rain on the hill

hard to believe, but we're finally seeing some rain push in off the pacific and then find its way the 150 or so miles across the coast range and trinity alps to our little corner of the north valley. so far, in the last four days, we've gotten one pretty good soaking (for us, anyway) and a couple of hours of drizzle and spitting yesterday. tomorrow nothing expected, but then we should get into a pretty sweet pattern for a few days, with a nice system swirling our way. fingers crossed here...

otherwise, kind of quiet at present. the upside is that we're taking off on sunday for one of our favorite places to hide out, eat great fresh pacific seafood, and drink obscure far north coast wines, and I'm way past ready for the break. most of the half-dozen or so of you who know me and/or read this will know that likely means we're bound for the little coastal hamlet of trinidad, located off highway 101 just about 15 or so miles north of beautiful eureka, land of ancient redwoods and more recently seeded marijuana plantations. and you'd be right.

as for the obscure wines, more later, because some of them are remarkably good considering they're generally not found outside a three or four county area (humboldt, mendocino, shasta, and maybe trinity), and then only on a hit-and-miss basis. first, though, a heads-up for any of you planning a trip to or through the eureka/arcata/trinidad area anytime soon: two recent discoveries of ours are the emerald forest inn (a jewel of a back-to-the-past little lodge/motel hidden in the redwoods just outside trinidad), and a tiny restaurant called the eatery, in trinidad's picturesque "downtown" area a few blocks from the waterfront.

the emerald forest inn is an institution of many years' time, and is best described as what it undoubtedly began its life: a forest lodging for those who value peace, quiet, and close commune with nature. the accommodations consist of a grouping of cozy little individual cabins of varying interior layout and levels of creature comfort, according to the size of your party and desire for amenities, as well as a camping ground for those who prefer to tent-and-sleeping-bag-it, and extensive space is reserved for the use of the rv set. the cabins are clean, snug, and well appointed, prices are reasonable, management is responsive, and your neighbors are usually quietly considerate, with no after-hours nonsense. we recommend.

the eatery is pretty much what it sounds like: a small, homey, neighborhood-type restaurant sitting unobtrusively on trinidad's little main drag that winds to the waterfront. the service is attentive and conscientious, if not professional; the wine list is small, but with interesting regional/local efforts offered by the glass; the food is reasonably priced,  fresh and very well-prepared, more or less simply, and is always good, if not even better. again, we recommend.

okay, time for bed. we're leaving early in the morning for the coast: eureka (love the old downtown district, especially the bookstores and bars); trinidad, for the reasons mentioned above; and points north and south. more when we return, including wines, which I've run out of time and space to discuss tonight.

don't forget to vote.