The view at Point Cabrillo.




The pool I went swimming in on the Durphy Creek Trail.

I decided to stay in Eureka, and though I chose a Quality Inn, the neighborhood was suspicious, with a lot of homeless people passing by. I remembered my talk with Mark Wells about Portland and the homeless and crime problems, but Eureka seemed pretty sad. I didn’t venture far from the motel.
On Thursday, I knew I was going to visit Richardson Grove State Park and hike the Durphy Creek trail and I accomplished that. There was a place to stop 4 tenths of a mile in, with access to Durphy Creek and there I took a quick dip in a delightful, icy pool.
After my hike I decided to head down Route 1 toward Westport to see the coast since I was not going to drive to San Diego. That 22 mile stretch is not something you want to do after a cup of coffee and the endless curves had me queasy by the time I was half way through. I knew the coast might be fogged in so when I got a few miles from the coast, it was no surprise that I lost the sunlight.
When I reached the coast, it was stunning with a low cloud cover but I was a little concerned with getting gas since I didn’t have much extra, though I knew there was gas in Westport, according to one of the road signs. Unfortunately, the pump at the store there stopped working just as I got there and I had to drive to Fort Bragg to get gas. I did use my extra gas on top so that really came in handy. Even with the extra gas I did drive to Fort Bragg with just a couple of quick stops to view the coastal terrain. I wanted to make sure gas was available there.
After Fort Bragg, I knew I needed some exercise so I stopped at Point Cabrillo Lighthouse and walked the half mile out to it, chatting with a young family part of the way, and even working my way down the rocky shore close to the water. It was a stunning area, with a cold wind to keep me moving.
After that I stopped to camp at the state park in Little River, and had a fine dinner at the Little River Inn, going of my bland diet a bit but enjoying every bite.