Humbolt county has treated us to an amazing display of it's ginormous redwoods and we have been thoroughly impressed. We actually got semi-lost strolling off-trail in the redwood park near Humboldt State University. Off-trail hiking is what Jon likes to call "adventuring" and it's the only way I have ever been able to convince him to go hiking. In this instance, we stumbled upon an actual cave that had been dug by a human into the hillside and had only game trails leading up to it.
We were so pleased to feel the sun's warmth in Arcata, that we spent half a day in the wildlife reserve sitting in lawnchairs painting (me) and drinking beers (Jon).
We continued down to the Lost Coast and the magical little town of Petrolia. The road to Petrolia went over a pass that was only 15 miles, but took us an hour and a half to cross. The roads were in excess of 15% grade and nearly every turn was a hairpin. On the way up, we crawled at a grueling 5-10 miles per hour - whispering sweet encouraging words to 'Ole Giddyup Go the whole way. The way down was actually worse because the brakes were in charge of stopping 12,000 lbs of truck, fifth wheel, and cargo with the same steep declines and ridiculously tight turns. We had to stop twice because the brakes were fading. Our only solace was that it was too dark to see the harrowingly steep cliffs on the side. Additionally, our slow-going meant that we ran out of gas much sooner and we're sure if we'd make it to more gas before it was too late. Jon has proven himself to be a very skilled driver. Coincidentally, the forest we were driving through is where Jurrasic Park was filmed.
We had to stay extra days in Petrolia because #1 everyone waved at us, #2 our campsite cost only $8/night, at the beach, with plenty of fresh water, #3 pelicans, seals, mussels and Lost Coast adventing at our doorstep, #4 goat farms, #5 "Dinner and Cabaret" at the local Petrolia Community Center, #6 Salmon River, #7 Daffodils were already popping up. Suffice it to say, I was looking into real estate in Petrolia, until I found out that they have earthquakes everyday because it is located in the Mendocino Triple Junction, where three fault lines meet - most seismically active town in America.
Jon and I hiked to the lighthouse on the Lost Coast trail and managed to bring back a few gypsy treasures, a pot, a giant abalone shell, a dive belt, and a pile of mussels. You know you've eaten a lot of mussels when you start eating them on chips with hummus or making them into pate (both delicious).
The beach also afforded us the opportunity to stretch out on a blanket and check out the glorious stars.
As a side note, I got word that someone is scamming my craigslist add for our house rental. Apparently, the scammer, who claims to be working in Africa, has been asking potential renters to send him $700 deposit and first month's rent for 9906 N. Ivanhoe St., claiming free firewood and a pool table is included, and that he will send a key. Not sure why anyone would be stupid enough to do this.
Turkey Tail
For those of you, unaware that Jon and I are avid mushroom hunters, one look at our 6 mason jars filled with dried chanterelles from this last fall's harvest will clue you in. Mushroom tip #1 Chanterelles aren't very good when dried - they are remeniscent of cup 'o noodles soup.
Recently we scored on the world renowned mushroom field guide All that the Rain Promises and More... (see cover below). This handy dandy field guide is written by the author of Mushrooms Demystified, a veritable bible of all things mushroom. We've been searching in redwoods, firs, and pines, hoping to stumble upon a giant motherlode of King Boletes, or Matsutakes. Instead, the only thing edible that we've found is the Toothed Jelly Fungus and the Fluted Black Elfin Saddle. Mushroom tip #2. Toothed Jelly Fungus is delicious mixed with cream and honey, otherwise, not tasty. Mushroom tip #3. Don't believe Jon simply when he says a mushroom is edible, even if he puts it in his mouth. In our searches, we have come across many other lovely types of mushrooms and even put some of our own names to them, if we can't find them in the guide. My favorite so far is the Ladyfoot Damsel Slipper - see if you can tell which one that is!
Fluted Black Elfin Saddle
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