Sue-Meg SP (4)

Leaving Del Norte, we took the scenic route along Newton B Drury Scenic Parkway to remind ourselves how that would be for biking. It’s a nice road with redwoods and slow traffic, so we’d like to do that on a future stay at the Prairie Creek Campground. It is about thirty miles from Del Norte, so we figure we made a good call not trying to do the Fern Canyon hike this time. Future plans. 

We weren’t able to get into our site until two, so we had about an hour to kill after arrival. I parked in day use and Richard hiked around the campground trails and previewed our site. He was really frustrated about the lack of cell service and that continued as a theme for this stay. He was able to complain to Verizon and they apologized, reset his phone, and things worked a little better after that. Still, it’s worth remembering that from Crescent City, all the way to Eureka, cell service is inconsistent and spotty. Trinidad is kind of the first place where it’s back for real for a while. 

After unhitching, we made for Arcata, where there was a bike shop, Adventure’s Edge, that had tires that would fit my e-bike. We’re pretty sure the flat on the rear wheel, which was later another flat on the front wheel, were both because the tires were wearing and abrading the inner tubes. For a very reasonable price, the bike shop not only replaced both tires, but adjusted the gears and lubricated the chain. It was definitely time to get service done on the bike, so this was a great call. I give the folks at Adventure’s Edge high praise and appreciation for taking us on short notice. 

While waiting, we walked around Arcata a bit and got a bite to eat at Humboldt Pie. This was also a great call. They make savory things, including hand pies, as well as all kinds of sweet pies. We split a quesebirria hand pie with dipping sauce, a pulled pork, and a spinach ricotta. They were all fantastic. For dessert, we split a slice of apple pie. This place is renowned in the area and deserves its glowing reviews. 

It took less than an hour for my bike to be ready, so we got geared up and rode out to find the bike trail that connects Arcata to Eureka. We’ve looked for information on this trail before, and I think it might be brand spanking new. It is a nicely paved multi-use trail that passes through marsh lands and wildlife preserves before it skirts highway 101 across the banks of Humboldt Bay. There are plans to some day connect all of these coastal trails, but this is one of the first sections that has actually been completed. We stopped at the Eureka Slough Bridge and turned around for a nice out and back. The trail also passes right by a Franz Bakery outlet store. This is the company that makes Richard’s favorite hand pies. We didn’t stop, but it’s not like they would have anything special there. We noted for the future that they close at 4pm in case we want to pie up on the fly.

The next morning, we decided to drive rather than bike over to Trinidad to get some decent cell service and launch our planned bike ride from there. The Beachcomber Cafe was listed as a place with free wifi, plus it had little breakfasty items. As a fun surprise, we met again a couple we have seen bike touring down 101. Their names are Flavia and James and they are biking all the way from Washington to San Diego. We first met them up at the Langlois Market, after leaving Bandon. Since then, we have spotted their bright yellow jackets and yellow panniers at least three times on the road. Seeing them at the cafe, we introduced ourselves and swapped stories. It turns out they live just a few miles away from us. How crazy is that? They are a seriously badass couple and have all my respect. They recently did a cross country trip over the course of four months. I can’t even imagine. Spotting them repeatedly on the road is a super fun driving game and I get tickled every time I see them. Safe travels Flavia and James! I’m looking forward to seeing you again on the road!

After chatting, we headed on down the Scenic Drive south from Trinidad. That is a gorgeous ride with incredible views, but a barely paved surface. They seem to be trying to fix some of this road, but it’s slow going. There are long stretches where there is no pavement whatsoever, sandwiched between sections where there are just major pot holes and areas of loose gravel. It does keep down car traffic, but man, it’s tough on road bike tires. 

The road eventually ends and you have to take the onramp for 101 south. This direction is downhill and you only need to make it to the next exit, but it’s exciting. Going back on the return, it’s a big climb, likely into headwinds, so that one is brutal. The first exit heading south is Crannell Road and you get to ride along Clam Beach. At the very end of this, you see signs for the Hammond Trail. This is mostly a paved multi-use trail, but there are a few sections that are hard packed gravel. They’re short, but if your bike doesn’t like anything but pavement, you will be walking some of it. 

We caught up with Flavia and James again on one of these sections and we tried to give them beta on what we remembered of the trail. We’d only gone as far as the Mad River Bridge before, so there was an unknown portion between that and the Humboldt Bay, Arcata-Eureka, trail. That turns out to be about five miles of quiet roadway following Mad River Road, and then surface streets, until you come to a little park. From Shay Park, you can then pick up the Arcata Bike Trail to get all the way through town, and eventually, to the Humboldt Trail. 

We chose a motivating mission for this ride and navigated all the way to Arcata Scoop. This place makes their own ice cream in house and is excellent. I had the mint chip and it was one of the top contenders in the mint flavor category. I prefer Tillamook or Shannon’s for the chip part, but am not complaining. It’s a cute atmosphere too, with a little pond in the back for outdoor seating. Fueled by ice cream, we rode the whole sixteen miles back to Trinidad. For the record, it is a really really good idea to drive and park in Trinidad. You save yourself about five miles of not so spectacular riding when you are probably pretty tuckered out. We were very happy to get back to the car. Also, the fog had rolled in, so it was chilly and damp.

We had planned on cooking, but once we got back to the car, I had no will power against the smell of wood fire oven baked pizza. I actually lost all willpower back in Vancouver and have been willfully misbehaving ever since. I also know that once we get home, I will have to pull myself together, so there’s an extra incentive to indulge while it’s still a free for all. So we gave in to the aroma coming from Headies Pizza & Pour and shared “Wookie” and “Redwoods” specialty combo slices, which had, among other things I don’t remember, pepperoni, sausage, and a drizzle of sweet fig sauce. They have different specials every day with gluten free and vegan options. Fabulous.

Me in May: “I’ll do so much hiking and biking and get right back on track with my weight. I’ll buy a scale and count calories and come back from summer in great shape!” Me in Vancouver: “Well, just for this stop, I’ll take a little break. Then I’ll get right back on it. It’ll be fine.” Me right after Vancouver: “Oh. There’s really fun food on Whidbey Island. But I’m sure the food gets less exciting from here on out.” Me every day since then: “Well, I guess July is a cheat month. I’ll weigh myself when we get home. I’m sure the post vacation blues won’t lead to binge eating at all.” Me now: “Well, maybe I’m happier fat.”

Richard got in a lot of hiking in Sue-Meg, but honestly, I did not really walk around the park this time. When he was hiking, I was either doing my morning shower routine, or I was knitting. I’ve gotten to the super complicated heel turn section, and I’m very pleased with the progress. If I can make one sock, I will have conquered a challenge and satisfied my curiosity. It has been really fun so far, but I still need to be careful not to screw up my hands, so I take breaks and stretch diligently. With about a week left, we still have some fun stops before home!

Total miles from Del Norte Mill Creek: 52.5, 16.0 mpg, 3 hours 31 min taking Prairie Creek Redwoods scenic and waiting in day use. Site 70 no hookups. No solar. No cell for Verizon, ok cell for ATT. Cell service inconsistent around campground, especially for Verizon. There is now a free good dump in the park. No need to use rest area dump station.