Two Lane Adventures: Day 77 of 117 on our “Go West, Young Man” Two Lane Adventure

I have to share with you some hip and trendy things about Eureka. Humboldt County is home to hundreds of artists, and this fact is apparent when one notices the numerous murals that adorn many of the Eureka area buildings. There are magnificent murals painted on the sides of buildings. Eureka holds an Art Festival every year in mid-August. Artist work tirelessly to fill Old Town, with color and creativity. Artist are given 5 days to finish their murals. Renowned local artist Duane Flatmo has painted many of these, some humorous and some depicting historical views of the area. Dan Kitchener's mural is on Eureka's Buhne Building. Called Electric-City is created entirely in freehand spray paint on the east side of the building. It breaks with the pale masonry of the buildings around it, conjuring an illusion of deep perspective from a flat brick facade.

Muralist Duncan Jago and Joe Murdter painted the mural on the De Paul Building, in Eureka. They painted it during the 2017 Eureka Art Festival. The working title is "Monet in space." It is the simplest way to describe the impressionistic mural that features, abstracted figures moving through space.

The Coral Sea Research Boat is part of the Humboldt State University Oceanography Department. Students take classes about the ocean and then go on a voyage out into the Pacific Ocean. This mural is titled, Octopus Tsunami Wave.

Artist, Xavi Panneton, got the opportunity to venture out to a space on the side of the Rodeway Inn building on V Street in Eureka. The name of this mural is called ‘Living Wall’. He wanted to draw inspiration from the nature of this area, from the forest and the ocean together. It’s not really a painting of something specific, more like a mood..

This one is called Animals are People Too. It was created by Duane Flatmo and Rural Burl Mural Bureau students. It’s a 15-feet-tall-by-80-foot-wide mural that depicts animal heads on human bodies. It’s a varied collection of creatures. Some are in suits, one has a top hat, and another brandishes a guitar.

Duane Flatmo painted the mural on the Eureka CO-OP store, in downtown Eureka. This mural style reminded me of the mural inside the Jefferson City capitol building.

The Bucksport mural is on the side of the Bucksport Sporting Goods Store. By Duane Flatmo, design by LW Duke. It depicts rugged mountain men around a campfire, keeping a wary eye on a bear. On the opposite side of the building are more mountain men in a precarious position aboard their canoe in raging river rapids.

We departed Shoreline RV Resort via US 101 north. We back tracked a bit. Outside of Eureka, we picked up Rosann & Paul, from their RV Park, Crestwood. We all fell in line, for the last time … this trip!

We headed east on CA 299, which is a National Forest Scenic Byway.

It was a lot of up and up, we hit the Lord Ellis Summit, 2,267 feet of elevation. Naturally, what goes up must come down …. But, then we went back up again. To the Berry Summit, at an elevation of 2,803 feet. It is amazing, considering we started the day at sea level! These elevations do provide beautiful views!

Six Rivers National Forest is one million acres of primal recreation area. The Six Rivers National Forest is named for the six major rivers that run within its boundaries: the Smith, Klamath, Trinity, Mad, Van Duzen, and Eel. The Smith, Klamath, Trinity, and Eel Rivers comprise over 365 miles of designated Wild and Scenic River. There we go again, with the wild and scenic waterways …..

President Harry S. Truman established the Six Rivers National Forest by Presidential proclamation on June 3, 1947. Elevations across the Forest range from nearly sea-level to approximately 7,000 feet. As a result, the Six Rivers supports diverse ecosystems and landscapes. The Forest is composed of extensive stands of coniferous forest, with moderate amounts of oak woodland and grassland in the southern part of the Forest. These ecosystems provide habitat for eight federally classified threatened and endangered species, including the bald eagle and the peregrine falcon.

Willow Creek is a town with a flair for frontier history. The China Flat Museum is home to the world’s largest collection of Big Foot curios. Paul is a big fan of Big Foot fan and has the shirt to prove it! Unfortunately, the museum is not open on Monday and Tuesday. We were able see other forms of the big guy! He was on a mural on a modern building in town

Out of town, he was on the roof of a building, holding an American flag. I never knew Big Foot was so patriotic!

The Shasta-Trinity National Forest, the largest in California, was established by President Theodore Roosevelt’s proclamation of 1905. Initially, there were two forests; the Trinity National Forest (headquartered in Weaverville) and the Shasta National Forest (headquartered in Mt. Shasta City). The two forests were combined into one in 1954.

The forest encompasses 2.1 million acres with over 6,278 miles of streams and rivers. It ranges from 1,000 in elevation to the spectacular Mt. Shasta with its impressive elevation of 14,162 feet. There are five designated Wilderness Areas: Castle Crags, Chanchellulla, Mount Shasta, Trinity Alps and Yolla Bolly-Middle Eel. A 154 mile section of the Pacific Crest Trail runs in an east - west direction across the forest.

The main branch of the Trinity River is a designated Wild and Scenic River which runs through the forest. Scenic Highway 299 makes easy access to many points of interest. This major tributary of California's Klamath River begins in the rugged Trinity Alps and makes its way through wilderness before meeting up with the mighty Klamath. The Trinity is noted for its salmon and steelhead fishery resources, as well as its attraction to rafters, kayakers and canoeists. The North and South Forks of the Trinity and the New River are included in the designation.

Driving along the Trinity River, on CA 299, we exited the Shasta-Trinity National Forest and passed through the town of Big Bar. It was then, that we could see the first signs of past fires.

Along Route 299 you can view the La Grange Mine Markers. This mine was originally known as the Oregon Mountain group of claims, first operated about 1862. In 1892 the mine was purchased by the La Grange Hydraulic Gold Mining Company which brought water from Stuart's Fork through 29 miles of ditch tunnels and flumes, then delivered it to the mine pit under a 650 food head. Over 100,000,000 yards of gravel were moved and $3,500,000 in gold produced. Large scale operations ceased in 1918.

The blight left by Carr Fire will overshadow the areas surrounding Redding, California, long after the smoke fades.

Following Highway 299 for a while, and watched the path of the grass fire that spread to more than 100,000 acres, destroyed more than 1,000 structures and killed at least six people.

We had a section of one way traffic, with a pilot car. This is to allow the workers to repair the road and clear trees, etc away from the road. They are chipping the trees and putting them over the edge on the south side of the road and using a hydro-seeder on the dirt walls on the north side of the road.

It began with a flat tire, officials say, with a rim-riding trailer scraping the road and summoning sparks by Carr Powerhouse Road near Whiskeytown Lake. Contagious in the hot, dry brush, it grew.

From there, the blaze snaked west to east along Highway 299.

A large portion of Whiskeytown National Recreation Area is gone, just gone.

Whiskeytown Lake was a great source of water for the Carr Fire suppression. It was also a great place to moor the vessels and keep them safe from the fire.

We had a second stop near the historic town of Shasta. We talked to the flag lady as we waited for the pilot car. We asked her for a good place to eat and a place to park the three coaches. She recommended a Mexican place, just into Redding.

From mining towns to half-million-dollar homes, the Carr Fire conjured waves and tornadoes of flames, painting a wake of devastation in black embers and white ash.