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Mystic Mendo


The Northern California Coastal highway stretches up from San Francisco, that most fascinating and some would say gayest of cities -- and undulates through a sweep of dramatic coastline like a contortionist in a traveling circus. Checking out of the top notch Clift Hotel, one of the most sophisticated of San Francisco’s many havens, my partner / publisher / husband Guy and I left Union Square and big city life behind. We were ready for a road adventure. The concierge had given us concise and simple directions -- Take Highway 101 north from the Golden Gate Bridge and exit at Mill Valley / Stinson Beach (Highway 1). If we were in a hurry, he said, we could stay on the less scenic, but quicker 101.

 

But that wasn’t for me and my Guy. We would take the twisted route, looking for visual action while keeping a firm grip on the wheel. We would take that famous route, State Highway 1. Already I could see the cold blue Pacific that crashed against the shore, framed by bluffs topped with wind blown Cypress and Pine.

Copyright 1998 Victoria Brooks.

My partner Guy, sat tall behind the wheel of the rental vehicle, his foot hard against the gas pedal. Me, map in hand, I watched the fog roll in -- like a reel from an old movie. It was a four hour drive north to the beginning of the Mendocino Coast, where California’s Highway 1 continues to snake northward for 80 spectacular miles. In Mendocino, we would trade the sophistication of San Francisco for the calmer elegance of Northern California and incredible views. Scenery pundits have pronounced this 80 mile stretch in Mendocino County the nation’s most stunning coastline. Well, we would soon see about that. But for us, spectacular scenery would not be enough -- my partner, being a typical man, as usual desired adventure. He wanted to taste California wine and boutique brewed beer. He wanted to flex his muscles in a kayak that skimmed across the blue Pacific, the water as chilly and refreshing as a cold drink. He wanted to explore sea caves, horseback ride down the almost never-ending 10-Mile Beach, and marvel at shipwrecks and giant redwoods.

Copyright 1998 Victoria Brooks.

"So, is this a nature trip?" My Guy asked me, his eyes locked on the twisted ribbon of road ahead. An endangered brown pelican flapped its wings above a stone strewn shore. Above us, a red-tailed hawk soared, its serrated wing tips wide and still.

"Only if you want it to be," I answered him facetiously. I knew gray foxes and black-tailed jack rabbits are commonly seen throughout the area. I also knew that bobcats and long tailed weasels, even mountain lions were rare sights -- not trusting even Northern California’s ubiquitous fog to cover their tracks.

We passed quietly through Sonoma county, with its mad, frothing ocean edged by softly rounded hills. And when I say mad, I mean the type of crazed anger that surfaces without warning -- Since 1950, 70 people have been taken to a watery death by rogue waves that rise up, then strike unannounced. We didn’t stop but continued north toward our adventure on the Mendocino coast. We passed Bodega Bay, Alfred Hitchcock’s perfect set for his movie, The Birds. The road was now cloaked in fog -- thick as pea soup, tricky as a Sherlock Holmes mystery. It seemed to engulf us, make us feel we were hurtling through space. This all pervading cloak of fog felt mystic -- it obscures the landscape and gives strange life to plants and tall redwood trees, it allows humans to hide in it -- to recreate themselves in whatever way their imagination designates. The Mendocino coast is like that...Then the fog lifted as quickly as a black mood can -- just as we crossed the Gualala River and the line into Mendocino County, the air felt as clear as the sound of a bell and fresher than a dew drop morning. Gualala, pronounced Wah La la is Spanish for "meeting place of the waters". Once a typical lumberjack’s town, Gualala now leads a double life with art galleries, restaurants and the annual Arts in the Redwoods Festival attracting culture vultures and history hounds to its refurbished 19th century inns. We passed the sign for Gualala Point Regional Park but we didn’t go in. The park has camping, hiking and hike in access to Del Mar Landing, an ecological reserve of virgin coast with its harbor seals, tide pools and rocky offshore outcroppings.

Out of the blue came Guy’s voice, "I have to see the lighthouse."

Copyright 1998 Victoria Brooks.

Copyright 1998 Victoria Brooks.

He surprised me, as he’d been silently concentrating on the drive and the incredible ocean views -- cliffs pale as chalk plunged, waves blowing bubbles of froth sparkled. And there it stood -- the Point Arena Lighthouse, a concrete cylinder with its beacon of light that sweeps across the cold sea, signaling a safe path to sea captains of freighters, fishing boats and ships. From November to March, gray whales make their way through the cold water, on their yearly migration, thumping their tails and throwing their Levanthian bodies into the air. Next came Elk, at the turn of the century a mill town, now a cliff-top village studded with country inns and private cottages that have access to the sea. Then across the Albion River, on the last wooden bridge left on Highway 1... Just a few miles more and into the village of Little River -- still infamous for telling James Dean off during the filming of East of Eden. An innkeeper who didn’t like Dean’s attitude told him to get his feet off the table and get out of the Inn.

We passed weathered red wood barns and lush green forests -- the colors as unreal and brilliant as a Walt Disney cartoon. Sheep grazed contentedly on grassy headlands. The ever present Pacific, still frothed and pounded, making a mist of the landscape. The sea had turned the color of ink in a bottle -- old-fashioned blue green. And then finally we were at Mendocino. People just love Mendocino, they love it so much they actually call it the jewel of the northern coastal crown. A haven for artists since the hippie 1960s, the town is on the National Register of Historic Places. And not just some of the buildings -- but the whole town. Restaurants and galleries rub shoulders with landmark buildings and historic museums.

 

Guy's eyes lit up. "It looks just like a New England fishing village, except the houses don’t have shutters."

"It really is a something else place, " I agreed and filled him in on some TV Trivia. Murder She Wrote, that long-running TV program of the same name, was filmed in Mendocino -- just because the town does look so much like New England. Needless to say, Mendocino -- sleepy eyed, artistic and beautiful -- is often full of movie stars filming, relaxing, imbibing local elixirs and noshing Mendocino style cuisine or shopping for art and antiques. Alice Walker (The Color Blue) is only one of the famous writers and artists who live close by.

We retraced our steps south for two miles to the famous and historic Little River Inn in the small town named what else but Little River. I knew Guy would be happy there with its lit tennis courts and challenging 9 hole golf course with the finishing holes overlooking the Pacific. I’d be happy too, as the Inn neighbors Van Damme State Park with its fern canyon trail, strange pygmy forest and sandy beach. The 65 room Little River Inn, built by a Maine lumberman in 1853, sits on a 225 acre hillside near the mouth of the Little River. The Inn is nicknamed the ‘Grande Dame of the North Coast’, but Guy, not being a history buff was more impressed by the grounds and the smashing ocean views.

Checking in to the historic hostelry, with its modern rooms, Guy poked me and mimed the words, I gotta have a drink. So naturally we headed straight to the Inn’s lounge. That golden screen star, Jane Wyman had tended bar there on a free evening when filming the movie Johnny Belinda. Hollywood hubby, at the time Ronnie Reagan supposedly sat there in silence.

"Hard to believe, Bonzo must have been saving up his words for when he’d become President," Guy winked and began examining the lounges' mementos, memorabilia and artifacts from the pioneer and star studded past.

A Natural Mendocino Morning

I awoke the next day to a new morning -- the sky trailed small white clouds like a child’s long-tailed kite behind it. Through the looking glass of our cabin’s door, a stag stood -- king of the morning mist; he tossed his crown of proud, pale antlers; his hard muscles twitched under a velvet tan coat. Turning his regal head towards me, the animal caught my admiring eye -- then took off with a magnificent rushing leap. Silently closing the door on natures display, I climbed back into bed.

Copyright 1998 Victoria Brooks.Later that same Mendocino morning, our paddles sliced cleanly into the deep cold Pacific. Above us the craggy cliffs of Van Damme State Park soared, cormorants made shadows on the waves, and seals dressed in slick wet suits listened politely as our kayaks slid by. Our guide from Lost Coast Adventures filled us in on the marine life we would see; dark echoing sea caves hollowed out by wave action, tidal pools with huge purple star fish, sea urchins and sea anemones. We paddled our kayaks for two hours, passing a background of red toned cliffs and subtly changing sky. Later, we would drive 10 miles north to Fort Bragg for a vintage train ride and a taste of fresh boutique beer from the North Coast Brewing Co.

All Aboard

Fort Bragg is a lumberman’s town -- full of swagger, country western music, down home truths and…a train. Ker pok ita, Ker pok ita, Ker pok ita... The Skunk Line train wheels began arolling... The "Ole’ No.45" at the Fort Bragg station belched vintage smoke. The diesel powered No. 64, the Skunk Train lived up to its descriptive name-it blew its horn and sang, "Toot, toot…" The buffed black 1925 MS-100 motorcar, the only remaining train of its kind tooted its horn one more time for good measure. The conductor, complete with conductor’s cap shouted, "All aboard." And we were away in a puff of smoke that smudged the sky.

Skunk Line train - photo curtosy Fort Bragg Mendocino Coast Chamber of Commerce.We began a three hour scenic journey. Guy and I sat side by side, legs touching on the rail cars smooth, maroon leather seat. The train chugged over the tracks, first past the magnificent coastline, then following the crooked, scenic path of the Noyo River. Passing over wooden trestles, we looked deep into tumbling green fern filled grottos and ravines. We traveled by daisy laced mountain meadows, old logging camps and first growth redwood sequoias, tall and proud. On the return trip from Northspur, the train began a steep descent up a 1,700 foot summit. At the dizzying summit, we entered a mountain tunnel. It was as if someone had turned out the lights. I drew in my breath at the sudden blackness -- darker than a night time room -- and realized the day was almost over. Then I sighed in anticipation -- we had two more days to wander mystic Mendocino.

Traveler’s Tip:

Stay overnight in San Francisco -- so you can make an early start for that fascinating drive to Mendocino County.

Information:

Telephone Fort Bragg Mendocino Coast tourism at 1 800 726 2780 or (707) 961 6300.

Thanks:

We would like to thank the Fort Bragg-Mendocino Coast Chamber of Commerce (e-mail address) for the use of several photos: the California Western Railroad's famous Skunk Line steam engine, Mendocino Coast garden, and Blair House (on front page in composition), familiar to viewers of the TV series, Murder She Wrote.

Mendocino Coast Chamber of Commerce copyrighted image.Fort Bragg - Mendocino Coast: www.mendocinocoast.com

This website offers a great variety of excellent lodging and dining establishments, a full calendar of events for the year and fun things to do in all the coastal towns and villages... and you can go on to find out how to find them, check out the weather, and where you can find anything from antiques to zircons.

Road Trip USA - Moon Handbooks.From Moon Travel Handbooks:
Road Trip USA : Cross-Country Adventures
on America's Two-Lane Highways

(1st Ed) 1996
by Jamie Jensen

amazon.comPaperback - Order from Amazon

We passed weathered red wood barns and lush green forests -- the colors as unreal and brilliant as a Walt Disney cartoon. Sheep grazed contentedly on grassy headlands. The ever present Pacific, still frothed and pounded, making a mist of the landscape. The sea had turned the color of ink in a bottle -- old-fashioned blue green. And then finally we were at Mendocino. People just love Mendocino, they love it so much they actually call it the jewel of the northern coastal crown. A haven for artists since the hippie 1960s, the town is on the National Register of Historic Places. And not just some of the buildings -- but the whole town. Restaurants and galleries rub shoulders with landmark buildings and historic museums.

Guy's eyes lit up. "It looks just like a New England fishing village, except the houses don’t have shutters."

"It really is a something else place, " I agreed and filled him in on some TV Trivia. Murder She Wrote, that long-running TV program of the same name, was filmed in Mendocino -- just because the town does look so much like New England. Needless to say, Mendocino -- sleepy eyed, artistic and beautiful -- is often full of movie stars filming, relaxing, imbibing local elixirs and noshing Mendocino style cuisine or shopping for art and antiques. Alice Walker (The Color Blue) is only one of the famous writers and artists who live close by.

We retraced our steps south for two miles to the famous and historic Little River Inn in the small town named what else but Little River. I knew Guy would be happy there with its lit tennis courts and challenging 9 hole golf course with the finishing holes overlooking the Pacific. I’d be happy too, as the Inn neighbors Van Damme State Park with its fern canyon trail, strange pygmy forest and sandy beach. The 65 room Little River Inn, built by a Maine lumberman in 1853, sits on a 225 acre hillside near the mouth of the Little River. The Inn is nicknamed the ‘Grande Dame of the North Coast’, but Guy, not being a history buff was more impressed by the grounds and the smashing ocean views.

Checking in to the historic hostelry, with its modern rooms, Guy poked me and mimed the words, I gotta have a drink. So naturally we headed straight to the Inn’s lounge. That golden screen star, Jane Wyman had tended bar there on a free evening when filming the movie Johnny Belinda. Hollywood hubby, at the time Ronnie Reagan supposedly sat there in silence.

"Hard to believe, Bonzo must have been saving up his words for when he’d become President," Guy winked and began examining the lounges' mementos, memorabilia and artifacts from the pioneer and star studded past.

A Natural Mendocino Morning

I awoke the next day to a new morning -- the sky trailed small white clouds like a child’s long-tailed kite behind it. Through the looking glass of our cabin’s door, a stag stood -- king of the morning mist; he tossed his crown of proud, pale antlers; his hard muscles twitched under a velvet tan coat. Turning his regal head towards me, the animal caught my admiring eye -- then took off with a magnificent rushing leap. Silently closing the door on natures display, I climbed back into bed.

Copyright 1998 Victoria Brooks.Later that same Mendocino morning, our paddles sliced cleanly into the deep cold Pacific. Above us the craggy cliffs of Van Damme State Park soared, cormorants made shadows on the waves, and seals dressed in slick wet suits listened politely as our kayaks slid by. Our guide from Lost Coast Adventures filled us in on the marine life we would see; dark echoing sea caves hollowed out by wave action, tidal pools with huge purple star fish, sea urchins and sea anemones. We paddled our kayaks for two hours, passing a background of red toned cliffs and subtly changing sky. Later, we would drive 10 miles north to Fort Bragg for a vintage train ride and a taste of fresh boutique beer from the North Coast Brewing Co.

All Aboard

Fort Bragg is a lumberman’s town -- full of swagger, country western music, down home truths and…a train. Ker pok ita, Ker pok ita, Ker pok ita... The Skunk Line train wheels began arolling... The "Ole’ No.45" at the Fort Bragg station belched vintage smoke. The diesel powered No. 64, the Skunk Train lived up to its descriptive name-it blew its horn and sang, "Toot, toot…" The buffed black 1925 MS-100 motorcar, the only remaining train of its kind tooted its horn one more time for good measure. The conductor, complete with conductor’s cap shouted, "All aboard." And we were away in a puff of smoke that smudged the sky.

Skunk Line train - photo curtosy Fort Bragg Mendocino Coast Chamber of Commerce.We began a three hour scenic journey. Guy and I sat side by side, legs touching on the rail cars smooth, maroon leather seat. The train chugged over the tracks, first past the magnificent coastline, then following the crooked, scenic path of the Noyo River. Passing over wooden trestles, we looked deep into tumbling green fern filled grottos and ravines. We traveled by daisy laced mountain meadows, old logging camps and first growth redwood sequoias, tall and proud. On the return trip from Northspur, the train began a steep descent up a 1,700 foot summit. At the dizzying summit, we entered a mountain tunnel. It was as if someone had turned out the lights. I drew in my breath at the sudden blackness -- darker than a night time room -- and realized the day was almost over. Then I sighed in anticipation -- we had two more days to wander mystic Mendocino.

Traveler’s Tip:

Stay overnight in San Francisco -- so you can make an early start for that fascinating drive to Mendocino County.

Information:

Telephone Fort Bragg Mendocino Coast tourism at 1 800 726 2780 or (707) 961 6300.

Thanks:

We would like to thank the Fort Bragg-Mendocino Coast Chamber of Commerce (e-mail address) for the use of several photos: the California Western Railroad's famous Skunk Line steam engine, Mendocino Coast garden, and Blair House (on front page in composition), familiar to viewers of the TV series, Murder She Wrote.

Mendocino Coast Chamber of Commerce copyrighted image.Fort Bragg - Mendocino Coast: www.mendocinocoast.com

This website offers a great variety of excellent lodging and dining establishments, a full calendar of events for the year and fun things to do in all the coastal towns and villages... and you can go on to find out how to find them, check out the weather, and where you can find anything from antiques to zircons.

Road Trip USA - Moon Handbooks.From Moon Travel Handbooks:
Road Trip USA : Cross-Country Adventures
on America's Two-Lane Highways

(1st Ed) 1996
by Jamie Jensen

amazon.comPaperback - Order from Amazon