Back to the motherland

Texas.
I love that state. I don't know if it's the hot and humid weather. Maybe it's the vast, dry terrain. Possibly the fact that you can drive for 16 hours and never leave the state, and never even have a change of scenery. I know all of that might not sound like that ideal place for someone to be, but that's where my roots are dug.

"You can take a boy out of Texas, but you can't take Texas out of the boy."

We say that all of the time back at home. It's kind of a reminder that we are just as much Texan as we are hungry at dinner time. There's no way to change what it is until you feed us a little bit of Texas.

Anyway, when I realized that Ia and I were going to be flying home just a week and a half after we had gotten to Humboldt county, I was happier than a cat on the couch with the dogs tied up!

So for the first week of October, the Young Adults had planned a weekend retreat. This was going to be an interesting retreat and unique in that this was going to be a YA men's and YA women's retreat happening simultaneously. The idea was that this weekend was going to give everybody an opportunity to come closer with other members of the same sex and form those closer bonds. We all know that even though our closest relationships are those with our spouses or significant others, guys relate differently with other guys as do the gals with other gals. So we figured that we would build these relationships by getting the guys out on a weekend pseudo-backpacking/survivalist campout and the getting the ladies out doing whatever it is that ladies do (it actually sounds like they had a lot of fun…but you should ask them about it).

So Ia and I flew in to San Antonio on a Thursday afternoon and were picked up by our good friends Gabe and Rachella. After checking in to the hotel and galavanting around town for a bit, we finally caught up with the rest of the YA crew that night. Then us guys left for Government Canyon the next morning.

The theme of this weekend (I'm only talking about the guys' now) was "3 days and 3 nights" a spin on the 40 days and 40 nights that Jesus spent in the wilderness. So what we focused on was how Jesus communicated with His Father and how we could become more like Him when it comes to our relationship and faithfulness with God. It was awesome seeing how God used the heat, aching feet, and long hikes to show us what He has done for us and how much we need Him.

Talking about aching feet and long hikes…that was no joke. On Friday we hiked about 3 miles (correct me if I'm wrong, guys) and about halfway through we were hungrier than Pathfinders at potluck. So once we reached one of our checkpoints, we sat down, took some time to thank God for the blessings we had, and started to cook from our camping stoves.

Believe it or not, we ate well that weekend! We used those freeze-dried meals that they sell, and they were awesome!! I didn't know that dried food could be so good. All we had to do was boil some water, mix, eat, and repeat.

As we continued our hike, it became apparent to us that we were not on a simple afternoon hike. In fact, we could start to feel our feet going numb. But that didn't change our countenance. We got to a few areas where photo-ops were taken advantage of.

Well, that night, we finally made it back to camp. We were preparing our dinner when we heard Gabe coming up the trail and he yelled, "Dude, I saw a snake!" So since we're all men, we ran to his aide in battling the serpent. We all saw it. It was a 3-foot - probably adolescent - diamond back rattlesnake. So being the peaceful human men we are, we decided to let him continue on his way across the trail into the grass. He wasn't rattling his tail or coiling up or anything, so he probably wasn't that much of a threat anyway. So we all went back to camp continuously looking over our shoulders. We got our campfire going and started dinner.

Now I'm going to tell you about how five of the manliest men you may know turned into tabletop kittens. We were all more scared than a fish in a fish tank at a chinese restaurant. As were were chowing on our carribean jerk rice and pasta alfredo, one of us (no names will be used in order to protect the innocent) belted out "AHH SSNNNAAAKKE!" in a high G-sharp. Simultaneously, five grown men - some even more grown than others - were on top of the picnic table holding rocks, blow guns, silverware, and flashlights. What happened to the food? That didn't matter! We were surrounded by snakes!!

Not the greatest pictures, I know…but we needed to capture some proof!

That night, these brave men fought off the serpents one rock at a time. They even utilized their only blowgun to send the rattlers on their way. Afterward, there were some semi-serious talks about ditching the tents and sleeping in the vehicles. Then one manly man, possibly the manliest man in the man group, said, "No. I'm sleeping in my tent! I ain't afraid of no deadly snakes!" (Ok, so I paraphrased a little.) So we gained our man points back when we had worship and kept the snakes away for good. Really! It was pretty amazing. We focused on God and turned off the lights to pray, once the flashlights were turned back on, we did not have any snake problems for the rest of the weekend.

Sabbath morning four of the five took off to the trails. One was left at camp for a peaceful day of reading and resting his feet from the treacherous hike of the the day before. It was something like 7 or 8 miles that we hiked that day. Truly an awesome experience. We were able to challenge ourselves as we took in all of the beauty that nature had to offer us in the Texan foothills.

 Look! Dinosaur tracks!!

This weekend was truly an awesome time for me. I don't think I will ever forget the times had here, and especially the relationships that were developed. I thank God for good friends and good times. He has proven time and time again that He is in control - even when it feels like life is just full of snakes. I will always know that I have these friends to be with me to fight them off and brave the darkness.

And he said: "The Lord is my rock and my fortress and my deliverer; the God of my strength, in whom I will trust; my shield and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold and my refuge; my Savior, You save me from violence. I will call upon the Lord, who is worthy to be praised; so shall I be saved from my enemies."

II Samuel 22:3-4 (NKJV)

Trinidad, Ca (Population: 364)

For those of you who know me well, you know that my ideal living situation is in a small ranch home in a small town just outside of the city. I don't want to see my neighbors, but when I do, I want to be able to ask them for a cup of sugar. I don't want to have to leash my dogs, but when I do, it has to be because they are going with me on a hike or to the beach. I would like to have the ability to go into my backyard in my skivvies, even though I probably wouldn't. If I go to the market or local restaurant, I would like to be greeted with, "Hey! You're back! How're ya doing?"

Well, Trinidad, California is the closest thing to all of that in northern California. You kind of have to be careful when driving by, because if you miss the exit over the hill, you will be driving to the next state park before you can turn around to come back! But let me tell you something, if you do happen to take the Trinidad exit, you're not gonna find much if you're looking for fine dining, shopping malls, and boutiques. However, if you take that Trinidad exit looking for beautiful scenery, great hiking trails, and beautiful sunset beaches…you've made it!!

The first week that we made it into Humboldt County (that's where all of the locals live…not "Eureka" or "Arcata" or "Trinidad"…"Humboldt County") we did everything but lit a fire underneath my nursing agent to get out of Eureka. They came through and placed us in this beautiful and quaint little town. They kept apologizing for housing me 30 minutes away from work, but believe me…it's totally ok. We feel safe and comfortable here. The community is not big enough or rich enough for all of the vagrants to come panhandling for drugs or money. Not to mention, these people here seem to be of a different culture. It almost seems like we're staying in a small town in northern Colorado rather than the other hippie towns in the bigger cities of this county.

Here's an example of the local "Humboldt hippie" style
(Not my photo…I Googled it)

This is a totally new culture to me. Not that I am unaccepting (I know that's not a word, but I can't think of a better one to use yet) of it, but it does take an adjustment of mindset and a practice of humility on my part. Meeting and greeting new and different cultures is part of what we have set out to do when we decided that we were going to be traveling. In fact, many of these people are peaceful and kind folks!

However, the people in Trinidad are not of the typical local style. Rather, I can imagine these folk tending to small shops and diners in a small town out side of Galveston. It really helps Ia and I ease in to the culture shock element.

Anyway, on my first day off from work in the hospital, Ia and I set out to explore the highlight of Trinidad. Trinidad State Beach is what keeps this little town on the map. This ocean access starts at the bottom of the hill where all of the vacation beach houses sit. Sitting between the Trinidad and Elk Heads (two small mountains sandwiching the beach between them) and spotted with numerous boulder-like islands, this picturesque flat is a great place to take a loved one, a couple of dogs, and a camera!

The other beautiful thing about this beach is that it's less than ten minutes from our front door!!

This is the view from atop Trinidad Head. You can see Elk Head across the way.

Another thing that a few may know about me, is that I have acquired my mother's fascination with lighthouses…and Trinidad has one!! 

(That's Trinidad Head on the right side of the picture, so Trinidad State Beach is outside of the frame to the right of the Head.)

The view from the lighthouse.

Ground level at the beach.

I'm thinking I can get used to this :)

The Lord is my strength and song, And he has become my salvation; He is my God, and I will praise Him; My father's God, and I will exalt Him.

Exodous 15:2 (NKJV)

Eureka (and Humboldt County) in a nutshell

This is going to be a quick little post with very few pictures. That way I can get all of the information about our current location out there and then we can move on with the more photogenic blogs.

Once Ia and I rolled into Eureka, one of the first things we noticed was that there was a Wal-Mart…in the mall. Yep, if there is any way to accurately describe what the local community is like in one statement, tell them that the only Wal-Mart in the whole county is in the only mall in the whole county.

When we told people that we were going to Eureka, California, the most common response that we got was a blank stare and a small reassuring smile followed by a slow nod. Then once we mentioned that it was in a section of California called Humboldt County, a few more people lit up and said, "Oh! I've heard about Humboldt County. You know what Humboldt County is known for, don't you?" Quite frankly, I had no idea. After some shallow research, I got a glimpse of what they were talking about. But once we actually arrived to our hotel in Eureka and showed up for my first day of work at St. Joseph hospital (one of the only acute care hospitals in the county) we very quickly realized where we were.

Humboldt County houses one of the most beautiful national forests in America - The Redwood National Forest. The foggy, moist weather and proper soil and sunshine provides all of the essential elements for the worlds largest trees to grow. It ALSO provides all of the essential elements (including seclusion and concealment) for the growing of marijuana and other illegal drugs.

The homeless rate in Eureka is astounding as well. I was told that the census states that there are just about 27,000 people living in Eureka, but that does not take into account for the estimated 1,200 homeless people living there. Quite an amazing number when you actually see it with your own eyes.

Anyway, Ia and I were finally able to get out of that scary little hotel in downtown Eureka and into a nice little vacation home tucked away into the redwoods, in a town about 30 minutes north of Eureka, called Trinidad.

Here's the view everyday I wake up on a day off…

Now stay tuned for my rundown of my personal favorite town in Humboldt County, Trinidad!