Thankfully, we are not too terribly far removed from the Pacific, and when you are in Northern California, time spent at the coast usually means enjoying cooler climes. This cut-and-run took us to Mendocino County in general, with a cheap-but-decent hotel rented for about $225 (for the weekend!) in Fort Bragg. By the time we packed, topped off the gas tank, grabbed lunch and some travel snacks, plus a couple of other miscellaneous stops, plus the time invested in driving the every-curvy, often-hilly Highway 20 and Highway 1, we arrived at our swanky digs around 7:30 PM. But given the drop in temperature from the high 90s when we began our escapade to the low 60s upon arrival, the late start was a non-issue for the both of us.
We had dinner at our favorite Mendocino restaurant, Patterson’s Pub (the best clam chowder, seriously) and wandered (well, drove slowly) through a little fishing village, Noyo. You might not even notice it below you as you drive over it on Highway 1 going north into Fort Bragg, but it is completely worth the extra few minutes. Take the side road that winds down into the village and you’ll find a few fresh fish markets, restaurants, bars, and some very cute mobile homes-cum-vacation rentals. It is especially adorable at night, thanks to the prevalence of café and Christmas lights strung up here and there! Post-Noyo, we waved our white flag and turned in early.
Sunday morning, we stumbled our way back to a place we’d had breakfast on a previous trip, David’s. We both had a vague idea of where it was and what we were looking for, though neither could recall the name, so it took a little doing to locate it! With our bellies (over) full, we hit the road, Jack! To stay in the cooler areas and get out of town means sticking to Highway 1. A quick glance at a map showed us that going north of Fort Bragg would take us to largely uninhabited areas, so south it was.
First stop, a quick loop through Caspar, a tiny little CDP (census designated place) that is just adorable, but you’ll miss the turn if you blink, so EYES WIDE OPEN! There are countless ‘vista points’ (or as we call them in the South, overlooks) along the way and it’s hard to not stop at every single one. The views of the Pacific and the jagged coastline are truly breathtaking, and as one who could be fully content to merely sit near moving water for extended periods of time, once I stop, it’s hard to get me back on the road.
Over the course of the day, we followed Hwy 1 south as far as Gualala, with stops along the way including:
- Van Damme State Park
- Navarro Beach Road (don’t be surprised if you see me on the news, being arrested for squatting in that house, I’m just saying…)
- Elk
- Manchester (I’m sure the KOA is lovely, but I want to camp at the state park over the cliffs!)
- Gualala, with a stop in the toy store, because…toy store, as well as wandering onto the St. Orres property, thinking we might snag a drink. Sadly, they were not open just yet, but the innkeeper gave us a quick glance around the restaurant and bar and some info on their lodging options. Quite the nifty little place. We may well go back and stay!
There are several lovely little towns (probably also CDPs) along the route, but we were both getting to be road- and sunburn-weary, so after putting Point Arena in the rearview, we made our way back to Fort Bragg.
After the previous evening’s wandering through Noyo Village (Harbor?), we decided to have dinner at one of their three or four establishments. Of the limited options, we chose the Noyo River Grille, and boy, did we miss the boat! I had the sirloin, and he had the house smoked St. Louis ribs. My sirloin was overcooked (medium means “leave some pink”) and the sauce on his ribs was…odd. Maybe it was an off night, because it got reasonable reviews online, but I believe we will try something else in the future.
From there, we took the suggestion of a friend and went for ice cream at Cowlick’s Hand Made Ice Cream. I don’t know that I trust the idea of mushroom ice cream (yes, that’s a thing) but one of their special flavors was “Candy Store Floor” and it was fabulous. Can’t decide if you want ice cream with this candy bar, that one, or maybe the third? No worries; this has bits of all of them. Long line (though short by typical standards, per the local we chatted with while we waited), and completely worth it.
Monday morning, we packed our bags and hit the road. Fast food breakfast (fancy, no?) and off we went. Highway 128 took us through more small towns (though I don’t recall stopping) and to our first destination: Booneville. And more specifically, Anderson Valley Brewing, one of his favorites. Fast forward a few beers and a growler-to-go and we were on the road again. 128 took a brief detour down Highway 101 (or, to Californians, The 101) and we jumped off in Healdsburg, where we had lunch at Bear Republic Brewing. I must say, the $10 burger, fries, and beer was a steal and the food was fabulous! Don’t let the price tag fool you; you just never know! The rest of our drive was largely uneventful (other than the fact that we find ourselves to be hilarious and require no additional entertainment). As for the drive, we returned to 128 and wound our way around to Winters, then across into Davis and back home from there.
(And, for those in the know, the Kid is out of town for the summer. She'll factor back into our wanderings soon!)
That view though...