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Work Trip: Redwoods, Humboldt County and San Francisco

 

We ended up going on some rad adventures this summer, but most of my 360 photography gigs took me to hot and humid climates. The second school starts, I schedule a gig up in Humboldt County. We debated about having them tag along, but I ended up traveling solo.

Breakfast at La Joya Cafe was so, so good.

Meadow didn't want to miss school, but Theo was all for it. 

I flew into SFO and stayed just outside of the city. I had all day to get up to Eureka, so I took my time traversing San Francisco.

The weather in San Francisco was gloomy, but that didn't stop me from exploring a new neighborhood, Visitacion Valley.

The outlying San Francisco neigborhoods are whole different world from the Victorian row houses and dense core of the city.



Viz Valley has such a vibe with the muted pastel pallete.

And these ornate gates were everywhere. Something I'd also see in another predominantly Asian neighborhood, Flushing Queens.


Almost 60% of the neighborhood is of Asian descent with another 25% hispanic.



I found it weird that the Wikipedia page called the area a food desert, even though I saw Asian and Hispanic grocers selling produce along the main drag.



Cool!



I hiked up to the top of the neighborhood. You could just barely see the San Francisco Bay off in the distance.








Before heading out of the city I made a stop in Japantown only to decide to get brunch in a neighboring hood.


I ended up getting an incredible egg salad and avocado plain bagel at the Boichik in the Fillmore.

Yikes, there's a haunted house.

Two very different San Franciscos in a single morning.


I walked back over to Japantown to eat my bagel. I love this little area.

While eating I booked a parking spot at Muir Woods National Monument and spent the next hour or so gandering at the giant redwoods.

Jealous. We didn't have time to go both times we were there recently.



I don't know about you, but I get a euphoria from walking through these ancient forests. Along the main trail I watched folks gaze up at the impossibly tall trees.


I left the main trail to hike up the Fern Creek, Lost and Canopy Trails loop.

It's not just the Redwoods that are massive. The more widespread Westeren Hemlock is also a Western giant.






I had plenty of daylight left, but decided it was time to take the scenic 101 up to Humboldt County. I only stopped for an incredible dinner at Spiro's Gyros in Ukiah. The owner and I commiserated about inflation and the general state of things in a second Trump administration.

After shooting 360s at Cal Poly Humboldt in Arcata, I had one last 360 to capture up at their marine laboratory. 


We'd stopped here a couple of years back on our San Francisco to Portland campervan trip.

Looks so different without the fog. 

While eating at Trinidad grocery store the cook mentioned that the localas avoid Trinidad Head State Beach and instead head to the less traveled Houda Point Beach. 

The places you see if you manage to chat with the locals.





Houda Point and Camel Rock were stellar.



After dinner and sea gazing, I made it back to Eureka for some ice cream at the aptly named Living the Dream Ice Cream.



I stayed at the oddly affordable Eureka Inn. The rooms were just OK, but the lobby was something else.

This is pretty amazing. 



Love it.



I guess we didn't really explore Eureka last time around. It's pretty charming in the old town.

On the way back to San Francisco I made a stop at Humboldt Redwoods State Park where I hiked the Rockefeller Loop.



The Redwoods up in Humboldt County are on another level.







I could've went on hikes all day, but I didn't want to get back to SFO too late.

I ended up having some extra time, stopping by the Lands End Trail back in San Francisco.


No Redwoods, but stellar views abound.

I finished this weekend work trip with a walk around the Richmond neighborhood.



This area felt reminiscent of Venice down in LA with its low slung Victorians.




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