Page 145 - 2017 Travel Guide to California

»
MUST
SEE,
DO
» Forest Tracks Built in 1885 to haul redwood
logs from the tangled backcountry to coastal
sawmills, the iconic Skunk Train now carries
passengers on two different runs starting at Fort
Bragg and the inland town of Willits, respectively.
The shorter coastal route snakes along the Novo
River canyon, through redwood groves and past an
old logging camp. And don’t worry: The train’s name
derives from an original, stinky gasoline engine that
long ago was consigned to the junkyard.
› skunktrain.com
» Drive-Thru Tree It’s an urge that belongs to
another era—and certainly wouldn’t gladden the
hearts of Muir or Thoreau—but there are still a few
places along the North Coast where you can drive
your car through a tunneled-out redwood tree. The
most convenient is Drive-Thru Tree Park, near the
town of Leggett, just off Highway 101. But be
warned: The opening in the so-called Chandelier
Tree is just 6 feet wide and 6 feet, 9 inches tall. Not
all supersized SUVs can squeeze through.
› drivethrutree.com
SUNSHINE, FOG, SEA and forest grace the
coast between Crescent City and Eureka,
above; Roosevelt elk bulls joust during
September breeding season in Redwood
National and State Parks, right.
» On the Waterfront Eureka has transformed
its waterfront Old Town from a skid row into a
lively and inviting district of Victorian storefronts
housing restaurants, galleries, shops and museums,
crowned by the iconic Carson Mansion, a
masterpiece of Victorian opulence.
› eurekaoldtown.com
INSIDER’S
»
TIP
To satisfy a lumberjack-sized
appetite, drive across HUMBOLDT
BAY on the SAMOA BRIDGE to the
SAMOA COOKHOUSE for colossal,
all-you-can-eat meals served
family style. The last surviving
cookhouse of its kind in the U.S.,
it’s been serving hungry mill
workers, longshoremen and
tourists since 1890.
samoacookhouse.net
The sounds of chainsaws and buzzing
sawmills that once dominated the North
Coast are rapidly fading as the lumber
industry winds down. In former mill
towns such as Fort Bragg, tourism is
replacing timber as innovative galleries,
restaurants and brew-pubs spring to life.
Although it’s sometimes called the
Redwood Empire, the North Coast is
more than just tall trees: It’s also salmon-
fishing boats bobbing in tiny harbors;
Roosevelt elk bugling across misty
meadows; steam trains chuffing through
a damp and dripping forest; hole-in-the-
wall restaurants serving fish smoked
according to traditional Native American
» 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
» 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
2017 T R AV E L G U I D E TO C A L I F O R N I A 143