Day 18 Friday August 10, 2007

So today I was looking forward to going out to see the infamous redwoods. There are several state parks scattered just a little inland up here between Crescent City and Eureka. After calling every single car rental place in the entire city I discovered that they were all completely sold out of cars. Not satisfied with this situation I even tried Home Depot as they rent out pick-up trucks but the closest one was way too far away. And don’t think I didn’t consider public transportation. Greyhound only has a bus stop here and all local buses just stay within city limits and don’t travel between cities or local areas like the parks. No tour buses either. Then I thought about bikes after noticing biking trails advertised in the area. Not a single place to rent bikes in Eureka exists! The bike shop guy was so nice he considered lending us a couple new bikes to use on a ‘test ride’ but it felt like such a stretch.

After finally getting over my obsession with finding an alternate method of transportation I reluctantly admitted we were indeed confined to the city of Eureka. My flight is leaving at 6am tomorrow morning so I knew part of my day would be consumed by packing. I succeeded in cramming all the important stuff I needed into one small duffle bag and left some other items I wouldn’t need stored on the boat (this mostly consisted of warm clothes). We decided to go for another walk across town just to see more and get some exercise. We ended up walking all the way to the other side of town and through an area with several Victorian homes that are typical of the area. Some were pretty amazing. We stopped for lunch at a great Italian deli where my Dad and I shared a Prosciutto sandwich, delicious cranberry salad, and a lemon bar for dessert. The atmosphere was great and we enjoyed a long leisurely rest there while reading the newspaper, sipping our coffee and chatting.
Back at the boat I showered, finished getting my stuff together, helped my Dad get the boat ready to go and relaxed. That night we stayed in and ate leftovers from the previous night and finished our infamous card game. Unfortunately for my Dad I scored over 200 points in our last sitting (to his measly 4 points) putting me past the 1000 point mark. I was declared the winner and I was happy with my success. Off to bed early tonight as the alarm is set for 4am so I won’t miss my 4:30 shuttle to the airport. What a great time, so relaxing and a perfect break from the obligations and busyness of my everyday life. I feel completely refreshed and anxious to get home and see everyone back home, including my sorely missed husband!!