Posted 2:08 PM by Floyd

I have always wanted to go up to northernmost California for one of the fall bridge tournaments held there. I have been in California for twelve years and have never been further north than Santa Rosa.

This year Sherry and I made plans to attend the Eureka Sectional. I poked around on the web for a bed and breakfast, made reservations (at The Carter Inn, of which more later), and found out the tournament schedule.

I am between jobs now but Sherry is still working. On Friday I did everything possible to prepare for the trip so that we could leave the instant she got home. Even so when Sherry arrived a little after five we both thought of some last minute chores. We hit the road at 5:30.

The drive from Woodside to Eureka is 310 miles. We would take 280 to 19th Avenue in the city, cross the Golden Gate Bridge and take 101 all the way; once we got into Eureka 101 would become a main street and we could turn left to our hotel. Simple directions are what I like.

By leaving as late as we did we would hit rush hour in and around San Francisco. There was a little backup at the 380 merge but otherwise 280 was fine. Traffic moved fine through the city and we hit most of the lights on 19th. Nor was there any congestion in Marin. The first real jam occurred in Santa Rosa. It was 7:20 so we exited and looked for a place to eat dinner. Sherry wanted to find Chinese -- she knew good Chinese in Eureka was unlikely -- but all we could see were a Chili's and a Fresh Choice. So we had salad and soup for dinner.

We returned to the road at 8:10 after having driver around 90 miles. It was of course dark. For awhile as we drove through Sonoma County 101 was a 4-lane divided highway. Further north it became two lanes with occasional passing lanes. Around Ukiah there were elevation changes, and some places where construction was being performed. I had to drive a curvy road with steep inclines and declines, with a divider at my right and oncoming traffic to my left. This was really tough at night. I'm just not made for long trips anymore; the longest drive we usually do is the 85 miles to Monterey. It was very discouraging to have driven 200 miles and to realize that we were still further from Eureka than Monterey is from our house.

The last two hours were the worst. The terrain was still mountainous. I was tired, which made me want to push it even harder. But we made it to the hotel just short of midnight.

The staff said they would leave the key for us in the mailbox. There was no key in the mailbox but we did see two people in the lobby. One was the proprietor, so he was able to let us in. He poured me a glass of port, asked a few questions about me, and made suggestions about how we could tour the area. I was too tired to be of much use to the conversation.

The room was very nice: Unfinished wood furniture, an abstract painting on the walls, and a tapestry which hung on the wall and over the bed. The web page had advertised a jacuzzi; this turned out to be built into the bathtub. The window had been left open; I guess there's no point living in Eureka unless you like fresh cold air. I shut the window and Sherry and I relaxed a bit, then fell asleep around 1 a.m.

Saturday was our day to play bridge. There was a two-session pairs with sessions at 10 and 4. This is a recent innovation; sectionals used to hold their Saturday pair games at 1 and 7 or 7:30. I like the 10/4 schedule when travelling; playing at 4 leaves time for a nice evening afterward, and we usually skip the morning session when driving down the same day. When I am playing sectionals close to home I prefer starting at 1 so I can sleep in.

The 10 a.m. start time did not leave us much time for sleep. Sherry was tired in the morning; I was sharp in the morning but drowsy in the afternoon. The event was held in the Grange Hall, 5 miles south of the hotel. There were two sections of nine tables.

The field was rather weak, which I expected. A bridge report shall follow; here I will mention only that we did not do well in either session. But there were some interesting hands and we had fun. We also saw my friend Emil's mother, who was playing both sessions. She was very gracious and suggested that we visit Trinidad Head.

After the second session were were quite tired, so we returned to the hotel without waiting for our final scores. Then we showered in preparation for our dinner at 301, which the the Carter Inn's four-star restaurant. We had a delightful dinner. I didn't like the start; my potato and arugula soup was bitter, and I made the mistake of eating one of Sherry's raw oysters, which I found disgusting. But the fish entrees were outstanding. I had sturgeon with a sprinkling of caviar that gave it a pleasant saltiness; Sherry had a tasty halibut. Dessert was fantastic; I had a flourless chocolate cake garnished with blackberries, blueberries, and raspberry sauce. It was so rich I could not finish it all. Sherry had chocolate ice cream.

Sunday we hit a used bookstore and came out with eight books for $40. Then we went sightseeing. We drove further north through Arcata to Trinidad Head. This is a promontory which is surrounded on about 270 degrees by water. You can hike all around it and enjoy ocean views from all sides. It was a clear day with little wisps of fog in the distance.

I haven't mentioned the weather so I will do so now. Eureka is probably the coldest place in the continental US at sea level -- during the summer, that is. During our stay in Eureka the temperature maxed out at 65 degrees. The highest temperature ever recorded in Eureka is only 86 degrees!

We returned to Eureka for a late lunch at the Six Rivers Brewing Company. The food and beer were tasty. Then Sherry took the wheel for the ride home. I relaxed with an Agatha Christie novel and read half the time and enjoyed the scenery half the time. One source of amusement was the thermometer in the car. When we left Eureka it was 63. As we drove inland it rose steadily; when we got gas after driving 50 miles it had risen to 70. The temperature rose even more throughout the afternoon, and maxed out at around 83 while we were in Mendocino County. This was at around six, so the temperature started dropping as the sun fell lower. By the time we stopped for a leak and to change drivers in Corte Madera, it was 74. Then there was a big drop at the bridge, and temperatures were in the low 60's in San Francisco and San Bruno, where we had dinner at Inya Lake, my favorite Burmese restaurant. The temperature briefly rose to the high 60's on 280 in the San Mateo highlands, at which point I was so eager to see home again that I stopped paying attention.

I got a little ahead of myself describing the weather. On the way back we saw ads for The Drive-Thru Tree. There's a sucker born every minute; my turn was on an August day in 1967. So we payed $3 and snuck our Subaru through a 6-foot wide hole in a redwood.

I finished the mystery novel (Murder with Mirrors) on the way back, and was pleased to have figured out the murderer and most of the motive. As we descended toward the Golden Gate Bridge we had a fanstastic view; it was twilight, which meant that the bridge and the city were lit up, but there was just enough light for us to see the mass of the city, shaded a dull blue.