Redwood Coast Offers a Cool, Secluded Getaway

Few destinations in the world offer visitors the chance to sit seaside for breakfast, cruise through a car show at lunch and relax in the redwoods for dinner—all in the same day. California's Humboldt County is one of them.

Known as the Redwood Coast, Humboldt County offers a convenient and cool escape from the bustling Bay Area or sun-scorched Sacramento and San Joaquin Valleys. The journey itself provides a scenic opportunity to enjoy motoring in your vehicle as you careen along curving roads abutting the coast.

"Just driving here takes you through some of the prettiest and wildest countryside in America," said Tony Smithers, Humboldt County executive director. "Hwy 101 goes through thick coastal redwood groves, skirts near the Lost Coast and bends around big lagoons. Motorists often spot herds of Roosevelt Elk, too."

The riches of Humboldt County lay fallow until the California Gold Rush. Exploration parties fanned out in along the Redwood Coast in 1850 when the shiny metal was discovered along inland rivers of Trinity County. Miners used the Humboldt coast as a stopover for inland travel.

Towns such as the original Klamath City sprang up in 1850 to handle an influx of wide-eyed entrepreneurs. It was poorly located on shifting sandbars at the mouth of the Klamath River and did not establish permanent residency.

Those settlements dissipated like coastal fog as the harsh realities of a miner's life sank their dreams. Grubstakers with a few coins left in their pockets stayed behind to build a community based on tourism and logging.

When the horseless carriage appeared on America's frontier, the Redwood Coast became an adventurous getaway. A San Francisco clergyman traveling in the early 1900s waxed poetic, "A ride over this road in an automobile is a rare and exciting experience, disclosing picture after picture of natural magnificence, colored with nature's own brush, dipped in a magical combination of atmospheric effect of light and shade."

Today, the Humboldt County offers a variety of activities and destinations. Among them:

Dell 'Arte Mad River Festival

1st Avenue & H Streets, Blue Lake

For the past 16 years the festival has brought together giant puppets, masked dancers and old world actors. They hail from the Dell'Arte International School of Physical Theater, which has trained Cirque du Soleil clowns.

For more information: http://www.dellarte.com

AutoXpo

Fortuna Redwood

The three-day event features a variety of hot cars, crafts fair and swap meet. Visitors can participate in an antique vehicle parade, poker run through the county and "burnout contest" for rubber-squealers.

For more information: http://www.redwoodautoxpo.com

Blues by the Bay

Halvorsen Park in Eureka (Waterfront Drive at L Street)

This outdoor blues festival on the waterfront features renowned international artists including Canned Heat, Big Brother and the Holding Company, Big Mo, Zach Harmon, Corey Harris, David Jacobs-Strain, Elvin Bishop, Sista Monica, Charlie Musselwhite, Guitar Shorty, Reno Jones and J.C. Smith.

For more information: http://www.bluesbythebay.org

Humboldt County Fair

Humboldt County Fairgrounds, Ferndale

The oldest county fair in California offers 10 days of horseracing, carnival rides, music, art and livestock shows.

For more information: http://www.humboldtcountyfair.org

Cruz'N Eureka Car Show

Eureka

The annual show takes place along the Waterfront in Old Town Eureka. It offers a silent auction, cruise through Old Town Eureka, poker run, dance and swap meet. Proceeds benefit the Make-A-Wish Foundation.

For more information: http://www.redwoodvisitor.org/printrecord.asp?id=2305

General information about Humboldt County and surrounding areas

The Humboldt County Visitors Bureau provides a good landing page to learn more about events, hikes, points of interest and accommodations.

For more information: http://www.redwoodvisitor.org

"From mild pursuits such as scenic driving and hiking, to extreme ones like rock climbing and sea kayaking, there is something for everyone along the Redwood Coast," Smithers said. "When people visit the Redwood Coast, they're often pleasantly surprised by the mildness of our climate. And the weather conditions in the summer are particularly nice."

Article by Jay Alling, editor of Sensible Driver. Write to jay@sensibledriver.com.