Moving Up the California Coast

Point Reyes was so lovely that it was hard to leave; but other adventures awaited us. We said farewell to Gene and Elisabeth on Monday morning and pointed the car north toward Mendocino, a new destination for us. We planned to travel through Anderson Valley, a wine region not as large or as famous as Napa and Sonoma but offering the promise of new pinot noirs, champagnes, gewurtztreminers and other wines (and if I spelled that right, then whoopee!).

Husch served a memorable pinot noir.

Scharffenberger, famous for its chocolate, serves a smooth brut champagne.

Mendocino is, in a word, funky. It's a small place right on the rocky coast, with a few nice restaurants, a post office and lots of B&Bs. The sidewalks appear from time to time in lackadaisical fashion, uneven and unforgiving to those who don't pay attention. The sidewalks and doorways are home to leather-skinned "wanderers," many of whom appear to be old hippies from the sixties.

Our B&B, the Joshua Grindle Inn, was lovely. Our second floor room had a wood burning stove and an actual view of the Pacific. Our hosts fixed really great breakfasts - fantastic omelets, moist muffins, yummy waffles.

The television was on in the breakfast room of the Joshua Grindle Inn on the morning of Tuesday, January 20. We watched the inauguration of Barack Obama with great joy. I cried as President Obama took the oath of office. What a great moment for the United States and the world.

Tuesday evening we had dinner at the Mendo Bistro in Fort Bragg, ten miles to the north of Mendocino. The bistro celebrated the inauguration and the fact that local Anderson Valley wines were featured at one of the inauguration luncheons, by replicating the luncheon's menu. It was a lot of fun.

We had another good meal, lunch after a long hike, at Sharon's by the Sea in Fort Bragg. It's crab season here on the California coast, and Sharon serves crab about eight different ways. The two we tried, a crab melt sandwich and crab tacos, were delicious. It helped a lot that we ate outside on the sun-drenched deck, a real treat for a couple of Minnesotans.

THE place for fresh crab!

When we weren't eating, we hiked our little hearts out once again, walking into a damp canyon that we guessed sees little direct sunlight in the course of a year, strolling through a forest of tall pines and firs, making tracks along miles of beaches.

We spent some time whale watching (here, and in Point Reyes also). In January and February, gray whales migrate from the Arctic Circle to the Baja Peninsula, where they will calve and mate in the warm waters before returning via the same route in March and April. Sightings are frequent during the time we were here, but Carol and I saw nary a sign of the magnificent creatures.

A bad day whale watching still has its rewards.

We did find signs of sea life on the rocks and in the tidal pools exposed by low tide.

The sea lions were skittish, but they allowed me this photo.

This starfish was much more accommodating.

Next on the itinerary - breathtaking Yosemite National Park.