The Lost Coast

During a recent trip down to Humboldt, one of our morning/afternoon was reserved for trekking down to the the Lost Coast. For me, there are places you daydream about visiting, moving to, or being buried at---lately, some examples would have to be Cartagena, Barcelona, or the No Brand Burger Stand parking lot, but a place which has been on that list for a while would have to be northern California's Lost Coast.

Mattole Road Heading In Toward Petrolia

I went to Humboldt State in '91, and made my first trip to the Lost Coast in '93, and I've been a fan ever since. One of the beauties of this area is its location. This stretch of beach a bit on the isolated side, and driving there requires one to drive a narrow, old, and potholed road over the King's Range mountains. Once you get off the 101 and leave the Victorian town of Ferndale, there are no towns other than the small 1-store village of Petrolia. Isolation is what comes to mind when thinking of the Lost Coast, hence the name.

Lost Coast "Sand"

Driftwood Shadows

It's probably because I was born a water person, but I've always been attracted to streams, rain, and the sea. This is probably a big reason why I love the Lost Coast. As you make your way along steep and switch-backed Mattole Road, and get your first view of the Coast, it's hard not to be enamored.

Usually, I make trips to the trailhead which is downriver from Petrolia, and from there generally make the trip to the abandoned lighthouse at Punta Gorda (where we'd camp). This trip was only for the day, so we hung out about 6miles north. Here is a stretch where Mattole Road zips on by the coast line for about 8miles. It starts with a breath-taking view of the coast line from a bluff high above, and then the road quickly drops 800ft to the beach. Here it skims along the coast. Before heading inland to Petrolia, there's a spot where we pulled over.

Layers of Color

My mom, Ari, Jeremy, the dogs, and myself, then got out and walked around. We were extremely lucky to catch the ole Lost on a really beautiful day. We left a cloudy and bleak Arcata earlier that morning, but once we crossed the King's Range, the clouds disappeared out to sea giving us a sunny day.

Smiling Siksika Women

There's not much to do on the Coast, but that's the point. I prefer to find a nice patch of sand, and let it all soak in. It can be a sensory overload with the smashing waves, oceanspray, sand on your barefeet, and sun on your face. We hung out here for an hour or so.

Dunes

We then made our way back to Ferndale for the other major stop of the day: No Brand Burger Stand. Our friend Nina discovered this place years ago, and we've been addicts ever since. For me, a homemade bannana milk shake, Cajun-spiced cheeseburger, and Cajun-spiced fries did me in. After this we headed back up to Arcata, and I started my daydreams for my next Lost Coast visit.

No Brand Burger Stand

Ferndale Cemetary