Tuesday, February 4, 2014

THE Trip, THE Encore' :: Somoa, Sand, History, Surprises.

Copyright 2014, CABS for Reflections From the Fence

May 20, 2013

After our wonderful lunch at Somoa Cook House we decided to drive down to the end of the peninsula and see what there was to see.  Time for discovery moments.  Translated, that means, Man and I have not researched the area, we are just going to go see what we can see, discover what is here.

We found a small parking lot, and stopped.  The beach was lovely here.


The sea mist clouded the long views.  I do believe someone is taking a thoughtful slow walk, wasn't us, we were still too full of our yummy lunch, so we just enjoyed a few minutes of observation, and of course, listened to the waves rolling.  Cleansing sounds.


Other visitors took advantage of the sea breezes to fly kites.


At the end of the peninsula, we discover the Somoa Dunes Recreation area.  This is a 300 acre park, with a huge hunk of history attached.  It was the land of the Wiyot Indians.  They gathered shellfish here, and discarded the remains in large piles, some of those piles, they say, can still be found around the park. In 1852 Fort Humboldt was built near by. In 1860, per signage, the tribe was subjected to a massacre, ending their life in the area as they knew it.

There was a lighthouse built in 1856.  By 1892 it was abandoned, fallen to the ravages of Mother Nature, rain, sand, wind and sea.

During World War II the US Government put ammunition bunkers here.  The Coast Guard was responsible for guarding the coastline in this area.  During a brief bit of research I found no other information on the internet about these interesting structures.


OHV riding is permitted here, this biker went zooming past so fast I had some difficulty capturing him. Per the web site cited above:

"Facilities include an unloading ramp, restroom, tables, cooking grills and a scenic overlook. . From the staging area, riders have easy access to 140 acres of "open" terrain, containing numerous trails and the beach strand. An additional new 75-acre riding area known as Eureka Dunes is now open to OHV use and extends about 1 mile north of the park. The rest of the beach and dunes along the peninsula are closed to vehicle use, except by special permit from the county."


Always enjoy a lovely view, and yes, there is a bunker tucked in down there.

It is almost impossible to wrap your mind around the fact that this area is also know as the "Graveyard of the Pacific".  On the signage at the park there are at least 40 shipwrecks noted, starting as far back as 1850, the last in 1963.  The accidents are blamed on large and unpredictable waves which send ships crashing into the rocks and beach.


Tucked in by the stairs, some lovely wild iris.  One of my favorite flowers, and for sure, a favorite color.


There is Man on top of this bunker, reading the signage.


As we head back to Eureka, and Tana, this is not a bad view to end our stay in this area.  The next day we will head a little further north.


Our lunch and day trip to Somoa was very pleasant, a nice way to wile away a afternoon.




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1 comment:

Jana Iverson Last said...

What fun! I've never heard of this place before. Thanks for sharing!