Eureka I Found It!

Our new home for the next several days is Eureka, California. It sits between both National Redwood Parks. Getting up here was an interesting drive. One of the most challenging drives we've had since we started. The word that comes to mind is "tight". We took Route 101 to follow the coast but it also takes you up steep mountains and through the Redwood Forest. The driving through the forest was the challenge as it takes you within inches of tall trees that sit along the side of the road. The turns are sharp. You can look in the side mirror and see the car we are towing in the turns.

It was worth the white knuckles because we went to Agate Beach today and were met by this great view. It is called Agate Beach because there are very old lava tubes off shore that are filled with Agate that was formed when the tubes cooled off. Today, the surf breaks apart the tubes and washes the semi-precious stones onto the beach.

There really is no sand on the beach but stones of varying sizes. Small as the point of a pencil to potato size rocks. People are all over searching for their nugget of stone in the multi-colored expanse.

The fog, which has been following us since LA, lingers just above the surf adding the effect of mystic to the beach.

Walking along the shore and getting our toes wet was a new experience. To say the water was cold is an understatement. When the wave rolls up along the shore tossing the little stones in its surge it causes a sound I've never heard before. Tumbling rocks knocking together with each one making a musical sound, added with the sound of the surf pounding the ground sending that thumping sensation in your chest.

When we left the beach it seemed our cloths were dragging on the ground from the weight of stones we were carrying in any pocket we had on our garment.