- [Vinny] Today on "All Across Oregon," we're taking a quick day trip to the Southern Oregon coast.

It's another day next to the powerful, awe-inspiring Pacific Ocean.

But first, a breakfast bowl and a giant 16 inch pancake in Hiouchi, California.

Then a quick stop in the majestic Redwoods, and then off the Brookings.

Here we go.

(bright music) Funding for "All Across Oregon" was provided in part by John A. Warekois, CPA, Travel Curry Coast, Travel Southern Oregon, Oregon's Adventure Coast, F.V.

Martin Trucking Company, and Travel Southern Oregon Coast.

(upbeat music) Have you ever headed down the Redwood Highway and you saw the signs Sweet Cron?

Well, today, we stopped to find out, what's that sign all about.

(upbeat music) So what I'd love to know though is, I guess there's a story behind the misspelled cron.

- My mother was painting the signs.

- Yeah?

- And she always put sweet corn and we were selling tomatoes at the same time.

Someone came in to buy tomatoes.

She had two done.

She went back out and crossed one up and it caught on so well, we just kept it that way.

- That is how it happened.

So people could come out here and pick corn.

- No, I do all the picking.

This was like corn maze, yeah.

For Halloween, I do my corn maze and I have a pumpkin patch, for $10, they can go through the maze and get a pumpkin.

- And look at all this corn.

What happened to this corn?

- It's not sweet.

It's field corn.

- We can't eat this stuff?

- You can grind it for cornmeal, but.

- Where's the sweet corn?

- [Rhett] That'd be across the road over there in the corner.

- Oh, that's you too?

- Yeah, I go clear to the river.

- You wanna see what I found?

Oh, you like all the corn too?

Oh, you took my corn.

- [Rhett] Yep.

- [Vinny] He took my corn!

- [Rhett] So I was raised here all my life.

We've probably been selling sweet corn about 55 years.

Then I went to school at ITT, and then we came back and started tomatoes, peppers, squash and all that.

We started getting more and more stuff.

We all used to only sell corn.

- Now where are we going, Rhett?

- [Rhett] It's where we started.

This is what I've been doing all day.

- Right here.

- Planting tomatoes, planting peppers and tomatoes.

- [Vinny] What do we put in there?

- [Rhett] Big beef tomato plant.

- Big beef tomato plant.

- Yep.

- I notice how gentle you are too, huh?

- Well, that's not quite ready to transplant again.

We let it get more root, then we transplant it into bigger cells for transplanting out in field.

- [Vinny] Now we're heading over to Brookings.

But first, a quick dip down into California.

We stop in the ultra small town of Hiouchi, located right on the breathtaking Smith River, just seven and a half miles east, northeast of Crescent City.

This town is so small, in the 2010 census, it was reported that Hiouchi had a population of only 301.

Here in Hiouchi, you can golf, fish, hike, bike, swim, and eat.

Today, we're going to eat.

It's here in this little historic town where we find this historic cafe voted best breakfast, best lunch, best boss, and even more best.

This is Hiouchi Cafe, and this is my new friend, Kevin.

(bright music) Dude, we found this hidden gem, like, because of one of our guys, like I said.

- Yeah, he knows what's up.

- He does know what's up.

- Yeah.

- And then he mentions the breakfast bowl.

- Yeah.

We've been selling them all morning, yeah.

Yeah, no, it's our main breakfast item right there.

That's our main seller right there.

So, sourdough bread bowl.

- Oh, it's in bread.

- Oh yeah.

Sourdough bread bowl, scrambled eggs, hashed browns, cheese, and sausage, and then we top it off with gravy.

Comes with a knife in it.

And we wish you the best of luck when we drop it off, but yeah, I know.

- That means this goes this way.

- Oh, yeah.

- And we're going in the kitchen.

- Good.

Let's check it out.

- I'll follow you.

- Cool, let's go.

(bright music) - Guys, I'll be outta your way.

Don't worry about it.

Hey, just so you know, I live in a kitchen.

Okay?

I'm a restaurant owner too.

I'm a cook, so I respect your space.

I'll be outta your space, okay?

Oh, dude, that's like the best part.

Oh, man.

Kevin, how many of these you eat a week?

How many?

Just be honest, Kevin.

How many?

- I wish I could eat more than one, but I'll do one.

- So one a week?

- Yeah, one a week.

- [Vinny] How long has the Hiouchi Cafe been here?

- Hiouchi Cafe's been here since 1931.

It was originally a gas station with oil pumps and gas pumps outside.

It was a bar, restaurant.

They used to have nightly fist fights here, honky-tonk music, but been a cafe since 1931.

It's a historic cafe.

- [Vinny] Really?

1931?

- 1931.

- Well, that was before your time.

- I know.

- 1931.

I mean, that was a couple years before you.

- There's that bread bowl.

- Oh my goodness!

- [Kevin] Scrambled eggs, cheese, hash browns.

- [Vinny] That is sick.

- [Kevin] Sausage, and then we top it off with gravy over here.

- Cody, you're so fast!

You're like a breakfast bowl ninja.

- Yeah.

- It's as big as our head, man.

- Yeah.

It's monsto.

Homemade gravy, sausage.

All your basic breakfast food groups in there.

- That I would say is all of your breakfast food groups in there, for sure.

(upbeat music) Well, you said you'd eat with me today, right?

- [Kevin] Oh yeah, buddy.

This is my go-to if I eat around this place.

This will hold me over until lunch.

- This is insane.

I know these guys are drooling.

Like, "That's all they're gonna give him?

What?"

- Yep.

- There.

Note to self, next time I'm coming through this town, I am stopping for the breakfast bowl.

And I know it's just the beginning!

- Yep.

Oh yeah.

We got plenty more.

- Well eat up, man.

I want you to enjoy.

Come on.

All right.

I'm a gravy guy.

I am a biscuit guy.

So I'm a biscuit and gravy guy.

- Yep.

- And man, you put that together in the sourdough with all the eggs and the sausage and the hash browns.

- Yep.

All stands up together.

It's really nice.

- Dude, that is bomb.

- Yep.

Couple dozen bread bowls a day, usually, during the summer.

Couple dozen.

So that's a pretty popular dish.

So when Cody and I started six, seven years ago, let's come up with something we can do.

We loaded it up with all your main breakfast items and with a breakfast bowl, it become one of our most popular items.

So, yeah, no, it's definitely worth a stop on its own, let alone everything else we got going for it, so.

- It's your favorite, isn't it?

The breakfast bowl is your favorite right there.

- He's been salivating this whole time, yep.

- I guess it's time to find out about this 16 inch giant pancake.

Yeah?

- Slightly large.

You ready for it?

- I'm ready.

- All right.

- Let's go.

- Let's go.

(upbeat music) - It's the Hiouchi pancake.

(upbeat music continues) Hey!

(upbeat music continues) I don't know, I think that would be an ultimate challenge, is having to flip this pancake right now.

This thing is monstrous!

Now that is a spatula!

This is a spatula.

Look at the size of this thing!

I was looking at this, and I'm gonna say, "I wanna see how skilled this guy is," but it's this.

You want me to flip it?

- You said you were a kitchen cooker.

- Oh, it's a little different.

Get outta here!

Get outta here.

Come on.

(upbeat music) I feel like you set me up here.

I gotta get over here more.

(upbeat music continues) Well, let's just do it.

- [Cody] Got it.

- [Kevin] Hey!

- There it goes.

You wanna tuck it in.

(upbeat music continues) - I will be here all week.

That was Cody.

Just so everybody knows, just so you know, that was Cody.

I flipped it perfect.

I don't know why he did that.

(upbeat music) Oh, dude.

That does make me happy.

Can I see it too?

- [Kevin] Oh yeah.

There you go.

- [Vinny] That's his tongue 'cause he's so excited he's going to eat it.

I put a tongue on him.

Just so you know, I can eat this whole thing.

- Yeah?

- But I'm gonna share it.

- Well, we close at 2:00 today.

- Well right here, I'm gonna share it right now with you and Ross, - Yeah.

- And Levi.

- Good.

- We're all gonna eat this together.

You guys see this?

What?

- [Kevin] It could be like this one guy that comes in and he puts scrambled eggs and bacon on the center, rolls it up like a burrito and eats it like that.

- This?

- Yeah.

- The whole thing?

- There's different techniques to it.

Yeah.

(upbeat music continues) Right down the road from the cleanest river in the United States, Smith River.

- [Vinny] Right there, huh?

- [Kevin] Yeah, it's right behind us.

Literally right down the road.

So, incredible trails.

You got Stout Grove, Boy Scout Trail, phenomenal trees.

You know, we're right in the middle of Grove of the Titan.

So kind of a nice little addition.

You can go out there, come here, have a nice big pancake, go out there, hike the trails, work it off, and then maybe stay at the motel.

Take a little power nap after a meal like that, too.

So yeah, we got voted best lunch, best dinner, best outdoor dining, the best catering, best boss.

We killed it in the awards.

- And was it called Del Norte?

- It's Del Norte.

Yeah Del Norte, it's Triplicate Reader's Choice Award.

(upbeat music continues) - [Vinny] Yeah, Cody, like a beast!

- Oh yeah.

- This one, I don't think that the guys, we don't need to share with this.

(upbeat music continues) Thank you, balsamic glaze.

- Yep.

- So man, thank you for an incredible breakfast.

That was off the hook, dude.

- Yeah.

- I had a great morning.

- Good.

- I can't wait to share the Hiouchi Cafe with everybody.

- Good spot.

I'm glad you stopped.

- It's a great spot.

And now to know it's historic, so.

- Yeah, no, in fact, here, I'm gonna give you this and take this with you for your next stop and let 'em know that you stopped here.

Everybody that you see, when you're wearing that, they're gonna know what's up.

They're gonna be like, "Oh man, you've been there."

- What?

- "Did you get the bowl?

Did you get the pancake?"

- You know what?

This, I already broke in for you.

You can have this one.

- Oh, snap.

Cool.

- And you can say "All Across Oregon" was here.

- Nice.

- Dude, thanks for everything, man.

- Thank you.

Appreciate it.

- Did you see the pancake?

Did you see the pancake?

I have been thinking about that pancake since we left.

And I was thinking, when am I gonna get back?

It's my anniversary in a couple weeks.

We're heading to the coast.

I'm gonna eat the whole thing all by myself.

As I mentioned, the town of Hiouchi sits right on the beautiful Smith River.

And right next to it is the Jedidiah Smith State Park, named after Jedidiah Strong Smith, who was an American clerk, pioneer, frontiersman, hunter, trapper, author, cryptographer, mountain man, an explorer of the Rocky Mountains, the Western United States and the Southwest during the early 19th century, whose explorations led to the use of the 20 mile South Pass as the dominant route across the continental divide for pioneers on the Oregon Trail.

When my kids were young, we'd always stop here at the Jedidiah Smith State Park.

It is beautiful.

It's breathtaking, it's relaxing.

I highly recommend it.

One thing that I've always done is I've hurried up and gone through, I didnt stop to smell the roses.

Today, we stopped and smelled the roses.

Okay, we're almost on our way to the coast.

But I just wanna show you something that's just a couple minutes down the road, the giant redwood trees.

These are majestic.

As a matter of fact, these giant redwoods are one of only three remaining species of redwoods and can only be found in a small strip of land from Santa Cruz, California up into Southern Oregon.

They are the tallest living organisms on the planet and can grow up to 375 feet tall.

That's higher than a 30 story building, and can grow up to 30 feet in diameter!

Insane!

They are majestic, they are huge!

And they can live for thousands of years.

I had to get out and put my hands on one just to feel the history there.

Okay.

No more stops.

Now we're actually off the Brookings.

If you like fresh fish, it doesn't get fresher than this.

Straight off of their own boat, the Catalyst.

And this is the Catalyst restaurant and my new friend, Mariah.

Well, it doesn't get fresher than this.

Found out this place not only makes some killer fish and chips, but the fact is, check out their logo.

We catch it, we cook it, you eat it.

It's my kind of place.

Let's go.

(upbeat music) But now we're finally here.

We got rained out.

- Yes, we did.

Yep.

- And I'll tell you what I've been thinking.

I told you about me.

I have this thing with fish and chips, right?

- Yes.

- And I think you said to me it was this way.

"Oh, you like fish and chips.

Well, we catch our own fish."

- Yes, I did.

Yep, yep.

- And now I saw the sign.

- [Mariah] Yes, we catch it, we cook it, you eat it.

Yes.

- Yes, I will.

Yes, I will.

So I can't wait to see how it works.

And then I was also told by one of your patrons, they said, "Hey, tell 'em to make it extra crispy."

- Yes.

- I said, okay.

I'll tell 'em to make it extra crispy.

We can do that?

- Yeah, we can do that.

- I'll follow you.

- Okay.

- What's up, guys?

You're probably like, dude.

Who doesn't mind being on camera?

- Me.

- You gonna do the fish and chips?

- Yeah.

- All right, all right.

If you had to picture someone that makes killer fish and chips.

(upbeat music continues) All right guys, we got an order in please.

We got crispy oysters, sub onion rings.

We got fish and chips.

No, table 32.

Let me tell you something.

Table 32, they're gonna wait.

That's my fish and chips right there.

Mariah, how long have you worked at Catalyst?

- I started here in 2018.

I moved away for a year.

Came back 2019.

So I've been here ever since.

- Six years.

- Six years, yeah.

- It seems like a really cool place to work.

- It is.

It's family too, so that's great.

- Wait, it's your family?

It's all family.

- Yeah.

It's my family.

- Is Willie your dad?

- He's not.

He's like an uncle to me.

I grew up with him.

- [Vinny] Okay.

- [Mariah] My dad is part owner, though.

- [Vinny] He is?

- Yes.

Willie has done fishing his whole life.

My dad has done fishing like, in his past.

Of course, he's done shrimping.

And Willie and him have gone on boats together.

I took over managing, I think, the year COVID happened, the shutdown.

So that was 2021, I think.

And I've been managing ever since, so.

- Well, you know what, you can tell how good of a manager you are.

This place is spotless.

Your guys are friendly.

- Friendly.

- Oh, sorry.

- Friendly and big.

- Yeah, and it's good.

And you know how I am about kitchens.

This kitchen is clean.

Yummy, yummy.

Do you eat a lot of fish and chips?

- I do it grilled a lot.

- Grilled?

- Yeah.

Oh dude.

- Yeah.

- Oh yeah.

No, I'm a fan.

I'm a fan of fish and chips.

I love it.

Oh yeah!

Oh, and those fish and chips, they were so crispy and perfect and the french fries, and I left them there.

So now, another thing to do when I go back, and I've been looking forward to it.

See you guys soon.

(upbeat music continues) - Are you ready to try your signature drink?

- Yeah, I'm ready to try the signature.

- The signature drink - Crab happy drink.

What is it called?

Crabness?

- It's called the Bloody Dungy.

- Guys, thank you!

Then we met Captain Willie, owner and operator of the restaurant and captain of his self-built fishing boat, the Catalyst.

Well Willie, this is super cool.

And these are giant, these are big boys, right?

- [Willie] No.

- Oh okay, nevermind.

Oh yeah.

Okay.

Say it?

What is it called, the drink?

- The Bloody Dungy.

- The Bloody Dungy.

But it's only seasonal.

- Yes, seasonal, when we have crab, which is just about over now, so.

- That's insane that the crab season's so short.

Is it short?

Is it just me?

- It's not that it's so short.

It gets where it's not very profitable, because we gotta get ready for Albacore season.

- Really?

- Yeah.

Line caught, all this stuff's line caught.

Is that how you do it?

- Yep.

Dolphins safe.

(upbeat music) - What can I help with?

What can I help?

- Huh?

Nothing.

- Nothing?

Want me to do anything?

Want me to crush a crab?

- You wanna go catch one?

- Yeah, Uncle Willie showed me where they are.

I can go catch one.

They're super easy to catch actually.

I know people make such a big deal outta it.

You just literally reach in and grab it.

They don't even move.

Okay, Bloody Dungy.

We got.

- The vodka.

- Okay, wait, I gotta shake it too though.

Hold on, hold on.

I gotta shake it too!

I gotta shake it too.

Okay, now you ready?

Now you have to dance with me when I shake.

Ready?

Let's go!

Let's go.

Come on, Uncle Willie.

Hey!

Who wants a Bloody Dungy!

Woo!

(upbeat music continues) Tell me what you think.

- It's not done yet.

- Oh, sorry.

Oh wait!

Oh, it's not done.

Okay, I'm sorry.

It's not done.

It's not done.

- This is the best part here.

- Oh wow!

- Hold on.

- Oh man.

It is alive.

Wow.

(upbeat music continues) - Amazing?

- Yes!

- Amazing?

- Yes.

(upbeat music) Let's go see the boat.

'cause I think that's where we have to go is see the boat.

- I think we do.

Yeah.

- Okay.

- Let's go see the boat.

- I like it.

Let's go.

Let's follow Uncle Willie.

Come on.

- So this boat, I built myself.

I bought the hull in 2006.

It was just a hull, and then I built the whole boat myself.

It took me seven years to start finishing this boat in 2012.

It was three pieces.

It was the bridge, the house, and the hull.

And it was just a shell.

- Did you ever go down there and get 'em?

Scuba gear up and go down?

- No, uh-uh.

No.

- There's some big things out here.

- They would take revenge on me.

I've killed a lot of seafood.

I'd feel like purgatory for me is gonna be a bunch of seagulls pecking at me.

(Vinny laughing) - It's terrible.

- So yeah.

One thing about building your own boat is, it's not pretty.

But that's our primary plotter.

Everything I do is fly by wire.

You know, this is how I drive right here.

I don't use this.

- All right guys, we're going down 30 fathoms right now.

I'm gonna throw my GoPro on it.

Uncle Willie's coming down.

He's gonna fetch it.

We're gonna pump out some pots.

What else are we gonna do?

- We're gonna catch some crab.

We're gonna set some gear and then we're gonna run.

- All right guys, you heard that.

We're gonna set some gear.

We're gonna run, we're gonna run, we're doing tuna line fishing.

- But don't actually run.

We're just gonna run.

- Just run.

- Yeah.

We're gonna go from one place to another.

- That's run.

- Full speed.

- That's run.

- That's running.

I got that.

Roger that.

This is Italian stallion.

We're out.

Italian stallion on the Catalyst.

Roger that.

- That's all it is.

I could be a captain.

- I always would like, dream a design of my own boat.

'cause I would take like the good things from each boat that I liked.

- Yeah.

- And put 'em together.

And that's what I did, like this.

Most people don't do this.

This is a waste of space.

- Okay.

- But I want quick access to my engine room.

- Okay.

So instead of lifting up the deck, you mean?

- Yeah, and climbing down a ladder, I just run down.

- Run down there.

- [Willie] It's a work boat.

There's nothing luxurious, microwave, hot plates.

- [Vinny] So what, man?

This is so cool.

This is like, - [Willie] Fridge, freezer.

Yeah.

- This is real.

This is real.

This is real.

I love it.

This is so cool.

You fishermen are tough stuff, man.

- Yeah.

- I appreciate you.

I appreciate you, very much.

- [Willie] So this boat was built in Gold Beach in 1971.

But I bought it off a guy because he just needed out of it.

I really, at the time, didn't want another boat.

You know, dealing with the restaurant and this boat, it's a lot of work, but it's actually worked out because living here in Brookings, we're a border town and we're a mile and a half from the border.

And the whistle buoy's a mile and a half from the California border.

- Okay.

- Most years, you have to choose which side of that border you're gonna fish on, even though I have permits to fish in both states.

So instead of choosing, I just have another boat.

So this boat fishes on one side.

- Got it.

- That boat fishes the other.

- [Vinny] But this is like all one welded piece.

This thing's all one.

- Yeah, it's a aluminium haul.

- Well that's a cool boat too.

- Yeah, yeah.

I call it the ugliest boat in the harbor.

Well you gotta love kinda a little battleship.

- It does look like a little battleship.

I actually thought you were gonna say you got it from the Coast Guard.

- Oh yeah.

(laughs) - [Vinny] No, really.

I thought that was a Coast Guard ship.

- [Willie] It's an interesting design.

I don't really understand the angle of the windows, but, you know, we'll just roll with it.

- What a nice guy.

What a nice family.

What a nice environment.

What a nice restaurant.

Just nice people, humble people.

And did you catch that?

He built that boat!

So I was looking forward to getting on my bike and going for a ride before we headed back.

Then the weather changed, quick.

But despite the weather, I still tried to get a ride in and we did, and it was cold and it was wet.

That's gonna be a wrap.

The weather really rolled in after that.

And that's a wrap for season four.

Man, what a year.

We saw beautiful tulip fields, went to the high desert, swam in natural hot springs, visited a dark sky sanctuary, went aboard Oregon's last operating riverboat.

We went on jet boats, fishing boats, we golfed in all kinds of weather, went horseback riding, went on a log ride, slept in a tree house, swung like Tarzan, and ate a bunch of incredible food all over the state.

And thank you for joining us, as we went on our adventures "All Across Oregon."

(upbeat music) What a great day we had!

The Hiouchi Cafe got our day off to just the right start with an incredible breakfast.

Then we got to experience the natural wonders of the redwood trees and the beautiful Pacific Ocean.

We met a family run restaurant and fishing boat that was bringing in your lunch and dinner, straight off the boat.

Until next time, my friends, we'll see you as we go "All Across Oregon."

(upbeat music) Funding for "All Across Oregon" was provided in part by John A. Warekois CPA, Travel Curry Coast, Travel Southern Oregon, Oregon's Adventure Coast, F.V.

Martin Trucking Company, and Travel Southern Oregon Coast.

(upbeat music continues) (bright music)