The Lost Coast, we found it;…

...The Ocean, she was beautifully angry; The Wind, he gusted ferociously; His Ass, it rumbled violently…



With my son Omar having a week off for Spring Break I decided it was the perfect time to tear myself away from work and spend some time with my boy and our dog, Max. We talked about heading down south to watch a couple of baseball games but decided instead to take a trip north to the Lost Coast, specifically Shelter Cove.

I typically don’t mind winging a trip but with my son in tow I figured that having absolutely no plan at all was a bad idea so I sent a couple of messages to Eric (forever AbKing to me) to gather some information since I had never been up there before.  Even then the plan was very loose.  We packed just enough to ensure we could manage a night out in the middle of nowhere and were on a way.

This was our first long trip with Max, owner of the rumbling ass, and he did really well.  I realized though that I haven’t taken the time to teach him proper car farting etiquette. The flatulence of an English Bulldog is nothing to mess around with.  He would cut one and seemed to know what he did because he’d sit there with his tongue hanging out of his mouth with a look on his face like he was laughing about it.



What a long, but relaxing, drive.  The beauty of the area helps me to realize why it is that Eric seems to enjoy life so much.  The closer we got to the cove the more it seemed my own life’s worries seemed to fade away.  The view of the cove from the bluff was simply amazing.  I knew then, even before actually getting there, that the cove would easily be one of my favorite places one that I’ll likely visit over and over as long as I’m able to.

Once at the cove it was time for lunch so we parked at Abalone Point and had a couple of sandwiches while enjoying the view.  Max really liked the view too, he sat by the bench staring out into the ocean enjoying the breeze.





With lunch over we headed down to the rocks between the lighthouse and the launch to try our hand at fishing from the rocks.  I spent most of the time rigging the rods and chasing Max around while Omar fished.  He was really looking forward to catching himself some dinner but the wind didn’t seem to be on his side and so he went fishless.  Still though, he took it in stride and accepted that even without fish for dinner the beauty of the area made the drive worthwhile.







Now it was time to think about where we would stay and decided that while the weather wasn’t the best it wouldn’t be too bad of an idea to camp. When we went to check in at the camp ground we found that it was closed on Mondays but that you are allowed to self check in and pay the next day.  The camp ground was mostly empty, there was only one other set of campers there when we arrived. We chose our spot and started to put the tent up in the wind and then set up our chairs and prepared ourselves for some relaxation time.  What I needed though was some coffee and Omar wanted some hot chocolate so we walked down towards the café in search of our warm drinks.  Unfortunately it was closed…but fortunately the bakery was open so we opted to buy a pizza for dinner instead of having sandwiches again.   By the time we got back to camp though the pizza was cold.





The next order of business was a fire.  I had planned enough to know that I would need some firewood so we pulled up a fire ring and started to work on starting the flames.  Omar pulled out a wad of “old man’s beard” from his pocket and reminded me that Andy (FishMaster) had taught him that it could be used to start a fire.



Thanks Andy for teaching my son survival skills.  I’ll be sure to send him your way when it’s time for “the talk”.

With the fire started, we sat and enjoyed pizza, a coke and conversation all while sitting under the beautiful star lit sky and listening to the Giants beat the Rockies.

The next morning we lazily got up and started to pack for our trip back.  As we reached highway 101 I figured that there would be traffic down south near Santa Rosa so what better way to avoid it than to drive a bit over an hour north to Eureka to have lunch at the Lost Coast Brewery.  I was a bit disappointed that they didn’t have outside seating that would make it easy to watch Max if we left him in the bed of the truck and since we didn’t want to leave him locked up in the truck we decided to order to go and then ate in the parking lot.





After lunch we headed home.  It was one heck of a drive but very well worth it to spend time with Omar. He’s growing up quick and I sometimes worry that I’m rubbing off on him a bit too much but I’m happy to report that this trip re-affirmed that he’s growing up to be a great human being and I’m positive that he’ll continue to give me a lot to be proud of.

One question I had though was that the fish cleaning stations had a sign up that said asked that the stations only be used when absolutely necessary.  Why is that?  Will it be OK to use them for GS7?

Enjoy my instagram photos! 

Hell yeah Angel!!!!

Stoked you and your son got up there!!

Your pics and write up do a GREAT job of sharing the beauty of that special place!!   

You mailed in your GS7 paperwork yet?? Hope so!!

Thanks for sharing buddy!

 

Sincerely,

Jim

That was a fantastic account of your trip, Angel, and way to go for focusing on your relationship with Omar as he grows into a man.  That's the best.   

As for the cleaning station, I'm not sure what's up with that - I'll try to find out.

I'm glad you and Omar had a fun trip.

Thank you for sharing your Father & Son time with us.  I miss SC a lot and can't wait to get up there in May.

Thanks for sharing, sounds like you had a great time with you son. 

Times like that will never be forgotten, by either of you.

   Great story,  and great photos's !       Thanks   

Your report reflects the meaning on life...nice job with your son. 

Those are some great pics Angel. I love Shelter Cove it is just so peaceful there.

My wife asked me why I was smiling while I was reading your post. I read the part about max's flatulence problem and she started smiling. That was to funny.

Great stories, for a lifetime

Right on, Angel.

Can't wait 'til Derik and I get away by ourselves like that.

Very cool, Angel. Reminds me of all the North Coast camping trips I've gone on with my pops.

Thanks for sharing your trip.  It made my morning.

Josh

Looks like a great trip.  Love that brewery.

That's great a story, you got skills as a writer, and more importantly a father too.  I remember trips like that with my son, they're important and do create memories that might not come up for years, but they're in there like seeds that will sprout out sometime in the future.

Thanks for the pics too, someday I got to get up there.