This morning, I woke up at about 5:15 AM at the Clifford Kamph Memorial Campground, about five miles north of the main part of Smith River, CA. I descended the stairs from the campground to the beach and proceeded to walk southbound toward the Ray’s Market in Smith River. The walk was picturesque with many rock formations/rock islands and quiet, beaches.
Near the mouth of the Smith River, there were dozens of sea lions lounging on the sand on the opposite banks of the Smith River. Near the mouth of the Smith river, I ascended a staircase to the road and continued walking a half mile until reaching Highway 101. Upon reaching Highway 101, I walked an additional 3.5 miles on the shoulder of the highway, slowly passing highway-front RV parks, homes, commercial businesses and farms. Walking on the shoulder of a highway is mentally challenging for a few reasons:
- When you’re walking 4 miles per hour and are surrounded by the same landscape for 15-20 minutes at a time, it doesn’t feel like you’re making much progress. Unlike cities, highway-fronting properties often have frontages spanning many hundreds or even thousands of feet, rather than the 50-60 feet frontage parcels that are common in cities. Therefore, the slow change of the landscapes can lead to the feeling that minimal progress is being made, thereby discouraging walkers. Also, when you’re hiking, you can often only see a distance of 50-100 feet in front of you until the trail turns or visibility is blocked by trees, cliffs, etc. However, when walking on an open highway, visibility is often wide open for several miles, which can lead to a very discouraging feeling that little progress is being made
- Part of what makes hiking go by quickly is being amused/entertained by the beautiful landscapes and nature. Often, there isn’t much beautiful scenery or nature on highways which can lead to walking on highways being more mentally challenging and boring
- Everyone knows the discouraging feeling of being passed on the sidewalk by a cyclist moving at 12 MPH, when you’re walking and struggling to maintain a speed of 4 miles per hour. Now imagine struggling to walk 4 miles per hour on a road and having cars speeding past you at 50, 60, 70, or even 80 miles per hour. It’s natural for a walker to feel discouraged if they’re not mentally prepared and controlling their self-talk
After walking about five miles south from the campground, I noticed a drive-thru coffee trailer/hut on the side of the road and decided to stop for a break and to refill water. I asked the person working at the coffee trailer how far the Ray’s Supermarket was, and he mentioned that the Ray’s Supermarket previously occupied the vacant building behind the coffee trailer. It was 9 AM, and I had reached the bus stop with about 25 minutes to spare before the Crescent City-bound bus arrived. I ordered a frozen blended coffee drink and chatted with the worker. He mentioned that the building had recently been up for auction, but nobody was interested. In a town of just 400 people, there isn’t any use for a vacant 25,000 square foot failed supermarket location. It’s sad to see a building that was once the heart of a small town remain vacant for three years, but situations like these are becoming increasingly common in small-town America, with the rise of e-commerce and the necessary consolidation in brick-and-mortar retail stores.
When the bus arrived in Crescent City, I walked to the nearby visitor’s center and asked the volunteer for suggestions of activities and attractions in Crescent city that I could visit without having access to a vehicle. The lady suggested that I walk along the oceanfront walking path to the Marine Mammal Center, then to the Battery Point Lighthouse, then to an art gallery in Downtown, and finally to Crescent City Harbor to eat lunch before boarding the bus to Arcata.
Here are some notes regarding Crescent City:
- Due to Crescent City’s geography and geology (location of rivers, fault lines, seafloor topography), Crescent City is especially susceptible to Tsunamis. Crescent city has experienced over 30 tsunamis during the last 80 years. In 1964, a tsunami caused by an earthquake in Alaska caused extensive damage to the city and claimed 10 lives. In 2011, a tsunami caused by an earthquake in Japan destroyed the Crescent City harbor and many boats that were docked there. Residents of Crescent City lives with constant awareness and concern about tsunamis. Tsunami sirens can often be heard blaring through the town, numerous offshore structures have been built to protect against tsunamis, and there is even a “tsunami walking tour” near the visitor center.
- Crescent City is home to Pelican Bay State Prison. The population of the prison is approximately 3,000 inmates, including 1,500 inmates serving their terms in solitary confinement. Here is an article that lists Pelican Bay as one of the top 10 worst prisons in the United States. Considering that the total population of Crescent City is 7,600 people, this means that only 4,600 people are actually living outside of the prison in Crescent City.
- The median household income is under $30,000. This is less than half of the statewide median household income which is over $60,000. The unemployment rate is exactly 10%, significantly higher than the 6.3% nationwide unemployment rate. Job growth over the next 10 years is projected at 26% (this would be great for the city).
- One of the beautiful streets in Crescent City is Pebble Beach Rd. Here are some listing and recent sales on that street:
- http://www.zillow.com/homes/for_sale/82865822_zpid/41.757347,-124.20487,41.748543,-124.22459_rect/15_zm/1_rs/
- http://www.zillow.com/homes/for_sale/18564985_zpid/41.757347,-124.20487,41.748543,-124.22459_rect/15_zm/1_rs/
- http://www.zillow.com/homes/for_sale/18564941_zpid/41.764854,-124.21399,41.756051,-124.23371_rect/15_zm/1_rs/
As I walked along Howie Drive, the first stop was Marine Mammal Center, a non-profit organization which offers medical attention/rehabilitation, with the intention of releasing the sea otters back into their natural habitats. Visitors can peer through the chain-link fence and watch trainers/caretakers interact with the sea otters.
From there, I continued on to the pier and lighthouse. The Battery Point lighthouse was built in 1856 and is located on a rock hill/island on the Crescent City beach. The Battery Point Lighthouse in only accessible at low tide, when visitors can walk from the beach passed the tidepools, before eventually ascending the uphill sloping path on the rock hill/island to the lighthouse. While walking on the beach toward the lighthouse, there are many tide pools providing an opportunity to view wildlife including sea stars, crabs, and more. Nowadays, there is a lady living inside the caretaker’s quarters of the lighthouse, which was one of the first lighthouses I’ve come across that still has an on-site caretaker.
Walking on Front Street toward the direction of the visitor center, I stopped by the art gallery on H Street. As I was arriving, a elderly woman and middle-aged man were walking out of the business and explained that the gallery would be closed for the next hour and half. I asked the middle-aged man whether he knew of someplace I could buy a replacement iPhone USB charger or of a nearby Wal-Mart. The middle-aged man was dressed very neatly and professionally, which was definitely not the norm in Crescent City. He mentioned that he was headed toward Wal-Mart and offered to drive me there. During the drive he explained that he lives in Los Angeles, graduated with a masters degree from USC, and has been living in Crescent City for the past couple of years to take care of his parents. His father recently passed away from a genetic disease and he mentioned that he had also been experiencing some of the effects of the genetic disease. Throughout the drive, I noticed his occasional involuntary twitches/movements which means it’s likely a degenerative disease. I felt terrible for him and didn’t know what to say, so I just kept quiet. I really admire him sacrificing so much to take care of his parents in Crescent City. Sometimes things happen in your life that you have no control over and couldn’t have done anything to protect yourself against. The only choice you have is the perspective you choose to have on the situation and any actions you can take in response. From what I was able to see, he was handling his situation with a great attitude, dignity, and prioritizing family above all else. He seemed to have great clarity on his situation, values, and how he was comfortable spending time. He selflessly showed me around town for 45 minutes, even going so far as to walk into the Wal-Mart and wait for me to buy the charger, and dropping me off near where I first met him. I forgot his name, but I hope to internalize the lessons learned from the encounter. Also, this experience made me even more grateful more my health which I often take for granted.
From the visitors center, I walked toward the newly refurbished/renovated harbor. It seems like the City has made a great effort to refurbish/renovate the harbor following the 2011 tsunami, through the installation of stainless steel bars and new, heavy-duty boat docks. Continuing passed the harbor, I walked to the “Chart Room” restaurant which had been highly recommended by several people. The grilled salmon was delicious and I really enjoyed the meal at oceanfront atmosphere. After the meal, I walked back to the visitors center in time for the 3PM bus to Arcata.
At the bus stop in Crescent City, I once again met Victoria Browne, the bicyclist riding from Vancouver to Los Angeles, who I originally met on the bus from Gold Beach to Brookings. She mentioned that she’s also documenting her journey on a blog (vbrowne.blog.tumblr.com), which I am looking forward to checking out in the next couple of days. Another cyclist, Keelan, was on a cycling trip from Portland to Oakland and was also on the bus. Victoria, Keelan, and I had an interesting conversation, discussing many random topics including:
- The mental and physical difficulties Victoria and Keelan encountered while bicycling on the side of highway (something I can’t fully relate to as Victoria and Keelan can)
- Victoria mentioned that people in England were generally much more stingy which she doesn’t really like. She doesn’t feel like she can really connect well with people in England and has been wanting to move out of England for as long as she can remember. This “Lack of common interests/connection with other people” to be very common among adventurers, travelers, and endurance athletes. As a group, we’re very independent, ambitious, motivated, stubborn and free-thinking, which makes it difficult to connect with people who aren’t on the same wavelength
- She studied art in University and is currently taking a gap year. During the past six months, she’s spent time in Africa and Asia volunteering for animal-related causes. I was surprised to hear that most Europeans don’t take gap years between high school and college. I always assumed that most Europeans backpack and travel Europe and other countries during a gap year after high school, but she mentioned that some people take 2 weeks off to travel Europe by rail.
- Keelan also introduced Victoria and I to train hopping, which is basically when people latch onto freight trains and travel long distances (something I would never ever consider doing but it’s still interesting to know that people actually do this.) Here is a link of train hopping:
Once the bus arrived in Arcata, I walked a couple of blocks to Arcata Plaza, a historical square plaza surrounded by street-retail, restaurants, boutiques, offices, and a hotel. After taking a couple of hours to do laundry, I checked into Hotel Arcata, a historical hotel facing Arcata Plaza.
