As COVID-19 cases continue to rage on in the Golden State like the all-too-familiar wildfires, it’s important to think about getting out and about, rather than being cooped up all day indoors. (Although, by the time this reaches print we may be forced to stay indoors until the numbers start to wither or good news of a vaccine is on the horizon).
This past month I was fortunate to get back to work after being shut down since March, albeit with serious and strict protocols in place. Our small crew has had to expand and everyone drives, either in pairs in a three row mini van or singularly in a sedan. We have zones, meaning the team spirit is now fragmented a bit, the mandatory mask wearing creates many problems, especially when communicating, making walkie-tallkies are a godsend.
Most of our shooting spots are now outside and the team on the ground have done a wonderful job in securing these fantastic locations in California, including Eureka, yes it is an actual place! Touted as the market and cultural center of a beautiful region filled with iconic redwoods – the world’s tallest trees – and stunningly beautiful, ruggedly remote ocean landscapes. In fact it’s a port city and takes is the seat of world-famous Humboldt county. It’s located at the very top of California and close to Oregon. I don’t know whether it was the impact of Covid-19 but unfortunately the city itself has been left to deteriorate.
The old town is mainly home to so many homeless people and what the locals call “meth-heads” that what you could see used to be a quaint historic district has been pretty much run into the ground. We stayed at The Eureka Inn, which opened in 1922, coinciding with the opening of the Redwood Highway between Eureka and San Francisco. A large property for those times, the Eureka Inn was the premier full service lodging between San Francisco and Portland. Though it housed many thousands of visitors (including US Presidents and royalty) from all over the world during its first several decades, the hotel began to show the effects of time. We quickly discovered why the place is rumored to be haunted: there was strange sounds at night, doors that would mysteriously open when I woke up and moaning noises coming from the next door room – even though it wasn’t occupied. It wasn’t until I read up on the hotel that all of this started to make sense.
But onto the fun stuff – a beautiful 45-minute drive down the scenic roads on highway 36 through magnificent fields and canopies of trees, we came upon our first location – Van Duzen Park and Swimmer’s Delight, which boasts a stunning campsite and (not surprisingly) a nearby river.
The place is perfect for for tents or small airstream-type vehicles – we built a stunning log fire from local wood and of course made s’mores with marshmallows and graham crackers. Just across the way is a national park called Owen R. Cheatham’s Grove. A stunning wondrous stroll around the giant redwoods is a must for any Star Wars fans as this is where they shot the Andor scenes in Return of the Jedi. I highly recommend this campsite for those looking to get away for a long weekend or a week away with the family. It is however a good ten hours drive north of LA – So might be wise to stop off somewhere along the way, like Monterey for example.
Camping with family has always been a great American pastime and it remains so in these strange and testing Covid days (provided you camp with those you already live with). And there’s few better places to do it than California, so go out and make some memories, pack up the car and get motoring!
Till next time…
Craig Young
