Page 141 - 2014 Travel Guide to California

»
MUST
SEE,
DO
HUMBOLDT REDWOODS STATE
Park, right; Roosevelt Elk at Gold
Bluffs Beach, Redwood State Park,
below; pelicans in flight below the
town of Mendocino, opposite.
» Ferry Tales Tour Humboldt Bay aboard the
Maraket, the last of a fleet of tiny ferries that once
carried mill workers to their jobs. It’s the oldest
vessel in continuous service in the country, with
the tiniest licensed bar in California.
› humboldtbaymaritimemuseum.com
» The World’s Your Oyster More than half
of all oysters in California come from the chilly
gray water of Humboldt Bay. A new boat tour
takes you by the oyster beds for some hands-on
harvesting, followed by an oyster barbecue on a
driftwood-strewn beach.
› humboldtbayoystertours.com
» Forest Tracks Built in 1885 to haul
redwood logs from the tangled backcountry to
coastal sawmills, the iconic Skunk Train now
carries passengers on the 40-mile run through
redwood groves between Fort Bragg and the
inland town of Willits.
› skunktrain.com
SPECIAL
»
EVENTS 2014
» Boulevard of Big Trees Some of the most
magnificent redwoods on the North Coast are also
the easiest to see. At Garberville, turn off Highway
101 onto the Avenue of the Giants, a 31-mile stretch
of the old highway that weaves like a slalom course
between vertiginous, old-growth redwoods. The
route takes you through the heart of Humboldt
Redwoods State Park, which is sunnier and drier
than redwood parks farther north.
› avenueofthegiants.net
KINETIC SCULPTURE RACE Peripatetic artists of genius or possibly borderline insanity
gather each Memorial Day weekend to race giant, whimsical, people-powered sculptures
from Arcata to Ferndale along a 40-mile course that includes a crossing of Humboldt Bay.
Cheating is encouraged. May 24-26 kineticgrandchampionship.com
BIGFOOT DAYS The earliest and most persistent sightings of that elusive creature known
as Bigfoot have happened around the Siskiyou Mountain town of Willow Creek. Each year
on Labor Day weekend, the community fetes its furry friend with Bigfoot Days. Don’t expect
to see the big guy himself, but you’ll encounter a number of people who claim to have met
him. Aug. 30-31 redwoods.info/showrecord.asp?id=3689
HUMBOLDT BEER WEEK is a county-wide celebration of the vibrant local craft brewing
scene. Sep. 27-Oct. 5 humboldtbeerweek.com
» Victorian Hamlet Gaily painted Victorian
mansions line the streets of Ferndale, an idyllic
hamlet on the Eel River delta in southern
Humboldt County. Lovingly preserved, they give
the town a turn-of-the-last-century look that has
proven irresistible to Hollywood. More than a
dozen movies have been filmed here. Main
Street’s shops keep the Victorian theme going,
with old-fashioned mercantiles and even a
blacksmith shop. Cradled between two redwood
forests, the entire town is listed on the National
Register of Historic Places.
› victorianferndale.com
2014 T R AV E L G U I D E T O C A L I F O R N I A 139