California -- Eureka! Few Crowds And Lots Of Redwoods

EUREKA, Calif. - As a thick fog rolls in across Humboldt Bay in the gloaming of a late summer evening, the ghostly - some might even say ghastly - pea-green tones and complex lines of the century-old Carson Mansion take on an other-worldly look.

The eerie appearance of the house that's become Eureka's symbol contrasts with the rest of California's north coast, a wonderland of giant redwood trees, sparkling bays and lagoons and pampering Victorian-style bed-and-breakfast inns.

No haunted house at Disneyland or Disney World quite matches the feeling spawned by the huge century-old Carson Mansion, with its beams slightly off kilter and its myriad dormers and cornices.

Once the home of lumber baron William Carson, it's now the emblem of a commercial revival on the waterfront of this 19th-century California capital.

But the mansion is no more haunted than its amusement-park imitators. Sold in the 1950s by Carson's descendants, it is now elaborately restored and the home of a private men's club.

At the north end of Eureka's Old Town, the mansion anchors a gas-lit street packed with shops, bakeries and restaurants, all with prices far below those in California's larger cities.

This is not exactly an unknown part of California, but it's one that gets far less attention and traffic than attractions in the San Francisco Bay area or the urban corridor between Los Angeles and San Diego.

South near San Francisco, tour buses crowd the parking lot every day at Muir Woods National Monument, the legendary redwood grove in Marin County, just north of Golden Gate Bridge.

Sometimes there are so many that the gates are temporarily closed because of tourist overload.

But on one recent Saturday in the Redwood National Park, 40 miles north of Eureka, just two people signed up for a free National Park Service shuttle-bus ride to the Tall Trees Grove, a pristine copse featuring the world's tallest known tree, a 367-foot sequoia.

Unlike Muir Woods, where much of the path is paved with asphalt, the trail to the tall trees here is soft underfoot, winding past huge live trees and fallen giants that now provide food for a new generation of saplings and deep green ferns.

There are no crowds here, only an awe like the feeling John Muir might have experienced when he came upon the woods that bear his name.

Similarly, Old Town Eureka has none of the crowding found in the better-known restored historic quarters of larger California cities.

No reservations are needed to get tables in award-winning restaurants like Lazio's fish house and the Carter House Inn, which some epicurean experts claim serves "the best breakfasts in California."

Brick crosswalks, iron benches and flower-laden planters line Second Street from the Carson Mansion to the south end of downtown Eureka.

Ambling along and wandering in and out of small shops, visitors catch frequent glimpses of the Woodley Island Marina, where more than 300 small boats are moored.

Just north of Old Town is the Humboldt Bay Maritime Museum, housed in a turn-of-the-century frame house, featuring historic photos, vintage lithographs, old navigation instruments, an early radar unit and relics from some of the many ships that have run aground or sunk in the treacherous waters just outside Humboldt Bay.

There's also the Clark Museum a block off Second Street, with one of the world's best collections of Indian blankets and costumes. The museum has 1,200 examples of Yurok, Kamk, Hupa and Wiyot basketry, plus stonework and dance costumes.

South of Eureka lie more uncrowded attractions.

Best-known is the Avenue of the Giants, a twisting 33-mile drive through some of the world's largest trees.

Towns along the route, between Pepperwood and Phillipsville, all were originally tied to the timber industry, still the leading employer on the North Coast.

But most of today's visitors would rather see the redwoods lining the road alive than cut up into lumber.

Among the featured attractions: The Chimney Tree, a 78-foot redwood gutted by a 1914 fire but still growing vigorously; the One Log House, hewn from a single 40-ton tree; and the Eternal Tree House, with a 20-foot room inside a living tree.

About the only places where visitors can't expect to be able to simply drop in are the Victorian inns along the coast.

From the Benbow Inn near the south end of the Avenue of the Giants to the Gingerbread Mansion in Ferndale to the Plough and Stars in Arcata, most inns feature just a few rooms, personalized service and a leisurely lifestyle not found in the area's hotels and motels.

Prices range from as low as $45 per night upward to about $200, depending on the location and amenities.

But it's almost always best to consult a guidebook, choose the inn that suits you best and then reserve in advance.

MORE INFORMATION

-- For general information on visiting California, contact the California Office of Tourism, P.O. Box 9278, Van Nuys, CA 91409. Phone 1-800-862-2543.