Two days out and already major events have transpired. After a terrific send-off by our friends Cheryl and Mid at a farewell brunch, we set out for Eureka to meet up with Kate's niece Melissa and her husband Nate. We had a pleasant, uneventful trip north. No sooner had we arrived than we acquired a new fellow traveler -- a very friendly 5-year old mastiff named Burt Reynolds.* We think Burt will be the ideal companion on our adventure. It's a long story.....

Burt Reynolds

Burt and Kate get to know each other

We stayed the night in our rig after a dinner of home made pizza and chicken soup with Melissa and Nate.  The next day we visited the two cafes owned by Melissa and her partners -- the Beachcomber Bayside and the Beachcomber Trinidad. We had a great lunch at one of the Beachcombers and then hiked at Trinidad State Beach with Melissa.  

Adorning the Beachcomber Bayside is a statue fashioned by Melissa from scrap metal and other castoffs. Melissa is working on a larger, more elaborate version now -- destined for Burning Man (bringing Woman to Man, says Melissa)

A great visit. We look forward to seeing Melissa and Nate in Palo Alto sometime soon. Now we're off to Ashland, Oregon.

*Just kidding about the dog. I offered to rent Burt Reynolds for the year, but Melissa turned me down flat.