Samoa - Prison Camp

Have you ever been to Samoa? Samoa California, the area formerly known as Brownville, located on a peninsula 10 miles long and 1 mile wide protecting Humboldt Bay. It feels like a barrier island taking the brunt of the force of the Pacific and leaving the bay with a lake like quality.

There is a 300 acre recreation park and you can surf, fish, ATV, hike and several other fun activities. The dunes which a few upon closer inspection are weapons bunkers left over from WWII when the Coast Guard maintained the area for surveillance of the Pacific Coastline. 

 It was also a seasonal food gathering site for the Wiyot Indians who gathered shell fish and piled up the empty shells onto mounds you can still see scattered about.

Samoa is about 23 feet above sea level at its highest point but, the average is three feet.

There are the remains of an abandoned lighthouse in the wetland area that was built in 1850.  The area was also used as a prisoner of war camp for Native Americans in 1862 during the Bald Hills War. A sawmill was established and at the onset of WWI an emergency shipyard was constructed and 7 wooden steamships were built between 1917 and 1919.

The north jetty is constructed from concrete breakers known as dolos which actually look more like jacks from the childhood game. The USS Milwaukie ran aground during a rescue mission and was broken up by the pounding surf as did the submarine USS H-3 which was rescued and at least 25 other ships. The approach to Humboldt Bay is known as the graveyard of the Pacific.  Humboldt Bay is one of the most dangerous harbor entrances in California. It is only .25 mile wide, extreme tidal currents, constantly shifting sand bars and unpredictable weather with severe fog combine to make it a terrifying run through the gauntlet.

Most of these waves in these photos were well over 20 feet high. They would appear to be making a straight run down the jetty and then all of a sudden make a left turn and slam into the wall where we were standing. The sound was like claps of thunder. We watched for well over an hour. I have never seen anything like it and I have seen many jetties. 

 If you get the chance…..

Eel River lamprey

Crossing the Eel River and then a few miles later we cross it again and again and I begin to believe there is more than one Eel, there are 14 of them.  Here is why. The river is 200 miles long and runs somewhat parallel to the coast.  The river and its tributaries actually cover 3,448 miles.

In 1850 Josiah Gregg and a party of men were exploring the area when they came upon a group of Native American people. Josiah traded a pan to them for what he thought were eels from the river. They were actually Pacific lamprey.

What is a lamprey you ask? It is a jaw-less fish-like vertebrate, with a toothed funnel like, sucking, mouth. Some species of lamprey are known to bore holes into fish and suck on their blood.

The adult Pacific lamprey resembles an eel being about 30 inches long, dark blue or brown in color. This species is born in fresh water and swim to the ocean as juveniles returning to fresh water as adults to reproduce.  The Pacific lamprey is parasitic to other fish. They will live as young juveniles in fresh water rivers for 3 to 7 years before swimming out to sea where they will spend another 1 or 2 years maturing into adults.  The female will lay over 100,000 eggs once she has survived her upstream swim and created a nest.  After which she and the male will die.

Now, so you do not think the Native Americans traded something horrible with Josiah and his party; Pacific lampreys are an important ceremonial food of American Natives of the northern Pacific Coastal area.

We stopped at a natural swimming hole that is created at a curve in the river by a small tributary.

The water is an amazing turquoise green in color and flows at a sedate pace in this area. 

There is a rock a few feet from shore and a deep hole on the other side. Posted are No Diving signs.  There was a small bit of white water just out of sight but we could hear it further down river.

Not far from here we stopped in an emerald forest of redwoods. The moss is what made the entire area look so magical and green.

Next week…. A drive through tree…..

What Happened to Patience I?

I saw this boat as we were leaving Avila Bay and was overcome with an intense curiosity; leaving me with a multitude of unanswered questions and an idea for two books. Where is Patience I? What happened to her? What did she look like? What did she do? Who owned her? What did they do? Why name this boat Patience II? Who owns her? What did she do? Why is she now unloved and used as a storage container? What happened that has left this lady abandoned and in dis-repair? Or, is she not abandoned? Is this how she is kept?

We drove the Pacific Coast Highway for miles. 

I could live on any number of spots along the way and be content and feel rich as long as I had that view and my grandmother’s crystal.

The Pacific Coast Highway is also known as State Route 1, Cabrillo Highway, Shoreline Highway and several other names depending on where you are. 

The first section of the road opened in 1930 in the Big Sur region. San Quentin Prison set up three temporary prison camps to provide unskilled convict labor to help with road construction. The prisoners were paid 35cents per day and had their sentences reduced.

We stopped to take a look at the Bixby Bridge. 

It is one of the most photographed places along the West Coast.  It opened in 1932 and is one of the tallest single-span concrete bridges in the world. The bridge spans Bixby Creek, named for Charles Henry Bixby who owned a sawmill on the creek.

 The bridge is 714 feet long, over 280 feet high, and was designed to support more than 6 times its intended load.

Can’t you just hear the waves crashing on the beach?

Avila Beach

Avila Beach.

 Have you ever heard if it? Well neither had I. But what a wonderful little treasure of a resort. 160 miles north of Los Angeles it originated as a major shipping port. Named for Miguel Avila, the son of Jose de Santa Ana Avila, he was granted Rancho San Miguelito in 1842. Rancho San Miguelito is a Mexican land grant that was honored by the American government after the treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo ended the war with Mexico in California.

The beach itself is .5miles long. It is protected by the 600 foot elevation of San Luis making it warmer than other beaches on the central coast. 

Avila beach is also known for its hot springs.

Avila Beach was the primary shooting location for a 1979 film titled California Dreaming.

There were kayakers and a curious sea lion following them.

 Some boys on Skidoos and one brave man walked into the surf in swim trunks and started swimming laps parallel to the beach that water must have been about 46 degrees. Brrrrrr….

If you are ever traveling the Pacific Coast Highway stop by and have a stroll along the 1,685 foot long pier. 

Climb down the rusty stairs and look out through the beams you might just meet a new friend. 

 Stop by Joe Mamma’s Coffee and have a cup. The staff was Moola friendly but one old cranky local asked me to leave once I had him convinced Moola was real. He will not long forget me.

Surfing Newport Beach

Could I hang out on the Beach for a couple hours while he saw a client? What, me stroll around Newport Beach and hang around the pier with the locals and tourists for a while? 

Was he kidding? Of course! His last words as I got out of the vehicle “don’t pick up any surfer boys”. 

Uh-oh…the don’t word! Picking up guys was not my goal, photos were, and memories were, mental postcards.

I walked up a sidewalk until I found the perfect spot at the short wall that separates the sand from the pavement. I pulled up a piece of it and sat, taking a deep breath and a pause. There it was; the surf, salty air, sunshine, seabirds, music and muffled chatter. I pulled out the camera and started snapping away.

I walked up the pier and sat on a bench. There were people fishing and walking, there were joggers on the beach and surfers in the water. 

The waves were not huge but they were tempting a few guys up on to their boards. It was exactly what you might imagine a southern California beach to look like. It was perfect.

I took a lap around the boardwalk and decided on lunch, a glass of chardonnay and a salad. It was a tiny little bar/grill that could have been located in any Mexican Riviera village or even on the Gulf of Mexico. I took a second glass of wine to the outdoor patio and people watched.

I walked the boardwalk again and enjoyed watching a surfer rinse off at the shower. He was blubbering about how cold the water in the shower was and interspersing it with bits of an aria from Tosca. His buddies hollered over at him to stop complaining I would think he was a pussy. He stopped turned and looked at me with his hair dripping wet and the water from the shower splashing off his wet bare skin, sliding down over the wet suit that covered the lower half of his muscular tan frame. He shook his head like a dog, flinging water in every direction and grinned as he then continued to sing and boldly rinse off. I shook my head and smiled as I strolled on by. I could not have orchestrated a more joyful moment. I have a greater appreciation for the amazing mind of film directors who create moments like that all the time. 

I found another spot on the short sea wall not far from a man playing a guitar and singing softly. As I turned to sit a man in a wet suit walks around his vehicle and sits not 10 paces from me. He starts to chat. I did not find surfers they found me. Before I know it four hours have gone by and my ride is waiting.

It was a brilliant Newport Beach day. Thanx surfer boys!

Elephant seals

The Rockstar tour was out of control. No time for writing or posting or even reflection on my days and that one week turned into 2 weeks. Then to bring back as a souvenir a cold; put me further behind and for another week I wanted nothing but rest and Kleenex.   Shall we try to get restarted?

There have been some internal changes at a company I am in contract with that has affected my lifestyle and so I am now in an office by 8 am. This will and has derailed my morning routine.  I can and will adapt;  I just wanted you to know.  Can you hear Alanis Morisette? “I want you to know….” Hah

I will leave you with some Elephant seal shots I took of Elephant seal Bay….

We were on the Pacific Coast Highway, just south of Big Sur. We pulled into a large parking area that was full of vehicles. I grabbed my camera and we headed toward the cliff edge. There below us were elephant seals in pod groups sprawled out all over the beach.  They hang out on this stretch of beach from December through March.

Elephant seal females can weigh up to 1600 pounds with males tipping the scales at 3000 to 5000. They can dive to depths over 1000 feet and stay submerged for over 20 minutes.  

This where the females come to give birth, nurse their pups, form small groups  called harems,  mate again and leave.  The elephant seal spends most of its time in solitary pursuit of food; swimming thousands of miles each year. The name elephant seal comes from the great pendulous noses the males sport. The females do not have such a face.  They have a life span of about 14 years and are a protected species. 

The beautiful grey coats looked like soft grey velvet made from silk. I have an antique silk velvet piano scarf and it shines like their coat.