Commentary By Samuel Strait – Reporter at Large – July 1, 2022 I have passed by this small overgrown parking lot for years going into Crescent City without much of a thought of stopping to check it out, but with a guest in town and beach walking a regular pursuit since they arrived, it was time to show that Del Norte County's wonders are every where. The small lot leads to a 1.5 mile loop trail aptly named, the Lake Earl Coastal Lagoon Trail. An easy stroll through a coastal forest, sometime shrouded in fog, that borders along the landward side of Lake Earl. In many places the lush vegetation crowds the trail where in others it opens to views of the wetlands surrounding the lake. The buzz of insects compete with the sounds of the many birds that inhabit the terrain leading down to the lake and the sand dunes beyond. While you only get glimpses of the ocean, its surf can be heard faintly in the background while traversing the loop near the lake. I am told that the trail is accessible year round, but is likely muddy and wet during the winter when the lake shore encroaches on the return leg of the loop. For us, it was a sunny day and the path was dry, easily handled in under an hour. While we encountered just a few others in our sojourn, it did not appear to be heavily used; hence, it was quiet and peaceful, a genuine pleasure to just be outside enjoying the hike. There are no sweeping vistas to grace the trail, nor stunning, picturesque landscape to fascinate, merely the everyday experience of what it is like to live in Del Norte County. For the past several days, my guests and I have walked the County's Beaches, hiked several of the many coastal trails, and yet have not even scratched the surface of what the County has to offer. There have been many places in my travels both here and abroad that can compare favorably to what we have in this magical place I call home, but there is nothing like seeing the City lit just before dark from the view point up Crescent City Hill that does not call one to home with a smile on one's face. It is such that we can say proudly, that this is truly a magical place to live.