We turned inland, driving into the woods. There are a series of state parks that extend inland from the coast road (Rte. 101) for ten miles or more if you can find the road. We twisted and turned up and down through the forest, winding down Caspar Orchard Road for almost 8 miles until itContinue reading “A drive through the Redwoods, 6/25/15”
Category Archives: California
Another gorgeous day on the coast
There has been much less mist and much more sun the past three days (6/22-6/24), and we have continued to explore the coast between our house in Little River and Ft. Bragg, our next stop.We walked a trail along the headlands just south of Mendocino Bay, near Chapman Point: That’s the town of Mendocino inContinue reading “Another gorgeous day on the coast”
A Taste of Redwood Valley, Solstice, and Father’s Day, all in one.
June 21, 2015 was all of the above. We didn’t know much about “A Taste of Redwood Valley” but we took a chance and drove there, and that turned out to be a great idea. Today was a community-wide tasting that included seven vineyards and one craft distillery. Participants included Barra of Mendocino (Girasole Vineyards),Continue reading “A Taste of Redwood Valley, Solstice, and Father’s Day, all in one.”
Don’t even think about catching or eating Abalone.
We got up in time to be on the coast at low tide just after 8 am. There are only a few days this summer when unusually low tide coincides with the 8 am start time for abalone fishing. In fact, the start time was moved to 8 am from an earlier hour to decreaseContinue reading “Don’t even think about catching or eating Abalone.”
California State Parks are the place to go.
California is full of state parks, something I did not know. Between Mendocino and Ft. Bragg are a string of parks that provide access to the coast. Some charge $8.00 to park. If you park elsewhere and walk in there’s no charge, but sometimes there is no alternative. We’ve started looking for cars parked byContinue reading “California State Parks are the place to go.”
The Bahamas Effect and second homes
We are in a gorgeous gated neighborhood, where each house has a view of the ocean, the spectacular Mendocino coast. Tonight as we walked down the street we realized that about 75% of the homes are unoccupied. Yes, it’s Sunday night and people may have gone back to the Bay Area for work, but weContinue reading “The Bahamas Effect and second homes”
Mendocino at last! June 9, 2015
It wasn’t exactly the drive from Chicago to Mendocino that made us so happy to arrive. After all, we had wonderful stops along the way and saw all kinds of things. It was the unsettled nature of travel. Both of us enjoy new places, but we do not enjoy being on the road indefinitely. IContinue reading “Mendocino at last! June 9, 2015”
Rural California
Reading the newspaper you wouldn’t think there were any small farmers or ranchers left in California–it’s all sprawling cities or thousand-acre farms. Driving from Petaluma to Mendocino, we passed through, and were surprised by, rural California alive and well. Small farms and ranches extended from Petaluma to the coast.
California means wine.
We had a free day before moving into our house in Mendocino, so we did what all visitors do in California–taste wine! We drove to Sonoma, visiting the Robledo Winery on the way there, and then we visited the Walt tasting room off the Sonoma plaza. What lovely wine, and enjoyable conversation. It was aContinue reading “California means wine.”
Idaho–Reno–California!
We left Twin Falls, Idaho, crossed that beautiful country and stayed overnight at the Nugget Casino in Reno, NV (June 6). The Casino was not particularly inviting, especially considering I don’t ordinarily gamble. Too much smoke. We had a nice dinner at the oyster bar, however, and the room was a bargain compared to anythingContinue reading “Idaho–Reno–California!”
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