Mendocino Loop

Left camp early this morning for a scenic drive along the coast and then to Mendocino. Going up Rte 101 N we stopped in a cute little town called Hopland. We found a neat local place called the Bluebird Cafe and had breakfast. Great homefires with onions!

Turning off of Rte 101 onto Rte 128 W we headed for Boonville. Boonville would be our connection to the "little gray road on the map" we found. The little road was a more direct route to the coast so we decided to take it. Down State Route 510 we went. This road is also known as Mountain View Road -- we should have known better! What a road, constant S turns at 15 and 20 MPH, then leading straight up and into a hairpin curve! We were constantly climbing and winding around blind curves as the road narrowed in places to only 1 1/2 lanes and no shoulder! Now we are having fun... Finally we stopped at the top of one of the mountains to see the view. As we got out I asked Ken, "What's that noise?"..It was the water in the radiator bubbling...Sooo we drove with the heater on for a while as we climbed some more mountains.

The road brought us over 3 gorgeous rolling green mountains, through forests of redwoods and travelled under canopys of cedar. The landscape would change from forest to rolling pasture with sheep grazing everywhere. Coming up and over another hill we found the sparkling Pacific Ocean spread out in front of us. Down the mountain we wound with steep grades of 16%. It was like a roller coaster. Finally we turned onto Rte 1S and followed the signs to Point Arena Lighthouse sitting high on a cliff. We spent some time just watching the waves crash against the jagged rocks along the coastline.

Back onto Rte 1 we turned north an passed fields of Mustard Seed. On our left we saw a sign saying "Coast Access" so we thought we'd check it out. We followed the road to a parking lot. Naturally we took the trail through soft sand and over dunes for about 1/4 mile to the beach. It was strewn with dead wood from the winter storms. We sat on a big log and watched the waves and walked the beach. Then we marched back through the sand to the car.

Now we are rolling up Rte 1 N to Mendocino passing cattle and sheep grazing along the cliffs and past bunches of Calla Lillys growing along the road. We pulled into the little ocean town of Mendocino. It's kind of a cross between Martha's Vineyard and Provincetown. The little roads are lined with galleries, curio shops, and cafes. We had a late lunch at the historic Mendocino Hotel's Garden Cafe. Later we walked along a path that ran along the top of the cliff looking down into the tide pools. We checked out some of the shops and tried to stop at the ice cream shop, but it was closed...

Back in the car we followed Rte 1 N along the coast to Rte 20 E. Back over the mountains and twisty curves through the forest where the trees were so thick it looked dark as night. We reached Rte 101 and turned south back to camp. We got back about 6:30pm. It was a beautiful ride today and Ken said he liked driving the twisty roads the best!

Today was just a taste of what we'll see as we go up the coast.

Pictures (Top left to bottom): Bluebird Cafe, Rte 128W Booneville, Point Arena Lighthouse, Point Arena Coast, Mustard Seed Field and Lighthouse, Mendocino Tide Pool, Mendocino Hotel, Point Arena Beach, Coastal Access