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Northern California Outdoors and Entertainment - Humboldt

12 Epic Picnic Spots in Humboldt County. Part 2 - Cheatham Grove

Sunday, 23 July 2023

Summertime in Humboldt County means glorious beach days, afternoons spent at the river soaking up the sun and picnics! We welcome you to the 2nd part of our picnic series featuring delicious food in the beautiful environment of Cheatham Grove.

The Place

Heading east on Highway 36 takes you on a journey through sprawling farmland and pastures until you reach a pocket of old growth redwoods. The highway meanders past popular campgrounds – Pamplin Grove, Swimmer's Delight, and Grizzly Creek – but right in between the latter two is a little turnout that's easy to miss if you blink; there lies Cheatham Grove.

Cheatham Grove is small but impressive, and you may have already seen it – it's where they filmed the speeder bike chase scene in Return of the Jedi. A looped trail less than a mile long takes you through massive old growth redwoods with a lush understory that looks almost intentionally designed; a garden for giants, perhaps. A quarter of a mile down an accessible path (head clockwise at the loop's trailhead and take a right at the first bench you see) leads to a clearing with a towering maple leaning far over, filtering in the summer sun overhead. It's sheer picnic perfection. On the best days, the breeze rolls in over the Van Duzen River and through the trees, keeping you cool on a warm day. Pack light or bring a wagon to carry your supplies if you want to avoid multiple trips from the parking area.

You may also enjoy --> Picnic at Tom Creek Meadow at Humboldt Lagoons State Park

"...a fun walk with views of a few small waterfalls"

If you prefer a riverside picnic in the sun, a short walk from the parking lot leads through fragrant fennel to the riverbank, begging you to take a dip, even if it's just your toes. The area under the bridge is wide, shallow, and slow-running, safe and relaxing for kids or anyone who wants to set up a chair in the river and soak. To the right of the bridge, the riverbank curves around the grove for a fun walk with views of a few small waterfalls. At the right time of day, you might even spy an otter.

On the edges of the grove and on the way to the river, poison oak is abundant. Keep an eye out for frilly oak-like leaves of three.

Leaves Of Three - Let Them Be

The Chef

Local home chef Carrie Anne Nuse was the winner of our Humboldt Foodies home chef contest to be featured in this picnic series. Nuse, originally from the Tahoe area, has become a fixture in Humboldt's local foodie community. After she and co-owner husband, Todd, sold their restaurant, Chicago Dog House, Nuse started working on a cook book from a home-chef's perspective. Her signature style is easy to pick out of a lineup, with fresh and often grilled dishes always accented with pieces from her glorious and considerable glass collection. For her, comfort food bursting with bright colors and healthy ingredients is the name of the game.

Nuse's cooking background started early. Her father's creative method for getting Nuse and her siblings to learn how to cook was having each one of them pick a meal to cook for the family once a week. The memories of shopping for ingredients with her father and the pride of creating a meal that both sated and brought comfort to her family remain impactful. In her own words, "cooking is an act of love [...] to nourish those that I love brings great peace to my heart." This sentiment is apparent if you've ever eaten her food, and it clearly extends to her love of community; Nuse recently participated in the Empty Bowls fundraising event benefiting the St. Vincent de Paul Free Dining Facility, where she donated her hands to help serve soups and her contribution of healthy green salad to ticket-purchasers – with love, indeed.

The Food

Nuse created a Mediterranean forest feast for our Cheatham Grove picnic. To open the experience, she started off with lavender-infused lemonade, sparkling with champagne bubbles – refreshing, light, and herbaceous. The stars of the show were kebabs, featuring Eel River Organic grass-fed London broil and New York steak (marinated in Pacific Redwoods organic red wine), as well as Mary's free-range organic chicken. Loaded veggie skewers and the most epic homemade tzatziki accompanied the meat, with Nuse's grandfather's rice recipe as a base to soak up all the goodness.

To add some lightness and crunch, Nuse created a fresh fattoush-style salad, replete with crumbles of soft feta. She added a wheel of extra-garlicky brie topped with tomatoes to lend some richness to the table, served with sliced Brio sweet baguette, of course. Nuse's affinity for fresh herbs led to the creation of a zesty lemon pesto (find the recipe below), the stunningly bright green pièce de résistance contrasted beautifully in cobalt-colored glass. Perfect for dipping grilled polenta rounds. She smartly added a bowl of fresh fruit featuring a lusciously ripe watermelon to balance the salty richness of the meal. Watermelons feel like the ultimate picnic fruit, don't they?

And for the sweetest of endings, raspberry scones and an array of cookies from Patches' Pastries. Soft and hearty, baked with love. We left no crumbs for the crows this time.

How to Get There

The turnout to Cheatham Grove is about 5.3 miles past the Carlotta Volunteer Fire Department along Highway 36 and 1/2 mile past Swimmer's Delight at Van Duzen - Pamplin Grove County Park.

Click HERE for a map to Cheatham Grove

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