Me with Lisa along the Lost Coast Trail north of Horse Mountain Trail. The photo was taken with my D90's self-timer.

Shelter Cove's location in the middle of the Lost Coast was a real bonus for us getting to some gorgeous hiking trails and walks.

However, Shelter Cove itself was a strange town.

Within rock-throwing distance of each other, there's a camping site, an airport, hotels overlooking the bay, large three-story retirement houses with balconies overlooking the ocean, and a mooring area/launching point for fishing boats, who all anchor within shouting distance of each other and nab their prey.

It's almost as if a city planner came and said, "Look, I know us fishermen wanna fly in here and get down to business. I've made it so we don't have to walk very far to get to anything. I've jammed everything that you need cheek by jowl. You're welcome."

The fishermen that we met had stuffed several large coolers full of crabs and salmon, and were cooking mad amounts of them.

~~~

Photo: Lighthouse. Fishing boats. You know where.

The next day was a loooong driving day. We left Shelter Cove, driving the windy road inland for one hour, then heading south on Highway 101, making sure to stop off at The Legend of Bigfoot, a store in Garberville, to see things like this little redwood deer here, as well as other redwood goodies.

Photo taken with 50mm prime lens f/1.4, bringin' its buttery bokeh to a photo near you.

Shrek and Donkey, carved with a chainsaw. Put this in your front yard.

Same place.

According to Confusion Hill, one of those fun gravity-defying mystery houses like The Mystery Spot in Santa Cruz or the Mystery Hole in West Virginia, this is the largest freestanding redwood chainsaw carving in the world, towering forty feet over the Confusion Hill parking lot. It took one chainsaw-wielding artist three months to create. You came here to see the wonders of Humboldt and the Lost Coast, and I'm givin' 'em to you.

~~~

We continued driving south on 101, then dipped toward the coast, following the curving Pacific Coast Highway as it followed Cottaneva Creek through redwood-forested mountainous terrain before veering left (south) again at Rockport to, uh, prevent you from driving into the Pacific Ocean.

A weather-worn fence along the Mendocino Coast.

We kept winding our way down Pacific Coast Highway, stopping off at Fort Bragg for lunch, and stopping when we saw interesting stuff.

The California-Russian Connection:
How many of you knew that the Russians had a fortified settlement on California shores? No worries, there's no reason to get yourself in a Cold War panic. Not the fur trading and agricultural bonanza the Russians hoped for, Fort Ross was sold to a Swiss-Mexican named Sutter in 1841, with the Russians retreating back to Alaska from whence they had come.

The Russian influence remains in the area by name - Russian Gulch, Russian River, Moscow Road - and also by design and influence. That brings us back to Saint Orres. The architecture of this bed and breakfast in Gualala was inspired by 19th Century Russian country style, and is built of hundred year old redwood beams salvaged from an old mill by Hugo Black, the builder.

And Fort Ross has been restored as well, also built of massive redwood beams, which have fared well. Particularly interesting is the twin-domed chapel, built in the mid-1820s, the first Russian Orthodox church in North America outside Alaska.

A budget bed and breakfast along Highway 1, offering discounts to the thrifty traveler. Or maybe it's an old farmhouse along the Mendocino Coast south of Gualala. You decide which.

We continued driving down Pacific Coast Highway. Remember, we had left Shelter Cove in the Lost Coast, 250 miles north of San Francisco, which was to be our destination for the evening. Due to the winding roads, we would drive over 300 miles, taking ten hours. By the time I was finished, my hands were actually sore from gripping the steering wheel.

We continued south, through Mendocino County, through Sonoma, through Marin, past Tomales Bay and Bolinas and Dogtown and the headlands and Muir Woods, over the Golden Gate Bridge, and 10 hours later, arriving at our hotel on Lombard in San Francisco, probably the worst Ramada Inn I've seen.

San Francisco skyline at night.

But the evening wasn't over. We met our friends Arlynne and Donald, going to a delicious meal at House of Nanking on Kearney.

This restaurant gets polarized reviews on Yelp and elsewhere. Some people think it's fantastic Chinese food. Others think it's overpriced for what you get or is mostly for tourists and complain about the lousy service. And indeed, many of the people frequenting the place where not Chinese.

I fall into the former camp. The food was fresh and delicious and interesting. We chose to have them bring various food within vague specified parameters. The service was surly, often without bothering to tell you the name of the dish. But the food was excellent, and we had arrived rather late, ten minutes before closing time. I give the service a pass. We had a great time and loved the food.

Later, Arlynne brought us to an Italian bakery for dessert. Cannolis.

Donald, me, and Arlynne, with Lisa behind the camera (Leica point and shoot).

Lisa and I hope to return to Northern California, visiting some of the redwoods farther north as well as Elk in Mendocino.