With California’s COVID restrictions lifting ("Opening Day" is supposedly June 15th), we are feeling more and more safe venturing out and about and eager to plan/do more day and weekend trips. This weekend, we opted to stay close to home (which has a ton of outdoor space to explore and which is just what we enjoy most, even in non-COVID times, but which is especially good because of the still-unvaccinated kids) but went somewhere new (well, I thought it was new, but Kelvin recalls we'd been there and, sure enough, there was blog evidence from 2013).
Table Bluff County Park is about five miles west of the highway between Eureka and Loleta so about 45 minutes from our house, and we headed out there on Hookton Road on Saturday morning. As we got an early start, we intended it to just be a half-day trip, with our plan being to return home in time for Niall's naptime (~1 p.m.). However, we (which was extremely important after what happened!) had packed lunches so that we could take our time out there.
After reaching the bluffs, we headed north on South Jetty Road, to check out some different beach access points.
In Trinidad (the beaches we frequent the most), usually we have to do a bit of hiking (down) to get to the actual sand and waves. Kelvin was very excited to see this sign advertising "Vehicle Access to Waveslope" that indicated that we could drive right onto the beach.
However, just because you CAN doesn't mean you SHOULD... (you probably know where this is headed...)
We enjoyed some quiet morning time on the very isolated beach (check out the new rack we got for our "adventure" car!). Pepper enjoyed frolicking in the sand.
The kids found a ton of ladybugs among the seaweed.
Iver found and added to a "stick fort."
Between 10 and 10:30 a.m., we decided that we'd leave the beach and head back to the bluffs for lunch, and then go on to do some errands in Eureka.
However, the sand had other plans.
Kelvin's Highlander got horribly stuck going up the gentle sandy incline that we'd made it down easily an hour or two prior.
The kids' shovel really says it all!
Peeking Pep
We (adults) tried for upwards of forty-five minutes to dig it out. We had had some recent snow experience, and used the kids' beach shovels to dig out the wheels, flatten out the sand, and used multiple planks of beach driftwood lying around to try to splint the front and back wheels of the SUV, which kept spinning. We tried putting it in neutral and pushing. No luck. We saw a couple of people walking their dog and, on their suggestion, walked the few hundred yards to the paved road to see if there were any pick-up trucks nearby that might be able to give us the ~10-or-so-feet tow that we needed to get to the flat part of the sand. Nada.
Ultimately, we called AAA, and I went through a self-reported smartphone menu that asked me to identify my membership information, our vehicle and location, and was informed that they'd be figuring out the towing situation. The first "rescue" estimate was 118 minutes. We received a few phone clarification calls from AAA, who ultimately told us that, due to this rescue being on sand, not on a paved road or highway, the service would not be covered, but they'd still arrange a local tow truck, although they could not give us general time estimates. While we were waiting, we actually saw a couple of other cars and groups of people drive down the path we were on, and warned them about getting stuck. They wisely reversed back the way they came. Iver apparently also asked Kelvin, "What if AAA doesn't come through? Do we call triple-B?"
Our precise location!
The kids were thankfully in good spirits during this time--we were stuck at one of their favorite places in the world (the beach!). While they’d watched from their car seats for some of the digging time, we let them out to frolic about the dunes some more. Once we’d given up on getting ourselves out, we ate our packed lunch as a picnic. Then, to pass the time, we took a walk on the path-which-got-us-stuck to photograph the beautiful, cheery, wildflowers (including the coastal yellow bush lupine which I’d never seen before) along the road and South Bay. It was actually a lovely, sunny afternoon, which can be rare around these parts (especially south of Eureka).
“Follow the yellow flower-lined road...”
(My children wear t-shirts and I wear coats)
A bouquet for you, mama!
Still waitin' on a tow
We started to get a bit antsy after one, as it started getting cloudier, and the tide was getting higher (Iver, who struggles with anxiety, wondered if the waves would reach our car before we would be rescued. In a confident voice, I told him "no," but I admit the thought crossed my mind as well.). The kids asked about a million times when the tow truck was coming to which we had to keep answering “We don’t know. Soon, we hope.” However, around 1:15 or so, two hours after our initial call to AAA, we got a call from Pacific Towing Company in Eureka that a driver (Mike) was on his way to us. Hallelujah!
It ended up being after 2 p.m. when we saw the wheels of a red ATV, but we were elated. Despite our "tow hook" being missing from the Highlander's trunk for unknown reasons, Mike found a way to hitch our front to his front and reversed back, pulling us the few feet that we weren't able to make it up. He told us that he'd done about ten similar rescues in the past eight months and, as a contractor (due to his sand vehicle!) for the company, was making good (and well-deserved) money (I think he doesn't mind the permissive road sign!)! We were so thankful, despite the $350 out-of-pocket fee! Niall now wants to "get a tow truck" (and become a driver) so we can help pull people out of the sand!
It was a rough ~ 4 hours, and not the way we had really wanted to spend our Saturday (plus, sand was everywhere!) but, as many things in life, adversity (and unexpected adventures) can teach us (and our children) a lot. We were literally stuck, and had to brainstorm what to do as well as make the best of it. We were patient with one another, kind, and stayed calm in spite of uncertainty. In my post- (or near-post-) pandemic life, I have come to be a bit better at coping with things that don't go as planned (and realize that such adventures provide good content for my blog as well as memories). Staying still and appreciating the wonder of our surroundings is a good lifelong practice. We had shelter (we also had a conversation about how some homeless people sleep and live out of their cars), warmth, food, water, sunblock, a tiny kiddie potty for elimination (poop), cell phone battery life and service, each other, and not that far to go to the main road (if we'd ultimately had to desert our vehicle and walk to find help). We spent a lot of quality time on the South Jetty, and there are far less picturesque places to be stuck. Niall even got in an abbreviated nap during our return drive. We had an experience that our family will remember for a long time (but not one we care to repeat). We all sure learned a lesson about (not) driving on sand, despite what a road sign indicates.
Remember: just because you CAN doesn't mean you SHOULD!
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