My reasons for celebrating however went beyond just the one day. It was the whole weekend I so appreciated (along with the reason for it, HSU recognized Chavez day as a holiday to cancel Monday's classes) because I had family come and see me. My mom and my cousin Alice arrived Thursday afternoon in time for my classes to finish, leaving (most) of my evening free to spend time with them as unfortunately the weekend also required that I finish a lot of writing assignments...all of which are now complete (and if I may boast, sport fairly decent grades too). Mom brought me the best present ever, a piece of art made by a special cousin in Florida.
Due to the Thursday evening time constraints, Alice and mom and I only had time to catch up a bit and share a meal at the Plaza Grill in Arcata. I had an absolutely delicious hamburger. Then I went back to my room and wrote and wrote and wrote. The next day was more fun, once I finished classes I met up with Alice and mom and we went all around the campus. The weather was very nice but a bit warm. Later we ate at another restaurant with my friend Emmy. We always have fun when mom comes to visit as college students don't get to eat out much. We got to go for ice cream too. If anyone comes to Arcata to see me (or later on to see the redwoods) I highly suggest going to Arcata Scoop, they have delicious products.
Finally came Saturday, the first real weekend day. The weather was more cloudy yet abstained from raining, perfect as far as I am concerned. Mom and Alice got to meet David. First we had breakfast at Renata's Creperie (another place to definitely find yourself a patron) and I was the only one to have a sweet crepe which was delicious. Mom told some stories of yours truly growing up. I was fascinated, they were new stories to me. After breakfast we went walking on Mad River Beach. Mom and I walked together talking about our Alaskan friends and catching up, Alice and David walked ahead talking about computers, a mutual interest of theirs. It was a lovely day to be outside. Unfortunately we couldn't spend the whole day outdoors as I had more work to do. We met up again later for dinner. This time it was a small bistro in Eureka where mom and I had been on a previous visit. I ate so much food but before it was served I filled out my absentee Anchorage ballot, not an easy feat in the dimly lit restaurant.
That night I stayed with Mom in the hotel. She and I went down to the pool, where we met two charming children. The boy was about Colin's age. The girl was a bit older. Her name was Jayci. She was only eleven, but from little prompting from me she told me of her aspirations to go to university in the state of Oregon and study to be an orthodontist. She convinced me to leave the hot tub and enter the cooler pool. I hadn't swam in a while, but we had races and floating contests and more conversation. She taught me how to do an underwater handstand as this was something I had never attempted before. In a couple attempts I figured out the proper positioning, but with less speed and finesse as Jayci who has had more practice. Before bed mom showed me an absolutely adorable Easter Peep's commercial that became a shared joke for us the rest of the weekend. If you have the curiosity and a minute to spare, feel free to see the link below and watch for yourselves.
The next day was Easter Sunday. Alice, mom and I piled in to our rental car to drive down to the Avenue of the Giants (another place worth seeing here) and look around. Mom drove. We did look at the amazing trees and numerous informational signs. One depicted an alternate route back to the main highway of 101, reputed to be more scenic. In the Alaskan way, mom and I decided to check this out with only one (likely highly outdated) sign. It was supposed to be a short ways, but the road ended up being a lot longer than that. We hadn't planned ahead and purchased any lunch. We thought for a minute we were going the wrong way but eventually found out it was right after all. We came upon a small store that was just about to close but not before we got some snacks (and popsicles) for the rest of the drive. The first part and last of the drive were the most beautiful. Back at the hotel I made significant progress on my homework.
Monday was the best of the days. We met again with David and had breakfast at a local cafe. Again, I had a sweeter breakfast. Then we drove north to Fern Canyon. I slept most of the way there and was surprised to find how quickly we found ourselves an hour away from Arcata. Fern Canyon is awesome. I am not sure my words will do it justice. To get there it is necessary to drive first through a large puddle and later through two streams. Once the parking lot is reached it is only a short walk to get to Fern Canyon and the creek. There is a trail that goes up above then canyon and looks down into it that is really cool and not very long. It is only a loop if on the way back hikers walk through the creek, which is possible. This Mom, David and I did, Alice opted to go back along the trail. The creek is not that deep nor fast moving. Most areas have fallen logs in strategic places. These I did not need, my neoprene rain boots did the job for me.
Fern Canyon is not a large canyon. I don't think it was more than 15 feet tall, but I am not a good judge. It is one of those places where it seems like no one else has been and you can't hear anything but the water and the quiet. True to it's name, Fern Canyon is populated with ferns. Trees are there too, fallen in the creek and above the canyon. I saw no litter except one cigarette end on the trail. People walked through the creek in all types of shoes (or barefoot) heedless of the chilly water. It is so worth it. There was so much green in the foliage, the sky was light grey and far away, there was no fog. The water was clear and browner naturally in some areas. The rocks and pebbles were all water worn smooth and when wet were a kaleidoscope under the movement of the creek. Dry and on shore they were slightly less colorful. I chose an orange rock about the size of half a potato to take home. Nothing alive did I intentionally disturb.
Back in Arcata Alice and mom said goodbye to David and thanked him for showing us Fern Canyon when we dropped him off. Alice we dropped off at the hotel so mom and I could go get pedicures. It was very relaxing. Alice wanted to stay behind and prepare for their departure the next morning. Mom and I ate on the Plaza at an Italian place called Mazzotti's. I like it there though that time our waitress was a bit abrasive, maybe she had had a long day. After dinner I tried to direct mom to David's house, where she would drop me off. They were to leave early the next morning so it was good bye. Still I am used to Arcata on foot, the streets as only cars can go are rather different. Especially when everything is dark. After slight struggle (gentle annoyance on mom's side, amusement on mine) we made it. It was a hard good bye, but I will be going home to family and familiar in one month...not long to wait now.
So, that was my first Cesar Chavez day. I will remember it fondly. I look forward to the rest that I will have. Below is the link I mentioned earlier to the commercial. I think those with younger brothers, sons, a fondness for cute kids or yellow marshmallow birds will enjoy this.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cIKBnKPchUY
