Yea, the sun is here again! There were two herds of elk along the side of the road as we left camp this morning. We had breakfast at the Palm Cafe in Orick, a place with a poplulation of 650. Before leaving town we stopped at the hardware store - more like a combination of everything. They didn't have what we wanted but we talked with the store owner a while. He was a really nice guy and told us a lot about the town. Seems there is quite a bit of marijuana grown here. When I asked if it was for medical purposes... he just laughed.
Leaving Orick we went south on Rte 101 to the tiny, picture-perfect town of Trinidad. What a cute little place. We drove through town and past storybook beach cottages with fantastic gardens. The Azaleas and Rhoddys were starting to bloom. Following the road down to the harbor we got out of the car and checked out the fishing boats. The wind was whipping across the beach and it was really cold so we hopped back in the car. Trinidad sits up on a bluff so we left the beach and drove up to the overlook to see the Trinidad Memorial Lighthouse. This is a replica of the original lighthouse and is still in use today. Unfortunately we missed the tolling of the fog bell at noon in memory of lost sailors. Next to the lighthouse is a little park which had benches so we sat and enjoyed the view and the sun.
Back in the car we drove up Rte 101 N to Patricks Point State Park. We went to the Visitor Center and got the layout of the park and then we headed down a forest path to the Sumeg Village. In the 1800's, the Yurok people had permanent village sites north and south of Patricks Point. They used the current park area as a seasonal encampment. The Yurok were a "water " people whose lives and villages were centerd around rivers and the sea. In the fall of 1990 an all-Yurok group constructed the Yurok Village of Sumeg. By building this village they wanted to preserve and carry on the traditions of their lifestyle. The Sumeg Village consists of family houses, dance pit, changing house, a redwood canoe and a sweat house. The family houses were built of redwood planks taken from fallen logs. Curved planks were placed on the roof to allow rain to drain off. The entire plank structure was lashed together using hazel saplings which they made pliable by heating them in a fire. The intense heat burst the saplings into fibers which they soaked and twisted into rope. The houses had two levels. The lower level had a fire burning pit which burned continuously for heat and the women and children slept here. The upper level had a broad ledge for storing food and the family's wealth.The houses were used for protection. The small round door kept out intruders and bears. The sizes and shape of the doors allowed women to easily defend the houses with burning sticks from the fire. Today the Yurok people and neighboring tribes use the village to teach their youth and share their history and traditions with the public.
We'll spend most of the day in the park today. We left the village and our next stop was Agate Beach. We parked and walked the short, steep trail with switchbacks that dropped us 100 feet down to the beach below. We climbed over rocks that slid off the cliff at the bottom of the trail and walked the black sand beach with cliffs at our back and pounding surf in front. We found a stream that ran down from the cliffs above, through rocks, and across the sand. This was a perfect spot to find agates. The beach is known to be a good place to hunt for the wave-polished semi-precious stones. We hunted for a while and found some nice rocks. We're not sure they are agates though.
After climbing back up the trail we drove to Wedding Rock. The trail from the parking lot led out to a bluff which flattend out looking out over the rocks and the ocean below. There were steps that led up to the huge rock which stood in front of us. Ken climbed the stairs to the top where there was a stone landing. Apparently they do wedding ceremonies on this landing with the waves crashing around them.
Next we drove through a different part of the park that wound through a beautiful forest road lined with Douglas Fir. We came out of the forest and the road followed the ridge of the cliff to Palmers Point. Parking in the overlook we had 180 degree views of the beach and coastline hundreds of feet below. This was the perfect spot for lunch sitting in the sun with a soft breeze blowing. We spent the afternoon reading and planning the Oregon and Washington leg of our trip. Later the wind got stronger and about 4:30pm we headed back to camp.
At home we relaxed with cheese, crackers and wine at camp. It's not crowded tonight. We learned today this is spring break so that's why all the college kids are around. After dinner we had a campfire. Eventually we came in, watched TV and called it a night. We are on the road again tomorrow!
Pictures: Trinidad Lighthouse, Sumeg Village Family House, Trail to Agate Beach, Agate Beach, Wedding Rock Overlook, Wedding Rock Top, Wedding Rock View, Palmer Point View
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