Passing Through Rio Dell, CA

 

I had a job interview in Rio Dell a few months back. When I went, it had just been snowing up in the mountains. I looked up after the interview and saw this giant mountain covered in snow. Unfortunately, by the time I made my way back there, the snow had melted so I didn't get a picture of it. I did manage to get a few pictures of the town though.

The above picture is of a sign I took featuring the city limit. Behind me, is a huge bridge, and beyond that bridge leads to Scotia, CA (a town known for their lumber industry). 

The way I came was actually the opposite way though. I live in Eureka, so I'm up more north in the opposite direction. The photo above this text is a photo I got from my car on the way to Rio Dell.

The town is pretty tiny, and you'd have to take an off-ramp from the 101 to get to it, but it does have an interesting history to it.

The people of the Wiyot, Mattole, and Nongati tribes were originally here. The actual city of Rio Dell though, you could say was established 1876. That's when the first post office was put in. The city was officially incorporated in 1965. It got its name from a local business owner, Lorenzo Painter, who owned the Rio Dell Hotel. He named this hotel after he joined the Spanish word for "river" and the English word for "small, forest valley."

The post office now.

Here is the bridge leading to Scotia. Back in the early days though, a flood in 1905 destroyed the bridge that connected Rio Dell and Scotia. They had to take a ferry to go work at the mill in Scotia. This lasted for 9 years, when a suspension bridge was put in to connect the two towns over the Eel River. The bridge put in was important to the community. So much so, that when a fire erupted in the town of Rio Dell in 1928, the Scotia fire department was concerned the bridge was too risky to cross due to potential harm the fire could do to it, so they couldn't help put it out. 

You can see how wide the Eel River is, it creates quite the separation between the two towns. 

A picture of the opposite site of the bridge and the view from there. It shows the Redwood Highway Bridge. This is the bridge you would take if you're on your way to Eureka from somewhere more south, like Ukiah. 

The bridge connecting Scotia to Rio Dell is called the Eagle Prairie Bridge.

Back to the original side we were on (the one not facing the Redwood Highway Bridge), I spotted a rusty structure in the trees. Also, look at that steep slope downward.

It looks like there's a little trail leading down from the top here to the Eel River. 

A waterfall from the mountain to the river.

Originally I wasn't going to put in this photo. It shows the water from the waterfall trickling into the river. However, if you zoom in a bit, it looks like there's something square there to the right of the creek. It looks too square to just be a rock, so I'm thinking it's manmade, maybe a lunchbox? With the trail featured two photos above, I'm going to assume that maybe the locals come down and fish or swim on warm days. 

Lets turn back and focus on the town again though. As you can see from the photo, the main drag of the town has a western look. That sums up the history of Rio Dell though. The wild, wild west in the mountains of Northern California. 

The fire I was talking about earlier was started by a moonshine still. Because the fire department in Scotia couldn't come to help, it's said the residents threw bootlegged wine on the fire to try and put it out. 

That's what this town was known for though - bootlegging, moonshine, prostitution, fighting, and gambling. Most of the men would work in Scotia, then would kick loose in Rio Dell across the river. This city earned itself an intimidating reputation, and men from surrounding towns, even as far up north as Eureka, would come to partake in the various illegal activities featured here. This city was wild, and the main street's name was, and remains to this day, Wildwood Avenue. 

There are tiny details alluding to this town's past. Even going into a local convenient store, I saw these handles that give off a very western vibe. 

Other than taking photos, my other goal for visiting was to go to a local Rio Dell pizza place called "Rio Dell Pizza Factory." My husband went there when he was a kid passing through the town to play baseball against their team, and he remembered loving it. I didn't get any other photos of the inside because all of the chairs were up and many lights were off due to Covid, but I thought it was nice they had good, old-fashioned arcade games here. The town definitely embraces nostalgia in many ways. 

As we were walking back to the car after getting the pizza (which was pretty great), and getting my photos, I saw these cute goats right there on the main street. It summed up the whole experience for me. It's a tough town, with its quirks too.

Now, I know I get readers from all over, so I just want to clarify something to anyone reading this. The town has some good pizza, and I'd say is worth a drive through if you're ever passing through. But just be careful going through here. Crime can be high, and while this city has many great individuals, it also can have some not-so-great individuals too. I almost had a run in with some troublemakers in my short visit here. So if you're from out of the area, please pass through. Take a look at the beautiful scenery and landscape, say hi to the goats, grab some pizza, maybe find a shop to go into (if there are any open), then go to Scotia and stay longer there. They're a tiny town too, but they have a beautiful historical inn that attracts a lot of great tourists which keeps the area clean. While I'm not trying to throw Rio Dell under the bus, I just want any potential visitors knowing what this town is fully like before they come.

So there you have it. Rio Dell is a small mountain town that made its' stamp in the wild, wild west. There's not too much to it, but it's become home to a lot of hardworking people who have been a part of the lumber industry just across the river. And they're a fully incorporated city, with law enforcement, schools, sports, city jobs, and all the like. When I visited places like the areas featured on my blog "Pennsylvania - The Rust Belt," I saw a lot of tiny towns that had faded into nothing due to the loss of jobs and people living in those areas. I don't know if that will happen to Rio Dell, but I genuinely hope they continue growing into a stronger community. We can't forget about places like this that made up our country, or the people in them. I hope, wherever you are, you go to your local tiny town and support it in some way. I know I'll be back visiting Rio Dell soon. 

The North Jetty of Samoa, California (Nature Shots)

This is the second segment to my blog about the Samoa Peninsula. The last blog focused on the history of the Samoa Dunes and Beach. But there was so much beauty when going through the area, I had to make a separate blog focusing on all of the breathtaking nature and landscape. 

If you want the history of the area, please read my other blog here: https://www.theskeletonkeyandshe.com/2021/02/the-samoa-dunes-and-beach-overview.html

The parking lot I usually park at is the last parking lot available before you hit the beach. This parking lot is my favorite because it has these beautiful trees all around. The moss reminds me of when I lived in South Carolina. There's also bathrooms here, and bear-proof trash cans. 

I've never camped here, or ridden an ATV on the dunes, but I love the North Jetty immensely. It's a stunning walk to get to the end of the Jetty, which is its' most magnificent feature. The area is also filled with a rich history, and you can see those landmarks all over the place. Then there's the fog horn - every time I've gone here it's been going off. It's a soothing sound and reminds me of nautical ghost stories I used to read and watch growing up. Please read my other blog if you want to hear the fog horn.

I love this area, I got eloped here with my husband. He was joining the navy and in order to stay together, we had to get eloped. So we got a woman from the Humboldt County Courthouse to walk with us all the way out to the end, and marry us. We eventually had a big ceremony about a year later, but this was a special, small event for us to cherish. 

I thought I'd show anyone who reads this blog some nature photos of the beach, so you can see its' magic too. 

On this particular adventure to the Jetty, I went with a coworker and friend of mine. We walked up onto this part of the Jetty. We heard a fair amount of of seals around us, but didn't see any. We're still a fair distance away from the end.

A view of the rocks from faraway.

They're actually doing a project right now where they're adding more rocks to reinforce the Jetty.

By definition, a jetty is "a breakwater constructed to protect or defend a harbor, stretch of coast, or riverbank." 

If you skim through these top four photos quickly, you can see the action of a wave coming down the rocks and creating the pool.

Waves on rocks, with mist and mountains in the background.

(My favorite photo of the day was the one right above this text)

The waves at the Jetty can get huge - they can even take the local seagulls by surprise. 

A view of where we just walked from. There are parts of the Jetty that have gaping holes (a picture of that to come later), so you have to walk on the beach. From the parking lot to the end of the Jetty, there's a big curve of the Jetty you walk along (or beside) until it turns straight, then it's a straight-shot to the end. 

A break in the waves - the serene calm of the ocean.

 

It's almost like a long pier -

With dunes on the other side.

Sometimes the grass from the dunes mixes with the pier-like walkway.

This is a small version of the gaps that can be on the path of the Jetty - sometimes they're even bigger. To the point where you can't even go around them, and have to walk down on the sand.

As you can see on our walk, a lot of the place is crumbling and rusted all over. It is a decrepit place in some aspects. This is also a very dangerous place to be when the waves are high. On particular stormy days, many people will be walking along the path, and a wave comes over and pulls them into the ocean. 

Little birds sitting on a rock.

Little birds sitting on the Jetty (they're blended in pretty well).

  

The end of the Jetty - a photo with mist, and one without it. 

Now we're starting to come into the "dolo" section of the Jetty.

The water going through the small rocks, creating a tide pool.

Just a reminder from my last blog: 

"Dolos are made out of concrete and are poured into a steel mold that's shaped almost like an anchor, but others would say they look like those old toys called jacks. They can be as heavy as 80 tons, and they help manage waves in channels like these."

The force of the waves against all of that concrete and steel.

You can see the numbers on the bottom of the dolos. 

  Big birds on the dolos - looking for their breakfast.

Looks like one found something!

A buoy in the water. This reminds me of all the fishermen who come out to the North Jetty to fish. It's a popular spot. 

The waves can get enormous and hit the dolos. The pressure between the two causes a light, sea-salted air to caress your face up here. 

You can also see the buoy in the background. 

This is the perspective when you're at the end of the Jetty, ands you turn around. You've just walked through the pathway of the dolos, and are at a circular opening. There's a small coast guard tower behind you, and giant dolos going around the circular spot. 

It may not seem like it, but to walk from where I parked, to the end of the Jetty, was 1.21 miles (not including the walk back). I put it on a Google Maps for you, but you can see the bundle of trees I parked under, and the entire walk down. And I know, 1.21 miles isn't that much - but when you're climbing down the slope of the Jetty to avoid the gaping holes, then trudging through sand, to climbing back up the slope to get off of the sand (the slope does get lower to the sand the closer you get to the shore), it can be exhausting. 

It's truly a beautiful walk though. With safety in mind, I encourage anyone in this area to go on it for themselves. Go explore the whole area if you can. Just from this photo, you can see the coast guard station, the ATV trails, and the bunkers are camouflaged in here somewhere. There's also the south Jetty too, which I've heard has more sea glass on its' beach. 

If you can't ever make it to the North Jetty, then I hope you enjoyed your virtual walk with me. If you can, please go see this place. It's a beautiful area, filled with waves, fisherman, animals, and life.