Pacific Coast Adventure - Day 7 - Land of the Giants

Breakfast this morning was good as it has been the case every day. The hotel greeted us with a large basket of granola bars and peanuts as we boarded our motorcoach. It was very nice of them to give us a mid morning snack..

Avenue of the Giants

Making the drive along old U.S. Route 101 we entered the Avenue of the Giants.  In 1960 a freeway bypass was completed and assumed the designation of Route 101. The Avenue was then designated as CA Route 254. The northern entrance of the Avenue is south of Fortuna, California. The highway is notable for the Coastal Redwoods that overshadow the road and surround the area. It is from these towering trees that the Avenue of the Giants takes its name. Within Humboldt Redwoods State Park, along the Founders Grove nature trail, are two special examples of the many giant redwoods found near the South Fork of the Eel River. We made a stop at Founders Grove for a bit of a stretch, scenic trail walk and a few photos. The Dyerville Giant, we happened upon, was recognized as the “Champion” Coastal Redwood as certified by the American Forestry Association until it fell on March 24, 1991. Before it fell, it was at least 362 feet tall (estimates from two different sources measured it at 370 feet after it fell). That is 200 feet taller than Niagara Falls or comparable to a 30-story building. It is also 17 feet in diameter and 52 feet in circumference. It probably weighs over 1,000,000 pounds. It is estimated that it may take centuries for this magnificent tree to surrender its nutrients to the wildlife and flora around it. Long may it rot in peace.

Built as a logging railroad in 1885 by Charles R. Johnson, the “Redwood Route” was a logical vehicle for moving massive redwood logs to Mendocino coast sawmills from the rugged backcountry. The train played a vital role during this time in transporting families and workers who set up the various logging camps along the route and in doing so, became an entirely different type of line. It played an important part not only in the area's industrial life, but also in its social and cultural activities. The nickname “Skunk” originated in 1925, when motorcars were introduced (today sometimes referred to as railbuses or railcruisers). These single unit, self-propelled motorcars had gasoline-powered engines for power and pot-bellied stoves burning crude oil to keep the passengers warm. The combination of the fumes created a very rank odor, and the old timers living along the line said these motorcars were like skunks, “You could smell them before you could see them.” Hardly the unmistakable smell of a skunk, at least not any of those found on the roadside in the summer, but pungent nonetheless I’m sure.

Scatter Lunch!

Our lunch stop in Willits was what is referred to as a “scatter lunch”, meaning everyone heads off, or scatters on their own for lunch. A few of us found a place called the Loose Caboose Café just off Main Street and stepped inside. Since today was National Hot Dog Day we decided an appropriate lunch for today would be, you guessed it, a hot dog. Not just any hot dog, mind you, but a Skunk Train Chili Dog.  With a cool glass of water to finish off lunch we exited the Loose Caboose Café. Having done our duty in honor of the day we met up with the coach looking forward to arriving in San Francisco.

Later that afternoon we enjoyed a short rest stop in.................., home of ................ Creator of "Peanuts". We stopped at the Visitors Center housed in the old Train Depot.

Crossing the Golden gate Bridge and through Golden Gate Park we made our way to Fisherman’s Wharf area and our hotel for the evening, The Radisson Fisherman’s Wharf.

Italian and The BV

We had enough time to check in and freshen up for dinner. Dinner was on our own this evening so several of us thought about Italian and North Beach/Telegraph Hill. I called Frank while we were on the road and asked him to find us a good Italian restaurant for this evening.  In a short while he came back with E’Tutto Qua which is located right in the heart of San Francisco's North Beach. Reservations for Marsha, party of 7 for 7:15 PM and we were all set. Two Taxis and a short ride later, we were there. We did make a quick photo stop, though at the lower end of San Francisco’s famed Lombard Street. Coming back from an dinner our taxi paused at the upper end of Lombard Street with a great view of Coit Tower. We took a few photos and headed to our next stop.

The building housing E’Tutto Qua has a lot of history behind it. It was originally built by Amadeo Giannini, founder of Bank of Italy which he later renamed Bank of America. You can still see his "BA" logo in the stonework above the door. Two story high arched windows surround the dining area, giving views of the neighborhood. Following this delicious homemade Italian feast we made our way to one of San Francisco’s landmark establishments, The Buena Visa Cafe, or BV as it is known locally is where Irish Coffee was first introduced to America in 1952. Established in 1891 as a boardinghouse, the first floor was converted to a saloon in 1916. It served as a warm meeting place for the hundreds of fishermen and handlers who worked for the nearby Sardine Cannery. OK, so I didn’t pull this one out of thin air. Frank and I saw a short installment of The BV on Emerill Legasse’s Originals on the Cooking Channel a couple of weeks ago and decided, “We’re there. Let’s go!” So Emerill deserves the credit (well, some of it anyway) for turning us on to this place. Bartender Paul Nolan, a fixture at The BV since 1978 (made this wonderful elixir for each of us just like he did for Emerill. Ahhhh! What a perfect end to a perfect day of touring. I’ll sleep well tonight, I’m sure. A full day of touring in San Francisco awaits us tomorrow. I’m excited! Can't you tell?