiveHobbyist.com
Photo by Stephanie Roberts, ObsessiveHobbyist.com
Photo by Stephanie Roberts, ObsessiveHobbyist.com
Photo by Stephanie Roberts, ObsessiveHobbyist.com
Photo by Stephanie Roberts, ObsessiveHobbyist.com
Photo by Stephanie Roberts, ObsessiveHobbyist.com
Photo by Stephanie Roberts, ObsessiveHobbyist.com
Photo by Stephanie Roberts, ObsessiveHobbyist.com
Photo by Stephanie Roberts, ObsessiveHobbyist.com
Photo by Stephanie Roberts, ObsessiveHobbyist.com
Photo by Stephanie Roberts, ObsessiveHobbyist.com
Photo by Stephanie Roberts, ObsessiveHobbyist.com
Photo by Stephanie Roberts, ObsessiveHobbyist.com
Photo by Stephanie Roberts, ObsessiveHobbyist.com
Photo by Stephanie Roberts, ObsessiveHobbyist.com
Photo by Stephanie Roberts, ObsessiveHobbyist.com
Photo by Stephanie Roberts, ObsessiveHobbyist.com
Nice spacious room with jacuzzi tub
Loved the private balcony!
Panda ain’t afraid of no sea monster
Turn around, dude
Point Arena Wharf
Panda to the rescue! Panda is a rescue!
Point Arena Cove
Now this is the way to travel the coast highway!!!

The town of Point Arena is just about 3 blocks long, with some cute stores.

Photo by Stephanie Roberts, ObsessiveHobbyist.com
Photo by Stephanie Roberts, ObsessiveHobbyist.com
Photo by Stephanie Roberts, ObsessiveHobbyist.com
Photo by Stephanie Roberts, ObsessiveHobbyist.com
Photo by Stephanie Roberts, ObsessiveHobbyist.com
Photo by Stephanie Roberts, ObsessiveHobbyist.com
Photo by Stephanie Roberts, ObsessiveHobbyist.com
Photo by Stephanie Roberts, ObsessiveHobbyist.com
Photo by Stephanie Roberts, ObsessiveHobbyist.com
Photo by Stephanie Roberts, ObsessiveHobbyist.com
Photo by Stephanie Roberts, ObsessiveHobbyist.com
Photo by Stephanie Roberts, ObsessiveHobbyist.com
Photo by Stephanie Roberts, ObsessiveHobbyist.com
Photo by Stephanie Roberts, ObsessiveHobbyist.com

But the undeniable star of Point Arena is the Point Arena Lighthouse.

Photo by Stephanie Roberts, ObsessiveHobbyist.com

The 115-foot lighthouse is the tallest on the West Coast. Originally built in 1869, the San Francisco earthquake of 1906 seriously damaged the lighthouse. If not for the staircase, it would have fallen. But it proved easier to rebuild it than repair it, so the current lighthouse dates from 1908. It costs $7.50 to enter, and they give tours of the museum and the lighthouse every day of the year except Thanksgiving and Christmas, 10:00-3:30. It was SO WINDY when I was there that I could barely stand up (I later found sand in my ears!), so it’s easy to see why there were so many shipwrecks (plus, those big rocks didn’t help much).

Photo by Stephanie Roberts, ObsessiveHobbyist.com
Photo by Stephanie Roberts, ObsessiveHobbyist.com
Photo by Stephanie Roberts, ObsessiveHobbyist.com

WHICH WAY NEXT???
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Glass Beach, California … It’s Real!

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I finally made it to Glass Beach, after years of hearing about this magical sea glass destination. And one of the first pieces I found is this nearly-perfect sea glass heart. I’m not even kidding.

Magical.

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The beach was smaller than I expected, and quite unspectacular from the bluff above, but it did not disappoint. It was covered in sea glass, although apparently over the years the quantity and variety has diminished. At least now it’s protected from beachcombers – by law, and by a closed staircase. So you have to do a little rock-scrambling to get there, but it’s worth it. [UPDATE: The staircase is now open, but the glass is greatly diminished, sadly]

And it’s all because a bunch of idiots dumped trash in the ocean years ago. That’s what nature does with our trash – reclaims it, and recycles it into little treasures.

It just looks like gravel from above…

BUT WHEN YOU GET DOWN TO THE BEACH…

All that history…just laying there…

Kid’s swim fin…somone’s missing this!
What kind of game is that piece from?

and yes, I left my heart on glass beach…

20150506_MG_9856-Stephanie Roberts-ObsessiveHobbyist.com-Edit_HDR

20150506_MG_9591-Stephanie Roberts-ObsessiveHobbyist.com-Edit_HDR

Just north of Mendocino in Fort Bragg, California, on Highway 1
http://www.fortbragg.com/explore/glass-beach/

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