Eureka! I found it!

I made a repeat trip to Sacramento to help a friend I met on my first house sit, and offered to sit for the family that originally brought me there. Covid caused some travel issues and I found myself with some free time between my Sacramento sits. I booked a last minute short sit in Sebastopol, then took a field trip up north to Eureka. I’m a huge fan of big beautiful trees, gorgeous old victorian houses, and craft beer so this was a field trip for the ages. I didn’t do much research, just asked for recommendations everywhere I went and I had the time of my life.

I never intended to go to Sacramento on this adventure of mine, so a second visit was a complete surprise. You can read about my field trips to Fort Bragg, Mendocino, Napa, San Francisco, Berkley, San Jose, and Folsom. Somehow this second sit further cemented my passion for this area. There is SO much to see and do within a few hours drive, and I had a marvelous time everywhere I went.

I found a couple new gems this time. Dozens of fabulous murals, pretty painted ladies, and some fantastic beer. Alaro and Field Work had impressive brews and food, and I was impressed all over again with my trips to New Helvetia and Big Stump. I finally made it to Drake’s Barn, and while the beer didn’t blow me away, the space really did. It’s a fantastic place to hang out by the river and the famous golden bridge.

It was all weekdays in Sebastopol, so I didn’t do a whole lot of exploring. I walked to the epic Grateful Bagel with my sweet new four legged friend and checked out a couple of breweries in The Barlow market. Modeled after the famed Napa Oxbow Market, and similar to Chelsea Market and Ponce City Market, this is an awesome hub for food and fun and right down the hill from the charming house I was looking after. Golden State Cider was a serious hidden gem, and I thoroughly enjoyed Seismic Brewing too.

I’ve said it before, I’ll say it again. Breweries are the best way to meet new people, and get fantastic local recommendations. I was told that I couldn’t leave the area without a visit to Bodega Bay, and that I should use my days off to go explore Eureka. I coudn’t be more grateful for their suggestions, because I absolutely loved both places. I was flipping through this beautiful Pacific Coasting book and realized that the beautiful school house that captured my heart was featured in Alfred Hitchcock’s The Birds. My dinner at Spud Point Crab Company did not disappoint, they are not kidding about their world famous chowder.

On my first sit in Sacramento, I got sucked into the Chef Show, saw an episode featuring Hog Island Oysters, and hauled buns back to Napa to give them a try. I was pretty disappointed that the grilled oysters they were famous for weren’t in stock. Imagine my surprise when my evening drive to Point Reyes took me right by the operations and market for Hog Island Oysters. Of course it was a weekday, so their cafe wasn’t open, but I did stop at the very next restaurant down the road and learned that THEY served up the famed mollusks. Tony’s Seafood will be a tough meal to top. I wasn’t planning to spend $60 on lunch- but 4 raw Hog Island Oysters, a sampler of their grilled ones (including the famed Chipotle Bourbon), and a cup of their chowder were pretty much magical. Mike, my incredibly helpful waiter, gave me excellent suggestions for sightseeing and I had a wonderful day meandering out to the light house. I drove past the ridiculously gorgeous cypress tunnel, and absolutely plan a return trip to this area when I housesit in Novato next month.

I booked my first trip to Sacramento with one mission: to visit the Chandelier Tree in Leggett, CA. It was so far north, I couldn’t spend much time exploring before getting back to the dogs, but I made brief stops in Fort Bragg and Sea Glass Beach. This time, I wanted to go all the way up the Avenue of the Giants to see all of the big beautiful trees. I stopped to explore the Shrine Drive Thru Tree, and enjoyed the gorgeous groves of giants. If you feel like an Ewok is about to jump out at you, you aren’t far off. Star Wars’ enchanting Endor was built here.

I made it to Eureka around dark, and stopped at a couple of recommended breweries and asked for suggestions. Redwood Curtain Brewery and Lost Coast absolutely lived up to their hype. One of the beertenders was hanging out with his girlfriend outside and they were drinking a beer they called “Fruity Pebbles” a splash of each of their fruity wheat beers. I am not kidding when I say that I will dream about this beer concoction until my dying day. I stopped for another one on my way out of town, and my favorite beer tender was heading out to lead a tour. He told the other beer tender what I needed and the entire tour requested that they have one waiting for them upon completion. No one left disappointed.

The gentleman beside me at Redwood Curtain was a fount of helpful information, my dinner from the South G food truck next door was the best truck food I’ve had in years. That’s high praise from an Austinite.

I crashed at a cheap motel and got up early to see the sunrise at Trinidad Beach per my recommendations. I watched the sun rise over the fishing boats on a beautiful bay and marveled at the magic of this life I’m living. I am so grateful for each and every day of this adventure, and sights like this make all of the stress and uncertainty worth it.

Arcata is a cute little town near Eureka, and I had a badass breakfast at the Big Blue Cafe before stalking more Victorians. The Bair-Stokes House is breathtaking, and a quick walk around the block didn’t disappoint at all. Dozens of the most beautifully restored victorian mansions and gorgeous gardens.

I saw a billboard on the highway for the Holly Yashi flagship store. I discovered their beautiful baubles at the Hearst Mansion several years ago, and have been gifting it to my mom for years. It’s worth a stop if you need a good gift.

Eureka is charming and very easy to navigate. The Carson Mansion (now the private Ingomar Club) is what drew me to the area, and the priceless Pinc Lady across the street was equally precious. Take a drive through town and you’ll see more Victorians than you can shake a fist at. I stopped at the Clarke Museum and flipped through a book on all of the historical homes in the area. I dropped all the ones that jumped out at me on my google map and just did a little drive by tour of my own. Hillsdale was a highlight for me, I would have happily moved into any of the houses on that street.

I fell in love with the Pacific Coasting book at the perfect Powell Bookstore in Portland, but I put a moratorium on buying physical books as I live out of a single suitcase. Imagine my surprise when I picked it up again at Eureka Books, and flipped right to the page illustrating the store I was standing in. It felt like a sign and I broke my rules to pick it up. It wound up coming in handy for myself and my hosts in Sacramento, so I regret nothing. I got them to make change so I could get a Zoltar fortune and continued on with a fantastic day. Eureka Books is great, but Bookleggers was pretty special too. All of the shops on the square are cute and worth a quick visit, but the Land of Lovely is curated straight from my dreams. It’s a must visit for all things lovely. As a massive fan of Hatch Show Prints, letterpress, and fonts, I was instantly enamored with Just My Type. I learned so much from the staff and my eyes were delighted by the art they are producing.

When searching victorians in the area, I was told that Ferndale was a must see. Known as the Historic Heart of the Redwoods, this was the most petite punch of beautiful I’ve found in California. It’s a tiny town, but the Victorian Village will capture your heart forever. I mapped myself to the Gingerbread Mansion, but just drove up and down the main street in awe of the beauty around me. This was the dreamiest destination my inner child could have imagined. Not much was open when I arrived just before dark, but it was absolutely worth a detour. So was my dinner break at Eel River Brewery. Their flight was one of everything on tap and it was not for the faint of heart, and the food was by far the best I had on my weekend adventure.

It was a somewhat scary drive down Highway One after dark, but I wanted to wake up in Fort Bragg so that I could check out the Sea Glass Museum that was closed on my last visit. The museum was a serious let down, but the sunrise scenic drive I took back up Highway One certainly did not. I love this stretch of coast, the beautiful trees, the scent of salt and cypress in the air, and the quirky things to see along the way make me so happy. I will definitely come back to this area, and the Skunk Train is on my list.

I had one last day in the Bay, and I decided to head to San Francisco. I stopped at the incredible Ginger Elizabeth Patisserie for my beloved Everything Bagel Croissant with scallion cream cheese and enjoyed it at Golden Gate Bridge Park. Then I headed over to the Legion of Honor Museum to see their impressive collection of Rodin and Monet. It was my first time at that museum, and it was GORGEOUS. You can’t visit San Francisco without a trip to the Full House house and the painted ladies of Alamo Square. I made my first trip to the Filbert Steps at Telegraph Hill and went looking for the infamous parrots. Its a beautiful walk up the hill to the Coit Tower.

It was a really random, rapid fire, hodge podged trip, but I had a marvelous time. I really thought I would be moving to NYC or LA, but something keeps calling me back to the bay. I’m really looking forward to my April sit outside San Francisco. There is magic “Everywhere You Look.” #RIPBOBSAGET