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• • • Get Out Of Town • • • "Nearby Getaways for Ambassador Readers" Humbled in Humboldt by Seth Halpern, Editor When I told a few local friends that I was planning a trip to Humboldt County, the responses were tongue in cheek relating to the marijuana use (and growth) in that area. Call me naïve but I didn’t really consider that at all. I was thinking more about the giant trees and rugged coastline. I almost decided against going but I’m glad I went. The trip north was long (about 5 hours) but easy and more importantly BEAUTIFUL! The directions were simple: Hwy 20 west to Hwy 101 north. Hwy 101 was so stunning that I couldn’t wait to get there. When we got to Fortuna, we pulled into The Redwood Riverwalk Hotel and the lobby was very inviting with games, books, visitor brochures, and a beautifully painted mural map of the area. The front desk attendant helped us bring our bags to our second-floor room (no elevators, but easy steps) Once we opened the door to our room…WOW! The reasonable room rates did not prepare me for this King Suite room. It was HUGE. We could have danced in the room (good thing for our neighbors, I don’t dance ☺). Besides the amount of space, there was an oversized jetted tub (our own
personal jacuzzi). It was well-appointed with triple sheeted bedding, high-quality, environmentally and “body” friendly bath products. I had to remember that this is considered a 2 ½ star facility (according to Expedia). Owner Jeff Durham is working hard to turn the facility into a boutique hotel and he is well on his way. The daily
at the reception desk. Although the indoor swimming pool looked enticing, we never made it there after our full days of exploration. On our first full day, we set out to drive through the “Avenue of the Giants”. This is a 31 mile stretch of “awesomeness”! Redwood trees are everywhere, and they
housekeeping was terrific, and I might add that everything in the room worked well, which may be a first for me (even in much higher priced rooms.) In addition, each morning there is a full breakfast consisting of a generous selection of hot and cold options. In the afternoon, complimentary chocolates and fruit await
are immense both in size and number. The “Avenue” is within Humboldt Redwoods State Park and runs parallel to Hwy 101. We took in the fresh air, marveled at the living giants and thought about how many centuries each one had been growing toward the heavens. I was humbled by God’s handiwork. Further
down the road, there were the requisite souvenir shops and tourist traps. Some were fun, others annoying, buyer beware! We did stop at the Eternal Tree House (don’t recommend) and the Shrine Drive Thru Tree (definitely a tourist trap but fun nonetheless) At many shops along the way you can find just about anything made from redwood. The Founders Grove offers a short loop trail. On the trail was the Dyerville Giant. The giant redwood once stood 362 ft. tall and was considered the tallest tree in the park before its fall in 1991. Seeing it on the ground is quite a different viewpoint of its size. Our second day, we visited to the Loleta Cheese Factory. While they weren’t making cheese that day, we did sample quite a variety and took home way too much! They also had a Grilled Cheese Sandwich Café (of course) and our lunch there was delicious! Victorian Ferndale was just a few miles away so went to check it out. Take a walk downtown and you’ll feel like you went back in time. The entire town is a California historical landmark. The next day, we went north to Eureka. After looking at the downtown, the harbor,
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