Our ceremony and parts of our reception will be livestreamed for remote participants. There will also be a short greeting session where we will sit down and chat with remote participants over Zoom. Please go to the schedule page and find the links associated with each part of the scheduled events.

What to Expect

The weather in Humboldt in October is generally chilly, with highs in the low 60s and lows at night of around 50. It is often foggy and misty, and occasionally rains. However, Scotia is away from the water and is likely to be a bit warmer than Arcata/Eureka. The ceremony will be outside in the early afternoon. The post-ceremony reception will be indoors, inside the Lodge's dining area.

Our ceremony and reception will be "smart casual". Wear a dress and a scarf and jacket, or a blazer and jeans, or something else with a touch of flair that will keep you comfortable in the weather.

COVID Information

We are actively tracking the Covid situation in Humboldt. Although the case rates have been slightly higher than in the Bay Area, things overall seem to be impoving (as of mid-September). Currently, the County has a mask requirement for gatherings outdoors and indoors, when not eating or drinking. We request that our guests plan accordingly.

Most of our guests are vaccinated, but we encourage all of our guests to be safe and act in the best interests of the health of themselves and others. If you have any specific concerns, or if we can assist you in finding local testing sites, please let us know.

Traveling to Humboldt County

Driving from the Bay Area

The drive from the San Francisco area is about 5-6 hours up Highway 101 North. It's a beautiful drive and traverses a variety of California's terrains: it starts out as a multi-lane highway, takes you through parts of wine country, up into the hills along a river, and eventually goes through some of the redwood forests in Humboldt and Mendocino Counties. Although a windy drive, it's a unique experience, seeing the change in California's scenery.

The 101 is a very rural drive and is sparsely populated along the way, but it goes through a few small towns that are good places to stop for coffee and gas. We make regular stops in Hopland, Ukiah and Willits (both just off the freeway), Laytonville, and Garberville.

If you find yourself in Hopland around lunchtime, we recommend you stop to get a delicious bison burger at the Bluebird Cafe. But they close in the early afternoon! The Golden Pig also comes strongly recommended from the mother of the bride. Pour Girls in Laytonville makes for an easy stop and does good London Fogs. Gas prices tend to be the cheapest around Willits and Laytonville, and then get increasingly expensive going north.

If you are going to drive it, do take care especially around Hopland and DON'T SPEED. There are always speed traps in the hills around Hopland. Generally, we recommend taking care to pay attention to the recommended speed signs around corners - some of them are quite tight! North of Garberville, there's an optional scenic drive, the Avenue of the Giants, that parallels the 101. The full route is a 31 mile stretch and does add some time to your trip especially if you stop to explore the groves and parks, but you can drive a portion of the route instead to get a closer look at the coastal redwoods (the world's tallest trees).

Scotia is located at the south end of Humboldt's more populous coastal region. Arcata and Eureka, the biggest towns, are about 40 minutes north. The local area is mostly forest, with a number of parks and redwood groves.

Traveling by Air

Flying into the small airport in McKinleyville (Arcata-Eureka Airport, ACV) will be the best option for people who don't want to drive up from SF. The airport is small and easy to access, but is only served by flights from a few major hubs, and by a few airlines. United and Avelo are the only airlines that fly in, and only from LAX, SFO, Denver (DEN), Burbank (BUR), and sometimes Portland (PDX).

Because of the ongoing chip-shortage and auto-market insanity, rental car options may be limited, especially in the Humboldt area. We have many people coming by car who have offered to give rides to and from the airport. Please contact us by email if you need to be connected with transportation.

Places to Stay

Many of our guests will be staying at the Scotia Lodge. We have a block hold on the rooms and can provide the link for those interested in booking with us there.

Our original venue, The Humboldt Bay Social Club in Samoa, has only a few rooms available. It is worth a look, but may already be booked up.

We would encourage guests from out of town who do not want to stay in Scotia with us to look for AirBnb or other local inns in the area. But there is also the Holiday Inn Express next to the airport, which would be the closest option for guests flying in to ACV and would be a possible car-pool location to the venue.

Things to do in Humboldt

Food & Drink

Redwood Yogurt - The best frozen yogurt. Period. Arcata, CA.
Renata's Creperie - Fantastic sweet and savory crepes. A Humboldt staple. Arcata, CA.
Eel River Brewing - There are many good breweries, but this is the closest to Scotia. The first all-organic brewery in the country. Fortuna, CA.
Lost Coast Brewing - The biggest name in brewing in Humboldt. You can find their product outside of Humboldt. Eureka, CA.
6Rivers Brewing - This is one of our favorites, but is the furthest north. McKinleyville, CA.
Northtown Coffee - Probably the best coffee in the area. More San Francisco style than the other options. Arcata, CA.
Dick Taylor - Crafts excellent chocolate. Eureka, CA.
Cafe Mokka - Finnish sauna and coffee shop. Arcata, CA.
Bittersweet Pie and Cider - House-made pie and cider. What more is there to say? When you search them, they come up as Slice of Humboldt Pie and The Local Cider Bar. Arcata, CA
Richard's Goat Tavern and Tearoom - Quirky spot for unique cocktails and tea. Arcata, CA
Gill's by the Bay - Diner dive with fantastic seafood. Their crab melt sandwiches are to die for. Eureka, CA.

Places

Moonstone Beach - A bit of a drive from Scotia, but our favorite beach in the area. Trinidad, CA.
Arcata Plaza - Lots of good shops and some dining. Check out People's Records for some new and used vinyl.
Arcata Community Forest - Nestled not too far from downtown, this small park has lovely trees. Many of the paths are quite steep, but they are not very long.
Old Town Eureka - Another good place for shopping, coffee (Old Town Coffee and Chocolates), and music (The Works is another good record store). Los Bagels has great baked goods. Hole in the Wall has good sandwiches.
Humboldt Redwoods Park - The closest place to see redwoods from Scotia. There are a few nice groves in this area, but they may not be quiet during the weekend. Weott, CA.
Prairie Creek Redwoods Park - A bit of a drive north from Scotia, but we looked here for places for our ceremony last year. Huge and with lots of space to get lost. Orick, CA.
Fern Canyon - Within Prarie Creek, this walk is highly recommended. Part of Jurassic Park The Lost World was filmed there.

Other Attractions

Botanical Garden - Not huge, but very cute. We considered it as a potential venue. Not far from Scotia. Eureka, CA.
Eureka Zoo - Fun little zoo with good exhibits, and a beautiful rose garden next-door. Eureka, CA.