February 22-26, 2024
Whoa - chill vibe alert! Redwoods, pastures, farmer's market and the Mad River Rapids RV Park (Mad River is actually the name of the river that runs through Arcata). Check in at the site was a breeze - Francis (the main attendant) is sweet and made a few helpful recommendations. This park isn't the prettiest spot, the showers are lukewarm, there's not a whole lot of RV privacy, but it was a perfect location for us to explore the city and catch up with ourselves. Location.
Arcata is a hippie college city with a quaint town plaza area filled with local, unique, and somewhat upscale non-chain establishments. Totally walkable so we cruised around and checked out a few spots.
First night was hookup and grub at the local spot next door to our site - Fiesta Grill n Cantina -enjoyable ambiance with great service, super salsa and mediocre food (at least the dishes we selected). Joel was so-so on the beef fajitas and I tried the grilled (not really) fish tacos - both entrees came with rice and bland beans that we felt compelled to load with their yummy homemade salsa.
Oh - and they serve funky margaritas...
The town's vibrance shines on Saturday mornings at the Arcata Farmer's Market. Lots of relaxed vendors and eclectic personalities swirl the square for a few hours. We locked our rides and Joel jumped on the first opportunity to grab a delicious almond torte - we also picked up some fresh Lion's Mane mushrooms for dinner (first-time experiment).
We prepped and sautéed the shrooms with onions and garlic powder. Not bad! They have a sweet, scallopy taste, but the texture is a little spongy. I don't mind that as much as Joel - he'll probably stick to the health benefits in capsule form.
I took a long walk one morning...didn't realize the road I was on was a dead end. Took in a different ranch side of Arcata - found myself walking back on the actual interstate, over the Mad River...
...but not before I caught a quick glimpse of this:
I did not stick around to watch this moo orgy.
We explored the AMAZING Redwoods at the Arcata Community Forest - I found a massive tree trunk with a hole large enough to squeeze through, so I climbed in and took some photos (of course). Never seen the inside of a tree before - wild colors! Within seconds on the trail, you're simply transported to another world of peace, serenity and all the other things you find among 1,000 year-old trees - definitely worth every minute. It's true - some of the best things in life are actually free.
Speaking of free - traveling on bikes through the Arcata Marsh & Wildlife Conservancy was a total unexpected treat. Given the fortunate sunny break from rain and mud, we also took this opportunity to cruise on the bikes for the first time on this adventure. Not only is the town of Arcata super bike-friendly, but the paved paths around the Humboldt Bay area make viewing critters in their natural habitat even more accessible!
A full day of chores on our last day left us hungry so we walked a mile to the OG Round Table Pizza...because...why not?!
We soon said our final goodbyes and hello to...a state with the motto: "She flies with her own wings."
Next up: Brookings, OR
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