Patrick S Point State Park

For the last few years, I've been carving out a chunk of men-only time for the guys and me. We hop in the car, Dad and his two sons, the latter of whom each year are a little taller, a little ganglier and always in need of a haircut. Off we go, getting reacquainted to the accompaniment of diner food and ridiculous jokes. This year, I wanted to take them to a place my dad took me and my three brothers when we were kids: Patrick's Point.

For the last few years, I've been carving out a chunk of men-only time for the guys and me. We hop in the car, Dad and his two sons, the latter of whom each year are a little taller, a little ganglier and always in need of a haircut. Off we go, getting reacquainted to the accompaniment of diner food and ridiculous jokes. This year, I wanted to take them to a place my dad took me and my three brothers when we were kids: Patrick's Point.

Though Patrick's Point State Park, lies in the heart of the redwoods, other trees--Sitka spruce, Douglas fir and red alder--predominate on the park's rocky promontories. The park in Humboldt County takes its name from Patrick Beegan, who homesteaded this dramatic, densely forested headland in 1851. For hundreds of years, the Yurok people spent their summers in the Abalone Point area of the headlands. The Yurok gathered shellfish and hunted sea lions.

Though Patrick's Point State Park, lies in the heart of the redwoods, other trees--Sitka spruce, Douglas fir and red alder--predominate on the park's rocky promontories. The park in Humboldt County takes its name from Patrick Beegan, who homesteaded this dramatic, densely forested headland in 1851. For hundreds of years, the Yurok people spent their summers in the Abalone Point area of the headlands. The Yurok gathered shellfish and hunted sea lions.