Patrick's Point, Hwy 299, and Chico
Trip Start
Mar 15, 2008
1
27
48
Trip End
Ongoing
Chico, California
Friday, January 30, 2009
The morning came quickly, and though we were moving pretty slow, we had to take advantage of the sunshine in Humboldt!!
Patrick's Point is one of my favorite places in the area. It's a state park, where you can go hiking and camping. It's literally a place where the forest meets the sea. My particular favorite spot in the park is Wedding Rock. Clearly, it's a beautiful place, but I really feel it's full of positivity as well. All I know is that whenever I go, I feel renewed. It's this amazing place that truly makes me feel one with nature, on the edge of the world, and entirely insignificant in the grand scheme of things...
After we spent the late morning and afternoon climbing around, and enjoying the scenery that is Humboldt County, we headed off on the 299 to Chico. Hwy 299 is the quickest way to get to Chico from Arcata, but it's not the easiest of drives. The roads are curvy, and can be dangerous to drive on in late January because of bad weather. I recommend this route in late spring/summer time. The winding Trinity River, and snowcapped mountains are worth the two and a half hours it takes to cross over to the 5 in Redding.
Anticipating icy roads after nightfall, we hurried through mountains to arrive in Chico around 8pm. We stayed in what used to be the cheapest hotel in the downtown, known as the Thunderbird. We found out that they are under new ownership, and therefore the whole place is under renovation. We ended up staying there for $55, and in a brand new room, no one has used before! Pretty awesome--aside from waking up to construction at 8 am.
Once we arrived and primped, it was time to party at my alma mater: Chico-style.... Ok, well, we tried. We were still pretty tired from the night before, and from being on the road all day. We did get a few Panama teas in with Michelle and Stacy (old college friends--well sorta), and also put a few back at The Bear. Those were the two places absolutely necessary on my list of places to go in Chico.
Chico is a college town, and is where I called home for five years. :) I guess not much has changed except for the age of the students... I did sorta feel like the oldest person in the crowd, but whatever...we still got hit on by 22 year-olds. No matter what, Chico, you'll always have a piece of my heart, and a nice chunk of my student loans....
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