DAY 224 SUNDAY 20th APRIL 2008

Eureka, CA (Miles to Date: 22160)

Yesterday was one of those biting cold days, with a chilly wind coming off the Pacific Ocean. It feels more like New York than California!! Fortunately it is not raining, but is threatening, so we decided to bite the bullet and head out for a few hours. Today our destination is the village of Ferndale, known for its well-preserved Victorian buildings, which are also known as "Butterfat Palaces" due to their construction during the 1880’s when considerable wealth was generated in the dairy industry. Ferndale is a popular film location and is featured in movies like The Majestic with Jim Carrey, Outbreak starring Dustin Hoffman and Salem’s Lot starring David Soul and James Mason.

After parking up we take a gentle stroll down the high street to look at some of the buildings with their ornate ginger-breading, some to the extent of gaudiness. As you might expect Ferndale is on the tourist trail so many of the shops are oriented to this trade. We do find a small café, and after the mornings exertion we feel justified in a coffee and some blackberry pie. Of course we are not here just to eat and drink, so we find our way into several of the arts and craft stores on the main street. One of these stores is attached to a museum which is dedicated to the Kinetic Grand Championship. The kinetic sculpture race is an organised contest of human-powered amphibious all-terrain works of art. It is also called the "Triathlon of the Art World" because art and engineering are combined with physical endurance during a three day cross country race that includes sand, mud, pavement, a bay crossing, a river crossing and major hills. Ferndale is the endpoint of the annual Kinetic sculpture race as well as being the town where the first race began when Hobart Brown was challenged to race his odd-looking five-wheeled bike down Main Street on Mother's Day, 1969 by local sculptor Jack Mays.

Just a short drive from Fernadale across the Eel River is the small town of Loleta, a quaint dairy farming community, where there is a cheese factory and store. Mark never knowingly passes a cheese shop, especially when he knows there are samples on offer. When we get there they are making cheddar cheese in the factory – which you can watch from the comfort of the shop through a large glass window. The factory makes premium and organic cheeses, with varieties of flavoured Cheddar and Jack cheeses; including Jalapeno Cheddar, Garlic Jalapeno Jack, Havarti with herbs and Hickory Smoked Jack, to name just a few. We ,of course, have to try all the different varieties on offer – and of course eat too much. Naturally we didn’t want to be too cheeky so we did buy some cheese before we left.The lady serving us was so taken with Emily that she rushed into the factory side and took a pot of curds for her to try......they were so fresh they squeaked! Delicious!