California Coast #2 - I Have Found It in Eureka!
I've wanted to go to Eureka for a long time. Why? First of all, if you look at it on the map, you can see it has a very interesting coastline, with an expansive bay. I thought the bay and ocean views might be spectacular.
Secondly, Eureka has a multifaceted history. The word "eureka" was first uttered by Archimedes over two thousand years ago after he had stepped into a bath and noticed that the water level rose. It translates from the Greek to "I have found it", or "I have it." When the gold rush settlers arrived in the 1850's, they aptly named the town they established Eureka.
There is a dark side of Eureka history. Eureka was originally populated by the Wiyot people, a Native American tribe that has lived in the Humboldt Bay region for thousands of years. As gold rushers arrived, a conflict ensued, and that conflict was not resolved peacefully. In 1860 the majority of the Wiyot tribe was tragically murdered by local businessmen in what became known as the “Wiyot Massacre.”
This abominable fact is revealed in an exhibit at the Clarke Historical Museum, one of our first stops after driving up from Fort Bragg. Much of the museum is devoted to local indigenous tribes and their craft. The museum is located inside the former Eureka Bank Building, which is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. Erected in 1911, the bank was built with a neoclassical design that is the only one of its kind north of San Francisco.
But I digress. So we drove up from Fort Bragg, which was a two hour ride. On the way, we drove through the Avenue of the Giants, which is a 30 mile stretch of road that weaves through dense redwood groves in Humboldt Redwoods State Park. Some of the tallest redwoods in California are here.
We eventually made it to Eureka, and stayed for two nights at the Holiday Inn, which was a newish hotel so we liked it a lot. Except for the screaming kids in the room next to ours, our stay was pleasant.
When you drive around Eureka you will definitely notice the varied homes and buildings, some built as early as 1850. Eureka is home to a myriad of architectural styles and eclectic variations – bungalows, cottages, craftsmen, and Victorians – many built from original redwood timber sourced locally. The most notable homes are located in Old Town, which is towards the north side of Eureka. There you will find the William Carson Mansion, which is a fabulous example of a Queen Anne Victorian. Today this structure is a private members club, so we could not see the inside. Right across the street is another famous home, known as the Pink Lady, which is a smallish Queen Anne Victorian in a muted pink color.
Old Town was indeed the most interesting neighborhood of Eureka, so we spent most of our time there. In fact, we had most of our meals there. On our first dinner we took out sushi from a local Japanese restaurant that was highly rated on Yelp. To be kind, it was lacking. Lunch the next day at Jack's Seafood was much better. Jack's is right on the edge of the bay. Later, we went out to a nice dinner at the Sea Grill. The oysters and fish dinner were scrumptious.
Above us in the trees, a walkway was constructed that allowed people to walk "among the treetops." It was very cool to look up and see the people on the walkway looking down at the forest floor, so we decided we wanted to do it too. The catch was that we had to buy a ticket to the adjoining zoo in order to go on the walkway. So, after waiting in line for around 45 minutes, we finally got into the zoo, and went directly for the walkway entrance. I will say that it was worth the wait. Very large redwood trees were connected by the walkway, so you could walk between tree clusters and take pictures of the park below. Very cool.
So, those were the high points of our California Coast driving adventure. I hope you enjoyed it, and will consider visiting Northern California soon.
Flash Card Drill
- It’s yet another of the unexpected and multifaceted ways in which the pandemic is turning the world upside down. それはさらに、パンデミックが世界をひっくり返している、予想外でありまた多面的な状態の一つです。
- The Ainu are an East Asian ethnic group indigenous to Northern Japan, the original inhabitants of Hokkaido. アイヌは、日本北部の東アジア土着民族であり北海道の原住民です。
- The prisoners are forced to live in abominable conditions. 囚人たちは忌まわしい状況で生きることを余儀なくされています。
- The newly built neoclassical office building in Rome appeared in many architecture magazines. ローマに新しく建てられた新古典主義のオフィスビルは、多くの建築雑誌に掲載されました。
- But I digress. Let me get back to what I initially wanted to tell you. しかし、私は話を逸らせたいです。私が最初にあなたに伝えたかったことに戻りましょう。
- Charles, you are going to college, and so you have a myriad of opportunities ahead of you. チャールズ、あなたは大学に行くので、あなたの前には無数の機会があります。
- Their home is furnished in a rather eclectic fashion, with more classical furniture mixed with more modern designs. 彼らの家はかなり折衷的な方法で装飾されており、より古典的な家具とより現代的なデザインが組み合わされています。
- The muted tones of the home's interior walls conveyed a classical feel, and worked well with the furniture. 家の内壁の静かな落ち着いた色調は、クラシカルな雰囲気を伝え、家具とうまく調和しました。
