FRIDAY, JANUARY 1, 1999 - MORNING

6:56 Leave home, packed most items last night. Recall Lindsay used the van yesterday.
7:00 Stopped for gas (almost empty).Heading West on Hwy 205 to 580, in the mirrors saw, the sun coming up displaying a clear beautiful day over the San Joaquin Valley.
7:40 Exit Hwy 580 to Hwy 680 North.
8:05 Martinez toll plaza on Hwy 780 West ($2.00)
8:15 Now heading North on Hwy 29.
8:20 McDonalds – rest stop. We continue through beautiful Napa Valley with vineyards and gently rolling hills on each side of the highway. Against the clear blue sky there are several brightly colored hot air balloons drifting over the valley vineyards. It is a clear day with a few light wisps of clouds. Traffic on the road is practically nonexistent.
10:12 Stopped to stretch our legs at the Lucerne boat harbour on the North shore of Clear Lake. They have an unusual pier, made of cement retaining walls filled with earth, it was wide enough to have picnic tables & grills on the grass covering its earthen filling. A brief stretch then continued West on Hwy 20.
10:54 Turned off Hwy 20 onto Hwy 101 North (approximately 190 miles).

AFTERNOON:
12:18 Stopped in Garberville for & a rest (approximately 275 miles). Our original plan was to reach Trinidad this afternoon & work our way down the coast tomorrow. After reading the road signs we thought we could make it all the way to Crescent City. Our destination would be based on what time we reach Trinidad.
1:45 Arrived at TRINIDAD MEMORIAL Lighthouse! Beautiful day with surprisingly clear, cool weather. The Memorial Light is a very simple replica of the original light and houses the original lens. The original fog bell sits next to the replica and there are plaques honoring those lost at sea. We drove to a small parking lot at the end of the street hoping to see the original tower before leaving for Crescent City but, didn’t see the trail mentioned in our book. Booked a room at a Trinidad “lodge” hoping to see Battery Point before dark (and hopefully at low tide). The lodge owner said the parking lot we just left was actually at the start of the trail to Trinidad Head, it just wasn’t well marked.
2:20 Left the lodge heading North on Hwy 101. Ate our lunch in the car while driving.
3:30 Arrived Crescent City/BATTERY POINT Lighthouse!!! Ran from the car to the edge of the parking lot checking the tide. Low tide, we could walk to the lighthouse! Tours of the house were discontinued for the season however; we could walk around the grounds. They did a great job decorating with Christmas lights and there was a wonderful view from the edge of the cliff. We decided to see how much (if any) of St George we could see and left Battery Point.
4:15 St George Point. We walked to the edge of the cliff and could just see ST GEORGE Lighthouse in the distance. A resident said it was the lowest tide ever, we walked out on the rocks for a better view of St George.
Drove to Battery Point for night pictures. The photos were blurred because we didn’t have the camera on the tripod for the long shutter opening (we are amateurs). A beautiful night, full moon over the bay and white lights framing the lighthouse. Grabbed a meal at Kings Pizza in Crescent City, excellent pizza and a cozy booth in front of the fireplace.
8:15 Got to our room and turned on the HEAT. It had not been turned on and the temperature was 50 inside and out! Went back to the van for a drive and to warm up.
8:20 Took pictures of Trinidad Head Memorial Lighthouse, it was dark and very cold. We returned to the room to find it had warmed “some”. After a shower I jumped in bed to keep warm only to find the sheets suffered from severe pilling (small bumps of worn fabric).

SATURDAY, JANUARY 2, 1999 - MORNING

Shower & coffee, also rubbed lotion in the raw spots left by our very crisp sheets. (Fabric softener was NOT a staple at that resort.)
8:41 Left for the Trinidad Head trail. The trail started in the parking lot we searched the night before, now armed with local flyers we didn’t need a trail starts here sign. Nice wide trail part of which was the driveway to the Coast Guard station. Two books mentioned the trail and one said “Hiking trails lead to an overlook with a view of the old lighthouse.” We went to he most obvious spot on the trial headed for the cliff & soon determined it was not a path. Went further down the trail to another cliff and tried to get to the edge to see the lighthouse, no luck. Hiked to a large rock over looking the bay, surely this would give us a great view, no luck. After looking at the map we went back to our first trial stop and ventured out into what may at one time, been a path. After seeing the roof of what was an old water tower there was no stopping us. We kept getting tangled in what may have been raspberry bushes although we heard about poison oak on California trails (didn't have it where we grew up) but didn’t know what we were climbing through. FINALLY Jody spotted the top of TRINIDAD HEAD Lighthouse! Being about a foot shorter, I had to do some vertical jumping (Michael Jordan would be proud) and saw part of the light room and top 3 ft of the tower. (I asked Jody to put me on his shoulders but he declined, and gave some excuse about standing on loose brush on the edge of a cliff!) Still, mission accomplished! We saw the original light from the trail (or 30 ft off it). The brush was about 10 ft tall & I would recommend it only to a “wacko”.
10:20 Left Trinidad, heading South on Hwy 101 for Eureka.
PS Poison Oak does look very much like a wild raspberry bush.
10:25 Viewed Trinidad Head from a Hwy 101 exit (Crannel Rd) just South of Trinidad. With binoculars you could see the light station, it was very well maintained. MUCH better view but not near the adventure of viewing from the trail!
10:45 TABLE BLUFF Light in the Eureka Marina parking lot. It is the square tower from the original Victorian style lighthouse.
Went to the local Harbour Lights dealer and purchased Cape Lookout and a locally made replica of Trinidad Head. As luck would have it, the shop owner was a member of St. George Reef Lighthouse Preservation Society (SGRLPS) and he asked if we were interested in joining to do work on St George. The answer was an immediate yes. We can’t wait to get notified when weather is able to accommodate a helicopter flight so we can work on the light

AFTERNOON:
12:30 Left Eureka headed South on Hwy 101.
12:45 Quick stop at the Humbolt County fairgrounds in Ferndale to see the CAPE MEMDOCINO Lighthouse replica (used as a ticket booth). The replica does display the original first-order lens.
12:56 Left Ferndale turned South on a road that had a wrought iron arch with Capetown and Petrolia written on it but no road sign. (Our guidebook told us to turn on to Cape Mendocino Road and the map showed only a Mattole Road. It didn’t matter since there was not a road sign to be found.) Since Punta Gorda was just out of Petrolia, we ventured South on the VERY steep twisting road. After 12 miles still no road signs but some fantastic scenery. Our rationale was that the land was so beautiful along this road, it had to lead to a lighthouse!
1:47 Stopped to look at large rock formations in the ocean and fields. On the bluff behind us there was a flash of light. After checking the map and reference book we realized we could see (just barely) the NEW CAPE MENDOCINO Light, what a great surprise. After 30 miles and our brief stop we continued South on the “road with no name” or road signs. The road sign, “Petrolia 4 Miles” was a very welcome sight, finally certain we were on the right road.
2:18 Parked at the start of the PUNTA GORDA Lighthouse trail. The information board informed us the trail was about 7 miles roundtrip over loose sand and hikers should allow 4-5 hours for the trip. Oh yes, part of the trail was not accessible at high tide so be certain to check local tide tables. We didn’t have a tide table, there were about 3 hours of sunlight, and we would probably not take that convoluted road again for years. Based on those factors, we started our hike.
The trial was over a sandy beach area and very tiring but we kept a rapid pace in hopes of getting to the lighthouse and back before dark. We asked each person we met (there weren’t many) three questions. Have you been to the lighthouse? How much farther to go? Does the trail get any better? In our race against sunset, we hiked over sand, rocks, and even a small creek it was tiring but exhilarating at the same time.
3:45 Arrived at PUNTA GORDA Lighthouse. We met some young backpackers at the light but they left right away muttering something about the tide . . . We had total solitude, just us and what was now our lighthouse. We became the keepers of Punta Gorda. The lighthouse was empty but the building was recently restored. We climbed the spiral stair to the lantern room and around the outside on the metal catwalk. Having a lighthouse to ourselves was a rare treat and we took advantage of our time of solitude. We walked to the restored oil building and what remained of other buildings; one we believe had been the keepers house. One the beach was what remained of a large rusting light buoy that was originally intended to replace the lighthouse.
4:15 Left Punta Gorda heading for the parking lot, walking back we noticed the trail was on firmer ground and easier to walk on closer to the hills. A surprisingly warm breeze drifted in from the ocean, it felt like a warm summer night. Our only concern as it got darker was to find our way across the sand to the parking lot.
5:56 We left the parking lot (610 miles) heading back to the mystery road that should loop back to Hwy 101. It was dark, the fog was settling in and there were deer in the woods on either side of the road. It looked like it would be a slow drive back. When we reached the entrance to Rockefeller Forest State Park our trip mileage was 638 miles.
7:31 Finally reached Hwy 101 with trip mileage of 642.5 miles. It took us 1hr 35 min to drive the 32 miles from the lighthouse to Hwy 101. The highway felt great until the fog hit. The miles, the fog, the hikes all started to take their toll and we decided not to go home. We would head toward Fort Bragg to see Point Cabrillo in the morning. Fog getting heavier and we started looking for cities that might have lodging. We saw motel signs as we passed the Garberville exit but wanted to get further South before stopping. Lggett only 15 miles ahead located at the divergence of Hwy 101 and Hwy 1, it sounded like a good place to stop for the night. When we reached Leggett and saw Population 10 (TEN) we were crushed and had no option other than continuing on. Our new priority was to find a real motel from a national chain (nothing rustic like the night before) and get some much-needed sleep!
Continued south on Hwy 1 up, down, and around 10-15 mph curves while watching for the reflection of deer eyes and a welcoming motel. Small towns offered little and we were gun shy after last nights stay. We counted 8 cars on the first 40 miles of Hwy 1; when the count jumped up to 21 cars at 50 miles, we knew we were close to civilization.
9:45 Arrived at Fort Bragg and were drawn like moths to the big yellow Comfort Inn sign. SALVATION! I would take any room with soft sheet and on the first floor. Got a room with a white water view then dumped our bags and heading for a hot meal and a liquor store. On our return we opened the blinds on the 8-ft window and relaxed watching the full-moon shine on the ocean waves outside. Life is good.

SUNDAY JANUARY 3, 1999 - MORNING

7:45 Woke and maneuvered my way to the window closing the blinds to block out the joggers on the bike path beyond our deck. We opened the back door and had breakfast by the window listening to the waves breaking against the cliffs outside. A walk out back revealed the land behind the motel was a reserve and the path was part of the Pacific Coast Bike trail.
11:30 Left the motel searching for the local Harbour Lights store where we purchased Bodie.
12:10 Left Fort Bragg headed South on Hwy 1.
12:25 POINT CABRILLO parking lot. Took the trail from the North side of the lot towards the shore; it was unpaved with grass growing close along the edge. The lighthouse was being renovated and a fence had been placed about 150 ft before the lighthouse. The lens and lens room had been removed leaving the structure looking some what decapitated. Renovation of the out buildings, including the oil building, was complete and they looked great! The lens room was sitting on the lawn East of the main. As we headed to the parking we passed 3 well-maintained 2-story homes (we assume old keeper houses); two of the homes appeared to be occupied.
1:10 Left the parking lot, turned left onto Point Cabrillo Drive, then North on Hwy 1.

AFTERNOON:
1:20 Turned off Hwy 1, East on Hwy 20 (754 miles). Traveled on Hwy 20 a twisty road through the hills (but, much more enjoyable than Hwy 1) until we reached Willits. There we stopped for a quick hamburger and continued until we reached Hwy 101 where we headed South. Just South of Novato we turned West from Hwy 101 on to Hwy 37. Just out of Vallejo, a short jaunt South on Hwy 80 took us to Hwy 780 where we headed East until we joined Hwy 680 South and we started feel more at home. Just 27 miles later we were East bound on Hwy 580, where another 27 miles took us to Hwy 205, now we were only 5 miles from home.
5:20 Home Sweet Home (975 miles)

My apologies for the length, I cut it down from 5 pages of our home journal.

Well Done, Polly!!

Brought back memories of a trip in Jan 97 we took from San Francisco north to Astoria OR. I thought we had seen every lighthouse along the way, but I wasn't aware of some you got to see or visit. Thanks for sharing your well-written journal. When will the pictures be available?

John

What a great way to start the year!

Thank you Polly, for sharing your trip with us. It is very enjoyable to read about the adventures other people have when they go "on the hunt".

-Todd

Thanks Polly, I really enjoyed your journal. I'm really looking forward to seeing the photos. I hope that I get to retrace your path someday!

Very interesting journal/post Polly. Thanks for sharing it with us. Mary Jane and I hope to do that area of the country someday. You did a great job for covering so many miles.

Ron