A day in Old Town Eureka, CA (minus kids!)

I get motion sickness. The really bad kind. I can get sick on the drive from Redding to Sacramento on I-5. Which might be the straightest road ever. It's ridiculous.  So when my husband asked me if I want to go over to Eureka with him for a work event, I said, "Only if Grandma & Grandpa watch the kids and we get to stay the night." Because driving to and from Redding to Eureka on Hwy 299 in one day sounds like pure torture. Thankfully for us, Grandma & Grandpa were more than happy to take our munchkins for the night!

I love the Northern California coast. It is one of the most beautiful places on earth. (I know, I know, I say that a lot on this blog...but it is true.) Escaping the hot Redding summer to go camping in the cool coastal climate is heavenly. You can read all about our favorite place to camp HERE, and one of our favorite activities on the coast HERE. But this trip was not about camping with the kids. It was about husband and wife time. Boy do I live couple time. It helps that I'm married to my favorite human being alive. So getting to spend one on one time with him is pretty great.

I Hotwired a hotel in Eureka and for $69 we stayed at the Red Lion Hotel.  It's clean and comfortable, but old. They have tried to update it, but it's almost like they didn't quite finish. And it smelled kinda like my Granny's house. Quinn stays here all the time for his work projects in Eureka, so it's not a dive or anything, just old. Hey, the price was right, and after all it was a night away with my hubby.

Like I mentioned, the drive over to Eureka from Redding is torturous. Not only is it winding, but there is a lot of construction. We were stopped in construction for about 45 minutes. But with no kids fighting in the back seat, it didn't bother me so much. Plus it gave me a break from the winding road.

In the morning we walked across the street to the Chalet House of Omelettes for breakfast. When we travel, we try to dine at local restaurants that we don't have in Redding. I love supporting local businesses and it gives you a better sense of community.  Anyway...very yummy breakfast. Check out their yelp posting HERE. (No picture...sorry folks)

Ida Emerson Hospice House
PC: http://www.hospiceofhumboldt.org/

Next stop was the Grand Opening and Ribbon Cutting Ceremony for the new Hospice of Humbuldt facility. Quinn was the architect over the project and we fully enjoyed hearing about this great organization and touring the buildings he designed.

Then on to lunch at "Cafe Nooner". Did you know they were featured on an episode of Food Network's Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives? Check out the video HERE. We shared the pulled pork sandwich featured and their classic hamburger. They were both delicious!

We toured around Old Eureka for a bit. It was really windy, so we didn't stay too long. But we found the best used book store, "Booklegger"! I could have spent hours in there! As it was, I came out empty handed. Just not enough time to make proper selection! Quinn did find a nice hardback book for $5.

Then we walked down the the water's edge where Quinn tried really hard to get a decent photo of me. But as you can see...it didn't go so well.  Haha. The curse of curly hair is that it's all stuck together, so when one strand gets caught in the wind, the whole thing takes flight!

We grabbed some treats at Ramone's Bakery and Cafe for the drive home. Then we hit the long road home.

Want to know more about the Northern California Coast? Check out my other posts:

Emerald Forest

Fern Canyon