June 4-5, 2024 | Photo Album
Crescent City is on the Pacific coast of far northern California, less than 20 miles from the border with Oregon. It was incorporated in 1854 as a county seat and is the only incorporated city in Del Norte County. Named for the crescent-shaped stretch of sandy beach south of it, the city’s population in 2020 was 6,673.
That population includes over 1,700 inmates at Pelican Bay State Prison. The city is the headquarters for Redwood National Park, and its harbor is home for commercial fishing vessels. A pretty feature that I remembered from my visit in 2006 is the Battery Point Light.
Once we exited the redwoods along Howland Hill Road, I drove directly to a parking area west of downtown a bit north of the Battery Point Light.
We had a panoramic view of the Pacific Ocean.
I then drove to park by the Light and the B Street Pier, which was finished in 1989, replacing an earlier pier that was burned. The lighthouse was constructed in 1856 as one of the first on the California coast and the eleventh on the entire Pacific coast. The lighthouse was automated in 1953.
The Light was closed, but we walked out on the pier, enjoying the seabirds perched on the poles.
I loved the harbor sounds at the end of the pier, including the foghorn which is a different one than was here on my prior visit in 2006.
The foghorn device is on a 50-foot tower with a housing and baffles to muffle the sound blast toward the city. It sounds every 10 seconds and helps mariners on a coastline known for heavy fog. Listening to the sounds of the harbor reminded me of a sound effects record my parents had back in the 1960s.
Wendy had picked out Good Harvest Cafe near the Lighthouse Inn, where we would be staying the night, as a likely spot for lunch. However, they were understaffed, and we gave up on getting a seat. I drove to a restaurant I had noticed on our drive, SeaQuake Brewing. There we enjoyed prompt and courteous service. Wendy had tasty grilled shrimp tacos, and I enjoyed fresh Pacific rockfish and fries.
Then we checked into the Lighthouse Inn. It was okay, although it was the least glamorous of all of the places we stayed at on the vacation. We ventured back out to the harbor, where I parked on Anchor Way. On one side was the harbor, with sea lions lounging on floating piers.
On the other side was open ocean, with a few wanna-be surfers at the northern end of Crescent Beach.
I drove Wendy around to a thrift store at the harbor. I was a bit concerned when I saw three cats scurry inside as she entered, and she soon exited, reporting that the place was filthy with cats everywhere and the distinctive odor of their urine was overwhelming. We love cats, but we aren’t crazy.
We had dinner at the local Denny’s, and we drove back out to the harbor at sunset. I decided to brave only the very first part of the jetty, which extends way out but is dangerous because rogue waves can and have swept people away.
The jetty had over 3,500 25-ton concrete tetrapods installed after 1954 to shore it up, but they couldn’t withstand the ocean bombardment. So in 1974 they started adding 768 42-ton dolosse. One sees dolosse here and there in the city so that folks can examine them without having to walk out on the dangerous jetty.
The cold wind off the harbor was too much for Wendy, who sheltered in the SUV. She decided she should purchase a jacket, as nothing she had brought was warm enough for the cold and windy coast, but the local Wal-Mart was closing as we pulled in at almost 9 p.m.
So the next morning, when it was still quite foggy, we tried the Wal-Mart, Tractor Supply Company, and Big 5 Sporting Goods, but none had a suitable jacket. So I drove her up the coast about 20 miles to Brookings, Oregon where there was a Fred Meyer store.
We had encountered those in Oregon on our honeymoon, shopping at one in Astoria. Fred Meyer began selling coffee from a horse-drawn cart at farms and lumber camps in Oregon in the early 20th century. In 1922, he opened his first store in Portland, which operated on a one-stop principle with meat, produce, cheese, and other goods. His stores grew ever more expansive and comprehensive, and now average 150,000 square feet with over 225,000 items. They have groceries, health and beauty supplies, clothing, home products, electronics, and more, in an environment that is more upscale. and pricier, than Wal-Mart.
Wendy found a jacket she liked at the store in Brookings, and the helpful cashier gave her a price break on it despite us not having Fred Meyer cards. We had a lousy lunch at a nearby Mexican restaurant, walking off the experience at Azalea Park.
Then we drove south back down the coast on Highway 101 through Crescent City and beyond. We stopped at Wilson Creek Beach about 10 miles south of Crescent City, where Wendy again posed her Barbie.
I shot some video of the forbidding ocean.
From there it was a short drive to the Newton B. Drury Scenic Parkway in Prairie Creek Redwoods State Park, where we would again walk among giants.
Meador Manor 