In a lot of ways, day 3 was 'day 1' in our heads. We made it to the ocean, had a full day of adventures and fewer miles.
We slept in until 5 A.M. and were on the road by 7. We made our way north on the 101.
Within an hour people sightings went down and the trees got bigger. And bigger. And BIGGER! This was Crystal's first time seeing the north west and she was blown away. The sheer size of the redwoods blows you away.
We stopped at a fun coffee shop called "Pour girl's coffee". It was an oasis in the dessert for Crystal's coffee addiction. The fall colors were popping! We continued through the forest. The drive along the windy road was a lot of fun, especially in Lynn's little car!
We got to Eurika before the hotel was ready for check in. We decided to grab a light lunch before we walked around. We had a hibiscus mimosa, baja tacos and spicy coleslaw at Jacks. Crystal had never had a baja taco before. She is now a believer. The fish was fresh, clean and perfectly crisp without being greasy. It was beer battered and decidedly NOT keto. It was amazing!
After we ate, we walked down the boardwalk. We took pictures of graffiti, murals and some of the buildings. The old buildings were from the late 1800s lumber barons. Many were in disrepair while other buildings had sponsors with bronze plaques and manicured lawns.
The increased homeless population was very apparent as we strolled around Eurika proper.
We hiked between buildings and wandered aimlessly until we stumbled upon an anqiue store. This was my first experience antiquing! I found a vital pair of birthday earrings, all that was needed to complete my outfit of cuteness. A wonderful gift for Jeff was procured before we continued wandering the city.
Every attempt to find an afternoon caffeine boost was met with failure. All coffee locations were closed at 2:30 and the hotel opened at 3. Sadly we admitted defeat and slowly dragged our weary bodies back to the hotel.
Check in was smooth but long, requiring a rehearsed speech peppered plentiful ums. We were informed about geoffrey, the 24 hour emergency super hero who mans the building for all possible requests. Except for ice at 3 am. It was made very clear that Geoffery has standards for his assistance and ice at 3 am is a nonstarter.
The hotel was old but very beautiful. We were on the second floor and the luggage elevator was a welcome surprise. The vaulted ceilings were unexpected since there was no central air. The room had an electric fireplace, heavy down comforters with beds facing large picture windows and a beautiful amore with no closet rod. We would gladly accept this minor inconvenience for the historical crown moldings and ornate figures.
The second floor rooms faced the open central dining hall where a restaurant was now located. If you looked up, the ceiling was covered with stain glass mosaic eagles. Suddenly the name of the hotel made sense. The eagle house. There was actually very little sound transfer considering how open the floor plan was.
After changing into warmer layers, we headed out to see the ocean. We went to Patrick's point and agate beach.
This is the beach were I saw the Pacific ocean for the first time in 1994. We started our decent and looked down. I, in my hiking shoes, knew what lie ahead. Crystal, in her slippery sketchers, was blinded by optimism and excitement.
After many curves and steep stairs we made it down to the rocky beach.
Agate beach is covered with many tiny pebbles and larger rocks. We walked along the beach looking for agates. The foggy mist was mesmerizing.
On the way back I went rock hopping as the tide went out hoping to find tide pools. We were rewarded with sightings of anemes, sea snails and dungenous crab.
I watched a seagull snag a dungenous crab for dinner!
The walk out was a bit longer than the walk in. Props to Crystal who booked it up the hill, setting the pace with limited breaks! She'd like to mention she has been training on stairs at work in preparation for this adventure and today it paid off in spades!
We made it back to the hotel in time to explode our luggage over the once fancy room and hastely dressed in 15 minutes to make our reservations. Crystal also gave me a wonderful birthday gift! A "key" to remind me, the key to happiness is to follow your heart!
Patsy Klines! We weren't sure how dinner would be as the reviews were all over the place. We went for close and convenient and being right down stairs, this place fit the bill. We ordered several small plates to share along with rose brut to toast Lynn's birthday.
Dinner was flatbread pizza, oysters (for Lynn), philo cigars filled with beets and goat cheese and a charcutterie board.
For dessert we got a lemon blueberry pastery with chantille whipped cream and a lavender macha creme bruelee with candy ginger on top. Everything tasted fresh and amazing and we fell into bed, very happy girls with full tummies.
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