The second stop on our trip was about 100 miles south, in the funky city of Eureka, on Humboldt Bay.

We got there by an indirect route: by taking Bald Hills Rd over the coastal range, down the Trinity River valley, then back over the range into Eureka on 299. This route over the range gave us some fantastic views of redwoods, along with the ranchlands along the top of the ridge. Schoolhouse Peak has an interesting fire observation tower which we stopped by.

We ended the day in Eureka, by walking around the funky downtown area. Eureka has a large collection of Victorian homes, and they were colored brightly (and authentically). The crown jewel is the Carson house, built by a local lumber baron, which now houses a private club.

The next day, we went south, through Ferndale to the Lost Coast. This part of the coast is very sparsely populated, with rugged mountains right along the ocean. We traveled along the Mattole Rd to Cape Mendocino (westernmost point in the lower 48), Petrolia, and Honeydew, then crossed back over the King Range mountains by way of Kings Peak Rd to Shelter Cove.

Shelter Cove in the offseason is pretty quiet - it's a small resort town, with a couple of restaurants and a lot of largish houses. The views along the shore are fantastic. As an oddity, the most recent Cape Mendocino lighthouse was moved from Cape Mendocino, restored, and placed along the shore (without its light) in Shelter Cove. Cape Mendocino is now marked by a light on a pole.

Our last full day in Eureka was overcast, and we started by exploring the Humboldt Bay National Wildlife Refuge and the South Spit of Humboldt Bay. While we were visiting, we ran into a hangglider pilot, who needed a hand with a launch. Unfortunately, the wind wasn't strong enough to provide the needed ridge lift, and his only launch off the top of Table Bluff ended up being a short glide to the sandy spit below.

After a quick bite, we headed up to the picturesque town of Trinidad, which has a beautiful harbor and interesting beach.