A small side trip from that route took me to this geocache:
http://www.geocaching.com/geocache/GCRG ... 8f765e91e2
Located here:
This was the end of the bridge over the Klamath that was wiped out in 1964. The interpretive sign reveals that 420 (yes!) feet of the bridge were lost in this storm. Here's the end of the new bridge:
The bears are painted gold on the new bridge, but they are not as massive as the bears on the old bridge. Northward I went to Crescent City, and Point St. George. There is a St. George lighthouse, but it can't be seen from land, as it is eight miles offshore. I believe this collection of structures had to do with servicing the offshore light:
But I could be wrong. A short hop down Pebble Beach Drive got me to another geocache:
http://www.geocaching.com/geocache/GC1X ... 0e54f584ab
Quickly found, and back to Crescent City proper. CC is a curious place. As a surfer, I'm looking for places where the sea bottom has a certain contour (bathymetry) to produce the waves I'd like to ride. Crescent City itself is in a place where the bathymetry is such that they get seriously hosed in tsunami events, like in 1964. That was not a good year for my part of NorCal--I'm glad I hadn't been born yet.
Between tsunami devastation and a general decline in the local industries (logging, fishing), CC was looking for something to help their local economy. They thought they found in when the Prison Industrial Complex came to town in the 80s to build this. One of those things that seemed like a good idea at the time. A local told me that the PIC folk said "Jobs, jobs, JOBS!" and the powers that were said "Yes, yes, YES!" But there's a funny thing about big public works projects in remote rural areas--no one living there is a member of the right unions, nor do any of them have the skills to get to journeyman level during the time it takes to build the project. So the first round of jobs went to out-of-towners. But what about the guard jobs? It takes a certain personality to be a prison guard, and particularly as this is a maximum security facility, there are very few who want to take that on. So the second round of jobs also went to the out of towners.
There was a third whammy with this whole prison business--when you move 3500 prisoners out to the boondocks, many of their families will move to the boondocks to be close to Daddy. As it is next to a town with only 7000 people, it doesn't take much for the families to become a significant part of the population. A part that lacks a breadwinner and may have its own checkered relationship with law enforcement. Social service workloads doubled and tripled. Yowza!
Enough history and editorializing, because it was time for lunch. Cazadores, near the junction of Northcrest and Washington:
Nice food, pleasant Latinos and Latinas running the place, but I am despairing of finding a decent Mission burrito north of McKinleyville on the coast. Time to go back South.
On the way, I got caught behind a long line of slowpokes and stopped for a moment to get some clear road in front of me and did so here, where I've been meaning to take a pic or two for years:
There used to be a sign offering to do this to your roof, but I think that guy has moved on. From there, back home safely, mischief managed again.