Moments in Dirt and Ink

Humboldt Bay National Wildlife Refuge Click for map. The Lanphere and Ma-le'l Dunes are one of three sites that were recently designated as National Natural Landmarks . The designation does not imply that you can actually visit them, and for Lanphere Dunes a visit requires a permit or guided tour. Ma-le'l Dunes are split in two by the nearby gun club with the south section being BLM land that is open daily. The north section is part of the Humboldt Bay National Wildlife Refuge and only open from Friday through Monday. As it was Friday and I had already visited the south section on a geocaching wander , I made my way up the rough road to the parking at the north end. The view from my parking spot over the Mad River Slough. There's a touch of snow at the tops of the mountains from the last storm. I brought Rachel's tall rubber boots along since I've noticed these areas get full of puddles, but then left them and just put on my usual shoes, which turned ou...

Click for map. I probably ought to have visited this little postage stamp sized piece of the state park system. There is no entry fee, but it does only offer a small, rough parking lot, a pair of picnic tables, and a pair of loop trails that don't quite make a mile together. It is suggested that one should visit in April or May, the same suggestion that didn't work out for me so well in visiting the rhododendrons in Prairie Creek Redwoods State Park. (Azaleas are also genus Rhododendron.) I expect June would be better, but I've noticed a few buds on the plants in way too much sunshine, so thought I might as well see it now. It is easy enough to come back. Signs direct traffic to the right road, but the parking itself is only signed at the far end. I picked the trail heading west past the sign to start. There's some nice trees along the way, but past the first big one, I was immediately struck by how much ivy has been allowed to run over the area. It is everywh...

Humboldt County Park Click for map. I stopped at Redwood Fields, which is currently limited to walk ins only, and headed south into the forest toward where there is dedicated parking figuring that's where things would be more developed. I found blockades to keep people from driving the old roads from the parking lot, but nothing against walking. I'm not sure what's so bad about going in at Harris Street. I followed the bike tracks along well used path through what is a rather scruffy looking forest. A few big stumps and a lot of little trees stand back a good way from the old road. It switched to a more normal looking second growth forest, tall and dark and crowded. There's a lot of twigs and not much undergrowth. I stayed high when there was an option, continuing south. I got off the line on the map under some power lines. The trail I was on seemed well used, but in less than a quarter mile, I intersected one that was getting a lot more use. I probably sho...

Northcoast Regional Land Trust Click for map. I set out to hike the McKay Community Forest , some 1000 acres the City of Eureka purchased in 2014, but found the sign at the entry on Harris (at the north end) to state in no uncertain terms that I wasn't to enter. "Appropriate access points and trails have not been developed." The first trails are scheduled to open in "early 2019." The 2019 was clearly edited since the sign went up. A final trail plan was released December 2020. There also seems to have been dedicated parking area constructed in 2018, so maybe I just have to try in different areas. I decided to go see what the land trust has to offer just down the road. At the east end of parking for at least a dozen cars, the trail starts with information signs. The Northcoast Regional Land Trust ranges all across Humboldt County and into the neighboring counties, but this seems to be the only property set up for regular public access. Most of their ...

 No, not underwear, although I did finally go ahead and buy some that weren't cotton two years ago. (Seriously, that little bit of cloth wasn't going to ever cause me to freeze to death. When I did finally get some nylon, they still came in a colorful multipack.) This is actually going to be about something that takes a lot more to get past my Puritan ancestry to talk about, but the taboo really doesn't have any logical support and the consequences of it reach into the comfort and health of a large portion of the population. This will be about female urinary devices and menstrual cups. The fellas can end reading here, but you might learn something that helps out a friend later. The women who have already sorted out something they're comfortable with probably won't find new information here. Female urinary devices There is a better way. There seems to be a large number who will tell you, "Just pull down your pants! It's easy!" There is a better way....

Eureka City Park Click for map. After wandering the grounds of Fort Humboldt , I decided to wander the grounds of the local cemetery as well. It is only a couple blocks from the fort, but it is not the oldest cemetery. For that, I should have found my way into the cemetery beside Cooper Gulch, which is Myrtle Grove Cemetery from 1861. I think. Ocean View dates back to 1892. Both are designated city parks. (Again, I think. Unlike nearby Sunset Memorial Park, it is marked as as "parks and open spaces" on the city's map of the proposed Bay to Zoo Trail, but is often included with Sunset Memorial Park, which is private, in various listings. It does say "incorporated in 1892" by the closed gate at Iowa Street.) I seem to have arrived at the back door by going for the north side. One gate was closed and backed by construction workers, but another to the west leaves room to walk around. People who drove in were using an entry on the south side. Like the fort, t...

Fort Humboldt State Historic Park Click for map. Being both free to visit and over half covered with a lawn, the old fort is to some extent just another city park, but with better direction signs on the road and historic exhibits around the edges. There's also a few museum areas, but they weren't open, so I probably got to experience less than half of what the State Historic Park really has to offer. Lots of picnic tables making this a prime place for a lunch stop with many added featurs. I headed out of the parking lot past the administrative offices (the North Coast Redwoods District office is also there) to some exhibits at the north end of the park to find they're not actually about the fort at all. They are all about area logging. Passing by one of two "tractors" for moving giant trees around. The trail crosses tracks that come out of either side of a barn and the barn holds a couple of old engines. They're a bit hard to see in the barns...

Eureka City Trails Click for map. Sequoia Park is mostly a park of redwoods (Sequoia sempervirens) with a faint whiff of old growth. Along one side is the one of the smallest accredited zoos in the country and the oldest in California. (It's $10 for adults, but you can "borrow" a pass for a family of four with a local library card. I thought it looked closed, but their web site says open.) I found parking near the slightly busy playground in the southeast corner of the park and crossed to be under the trees. It's a forest with a little different feel from the others I've been in. First view down into the trees is Sequoia Park. The ferns are a little thin. By the playground, the undergrowth is very thin. Stomped undergrowth seems pretty common near playgrounds, though. I chose a trail and started along it, but didn't get very far before finding a "road closed ahead" sign. There was also a sign explaining the construction of a "canopy...

Eureka City Trails Click for map. This is another part with both the developed areas one might find in a park and some large natural areas. I started beside the skate park and ball fields at the only large parking area. The city map I found of trails indicates there should be one along the creek from Myrtle to 14th Street with plans to extend it south to Del Norte Street. I didn't find this bit of trail. I did manage a mildly wild loop around the ball fields and even encountered a fanciful creature. It's a park, but with thick wild edges. The skate park area was getting heavy use, but nearly no one on the grass and those only briefly. I headed out between the fields and skate park toward a bridge. When I found a trail on the way, I followed it. That bridge, there. A bridge over Cooper Creek into wilder areas. I found a frisbee golf "hole" on the far side. There is a 9 hole course. If you want to try it out, there are often a few frisbees that went as...

 Cooper Gulch Park , Eureka City Park: Jan 5  Sequoia Park , Eureka City Park: Jan 5  Fort Humboldt State Historic Park : Jan 8  Ocean View Cemetery , Eureka City Park: Jan 8