Heading South Along the Pacific Coast

Day 10: South Beach State Park to Super 8 in Fortuna, CA

Woke up early at the State Park and headed out on my continued journey down the coast. It was still dark out, but 0430-0500 seems to be my wake up time. I'm a sunrise kinda gal, so Jasper & I set out to find a great Vista to see what sunrise is like on the west coast.

Our first stop ended up being the Hecetate lighthouse. The sign at the park said it opens at 0600. We were there at 0548, I figured we were pretty safe. Unfortunately, the bathrooms had NOT been unlocked yet. So, we grabbed some photos, didn't walk to the lighthouse due to heavy rain, and continued on our way.

We slowly made our way down the coast, stopping for lighthouses, a short hike around Marie Lake, Vista points and breaks every so often. The rain kept things short & quick and in motion. 

Part way through the day, we made it to Coos Bay, home of Pre Fontaine.

It wasn't raining too bad, so we got out, walked the boardwalk and a small portion of town. I was waiting for the visitor center to open in hopes of them having a collector spoon. When I walked by and looked in the windows, it looked like only information, no souvenirs. So, back in the car with hopes of hitting a truck stop along the coast before California.

Back in the car and on the road, we stopped at a lighthouse before finding Prehistoric Gardens. Now, anyone who knows me, knows I cannot avoid dinosaur attractions. So, of course, I paid $12 to walk quickly through the exhibit, while Jasper hung out in the car waiting for me. It was cheesy and yet interesting at the same time.

Showing the plants in relation to the dinosaurs in the area during various eras. Dinosaurs had signs telling how to say their name and a little bit about them. It was a wetter version of Moab Giants. 

It was not a far drive from there to California. We finally returned to a state where we could pump our own gas. The original plan was to stay in Crescent City area for the night, but got there relatively early, so we pushed on after visiting another lighthouse, getting a photo of the cool firehouse for my nephew,

letting Jasper figure out the ocean again; this time there were waves, and stopping at Woof Bakery to get Jasper treats. 

Around Eureka, CA, we happened across Trees of Mystery, and stopped briefly for a photo of Paul Bunyan and Babe, the blue ox. 

We did not get a chance to tour the trees due to not being dog friendly, but it looked beat. Maybe in the future I will make it back there without Jasper. It was very beautiful to drive through the trees to get to Fortuna, CA, where we got a hotel room for the night. 

Despite getting in to the hotel about 1700, Jasper and I were exhausted to the point of not moving from the bed until the morning. I was right next door to Eel River Brewing, looked at the menu multiple times with the thought of ordering takeout, but still could not get myself to go get dinner. Instead, I grabbed a couple macaroni & cheese microwave meals for dinner and continued watching Failure to Launch on HBO.