December 6, 2024 to December 7, 2024
To Willits
Friday: Crescent City
With a six hour drive ahead we got as early a start as the situation allowed and were packed up and out the door by not long after eight; and an hour later we were finally on I-5, driving south for Crescent City. In the intervening hour we stopped by Elizabeth’s so she could meet us on the street for a last minute mail delivery (and thanks again for the birthday card, Frank and Julie!); and then stopped by our storage unit to pickup some of Rachael’s pills that got misclassified in the big sort; and finally a trip to Kaiser to pick up the new, broader-spectrum antibiotic my doctor prescribed for me yesterday.
For what counts for us as a long drive, conditions were nearly as good as could be hoped for at this time of year. It stayed dry the whole way, but was mostly overcast and lightly foggy; and the traffic was never bad. Focused on getting through the ride and making it down the dramatic but challenging cutoff along the Smith River between Grants Pass and the coast before dark, we hardly stopped at all - once for gas in Albany, and once for a break at a surprisingly clean and pleasant Starbucks in Grants Pass. It’s hard to find a decent coffee shop in so many small towns now, with most of them being crappy Starbucks outlets in Safeways and the like. We’ll have to remember this one is here.
Healthwise, the drive was a challenge for me but better than I’d feared. My headache really didn’t bother me at all, but the infection has apparently infiltrated my right eye, causing it to swell partially shut off and on. Between that and the light sensitivity it was unpleasant just staring at the road for so long - not an ideal driving setup. I’m lucky the fog blocked out the sun for most of the way.
We checked into our hotel around four, and an hour later we walked down to the nearby waterfront fish market that we’ve eaten at several times in the past. It’s a family-run small place serving up great meals with an attitude to match. I hope they manage to stay in business - I think this our fourth meal there.
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And as a nice side serving to our mains, we enjoy a spectacular sunset from our window table. From last winter’s journal I see this happened then also. Crescent City really does have a lot of appeal.
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Saturday: Willits
With a shorter ride ahead today we decide to stay in town until our 11:00 checkout deadline. The plan is that we’ll eat a light breakfast in our room, drive over to the lighthouse jetty so Rachael can stretch out her legs while I finally experiment some more with the new camera, and then stop for second breakfast at the cafe in Arcata we ate at last winter. That time we just got up early and started driving and I endured Rocky’s cursing the whole way because an hour and a half drive is much too long to wait for breakfast.
Light breakfast happens. Wait time for digestion happens. At around 9 we’re both bundled up and ready to leave for the lighthouse when I double back from the car to tell her it’s unexpectedly lightly raining. Rachael decides she’s not so interested in a walk after all, but when I check the weather report and have my head straightened by the news that it’s not really raining after all I decide to go anyway.
I’m out for about an hour. Once I’m there it stays dry the whole time, and although there’s not much birding activity under wing this morning between what there is and the captivating scenery there’s enough material to enjoyably fill the hour and give me a chance to experiment.
First, some shots with the old camera, the Lumix ZS70 that I also took along:
After my disappointment the first time I took the new camera out to Sauvie, I’m quite encouraged this time. It seems pretty obvious I’ll be able to pick up birds that have been too far out to identify before. It’s especially great that I can identify birds at a much greater distance, before they’re alarmed by my anpproach and fly off. Also, I’m encouraged by the quality of the images. Even hand-held without a tripod, in not the best lighting conditions and with still almost no experience under my belt I get some reasonable shots. Note that except for the western gull all of these were taken from far enough out that I doubt I’d have been able to identify the birds at all with the other camera.
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The drive is fine - dry, overcast, but beautifully scenic with much of it through the heart of redwood country. Especially lovely is the golden foliage along the Eel River. If lighting conditions had been better I’m sure I’d have stopped for a shot somewhere along the way.
Lunch at Toni’s 24 hour restaurant in Arcata proves to be a disappointment though, and not as good as I remembered. It probably helps to arrive famished. I’m making note of it so we remember not to give it a third chance in the future.
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A technical note: in sorting out the photos above to make sure of which camera took which shots, I opened the information window on the iPad to check the details. I was puzzled to see a small icon centered on a bird and then discovered it linked to its presumed identity - more or less like looking up an image on Merlin or Google lens. It’s a built-in function I wasn’t aware of that you might find useful too.
Willits itself is a big disappointment to me. We hoped to be early enough so that Rachael could take a walk before dinner and I could do some more birding. I was sure there’d be someplace nearby - a respectable wetland of some kind - because of the town name. It isn’t until we enter town and I look at the town name that it hits me: it’s Willits, like the name of the early rancher the place was named after, not Willets, like the huge flock of waders that I thought might have inspired it.
Healthwise, it’s encouraging that during the drive I’m doing better than yesterday. My eyes are fine and my earache isn’t and issue. Later though it takes a turn when we go out for dinner in Willits with an i. It’s quite damp and chilly on the short walk to and from the car, and afterwards both my cough and headache are much worse, like I’ve been set back three or four days. It’s discouraging, even a little frightening - but I sleep reasonably and by the next morning I’m feeling much better again. I guess the lesson here is that I’m not supposed to get chilled until I’m completely better. Fortunately we have a plan for that.
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