Humboldt County
Much of the land in the area is owned by the federal government, and in 1970, more than 60,000 acres (240 km²) were designated the King Range National Conservation Area.
Because of the rugged and remote location, the small towns of Shelter Cove, Whitethorn and Petrolia are popular with those looking for quiet respite. The area is known for its black sand beaches, which get their color from the significant tectonic activity of one continental and two oceanic plates meeting just offshore:
A common misconception about this black sand beach is that it is volcanic in origin. Actually, the sand comes from the dark colored sandstone called greywacke and an older compressed shale. —Black Sands Beach Head Tourist Information Placard,Read more about this topic: Lost Coast
Famous quotes containing the words humboldt and/or county:
“The sensual and spiritual are linked together by a mysterious bond, sensed by our emotions, though hidden from our eyes. To this double nature of the visible and invisible world—to the profound longing for the latter, coupled with the feeling of the sweet necessity for the former, we owe all sound and logical systems of philosophy, truly based on the immutable principles of our nature, just as from the same source arise the most senseless enthusiasms.”
—Karl Wilhelm Von Humboldt (1767–1835)
“Hold hard, my county darlings, for a hawk descends,
Golden Glamorgan straightens, to the falling birds.
Your sport is summer as the spring runs angrily.”
—Dylan Thomas (1914–1953)