Archive for the ‘drives’ Category

Whales and First Day Hikes Start January 1
Saturday, December 24th, 2011 by dff

Migrating California Gray whales, numbering between 18,000–23,000 individuals, pass by the Mendocino coast twice each year. Here are several ways you can check out the whales and other wildlife along the Mendocino Coast, thanks to State Parks.

Whale Tail Seen From Shore!FIRST DAY WALKS: California State Parks announces guided interpretive hikes at 4 state parks along the Mendocino Coast on January 1, 2012. These hikes are part of a nationwide effort of special hikes on New Years Day in state parks in all 50 states. This will promote state parks and participation in healthy activities. All of these hikes will take place on California’s North Coast in wintertime. Be prepared for cool temperatures.

WALK #1: Westport-Union Landing State Beach. Meet the docent at 1:00 p.m. at the park headquarters building at park main entrance, just west of Hwy 1. The park is located about 19 miles north of Fort Bragg, California on Hwy 1. This will be a 1 mile long moderate hike. This hike is suggested for children 8 years and older, and adults. Learn fun facts about the once bustling town of Westport from local resident Steve Brigham.

WALK #2: MacKerricher State Park. Meet the docent at 10:00 a.m. at the Laguna Point parking lot, from Mill Creek Road, three miles north of Fort Bragg, California, west of Hwy 1. This will be an easy three-quarter-mile walk along a boardwalk. This short walk will be filled with fun facts about MacKerricher State Park as you walk to an overlook above the ocean. Park Naturalist Teresa Hurray will lead this walk. The walk is suggested for children 12 years and older, and adults.
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Mendocino Outdoors is the premier guide to outdoor activities on the Mendocino CoastMendocino Outdoors, the premier guidebook for outdoor fun and adventure on the Mendocino Coast, has been updated in 2017 as an ebook for the 5th Edition. You can buy a copy at Smashwords.com, the Apple iBooks Bookstore, Amazon’s Kindle Books, and Barnes & Noble's online store.

Book Signing for Mendocino Outdoors on Sat, Aug 9
Friday, August 8th, 2008 by dff

Cover for Mendocino OutdoorsCover of Mendocino OutdoorsOn Saturday, August 9, there will be a book signing for my new book at the Mendocino Hotel from 4-6 pm. The wine will be poured by Goldeneye Winery — their wonderful pinot noir.

This event is for the release of the Third Edition of Mendocino Outdoors, the best guidebook about the Mendocino Coast. The new edition is a huge improvement over the past editions in all ways: it’s been completely revised (rewritten, really), and expanded to cover the entire Mendocino Coast. The new edition also has a lot more photography in it, to show you why you might want to go see something. I also ended up revising all of the maps, in addition to new ones.

You can see more about the book, including sample pages, here on the site.

Mendocino Outdoors is the premier guide to outdoor activities on the Mendocino CoastMendocino Outdoors, the premier guidebook for outdoor fun and adventure on the Mendocino Coast, has been updated in 2017 as an ebook for the 5th Edition. You can buy a copy at Smashwords.com, the Apple iBooks Bookstore, Amazon’s Kindle Books, and Barnes & Noble's online store.

Dozens of Classic Cars in Mendocino on April 30, 2008
Tuesday, April 15th, 2008 by dff

Here’s a fun thing happening tomorrow soon. If you’re into classic and exotic cars, a bunch of them will be around town in Mendocino and the area on Wednesday, April 30, 2008.

APRIL 16, 2008

18th Annual 4-Day California Mille 1000-Mile Back Roads Tour to the Mendocino Hotel

The California Mille (MILL-ay) salutes Italy’s famed Mille Miglia (thousand mile) race that ran from Brescia to Rome to Brescia from 1927-1957. Cars that could have qualified for the original event are eligible to apply for entry in the California Mille to Mendocino.

This year’s cars will include some l5 Jaguars, 11 Alfa Romeos, 9 Mercedes-Benz as well as such rarely seen and exotic makes as Talbot-Lago, Nash Healey, Allard, Aceca-Bristol, Hudson Hornet, Kurtis, Cisitalia, Cunningham, and Delahaye. Participants are expected from l5 U.S. states and six nations: Australia, Colombia, Switzerland, the U.K., Canada and the U.S. Three 2008 Mille entries completed last year’s Peking-to-Paris marathon.. The 1000-mile route will take the Mille west on California Street, into the Presidio, and across the Golden Gate Bridge, then northeast to the wine country. A number of the guests are staying at the historic Mendocino Hotel and Garden Suites and the Hill House Inn where special food and beverage offerings will be made available to the race participants as well as other guests, visitors and locals who wish to enjoy this spectacular car collection. On Day 3, the 180 Mille guests will assemble at the Mendocino Hotel for a gourmet dinner and then return to the San Francisco area.Array of Classic and Exotic Cars at the Hill House Inn

The California Mille, a not-for-profit event presented by Amici americani della Mille Miglia, is one of series of motoring tours under the direction of Martin Swig. The Mille is sponsored by San Francisco’s Fairmont Hotel, Blancpain Watches, the Lodi Wine Growers, British Motors Jaguar, KSFO 560 AM Radio, Symbolic Motor Car Company, the Nob Hill Gazette and UBS Switzerland.

Mendocino Outdoors is the premier guide to outdoor activities on the Mendocino CoastMendocino Outdoors, the premier guidebook for outdoor fun and adventure on the Mendocino Coast, has been updated in 2017 as an ebook for the 5th Edition. You can buy a copy at Smashwords.com, the Apple iBooks Bookstore, Amazon’s Kindle Books, and Barnes & Noble's online store.

Of Tundra Swans, Waterfalls, and Organic Cows
Monday, December 24th, 2007 by dff

Point Arena Lighthouse

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Point Arena Lighthouse
Lone Tundra Swan
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Lone Tundra Swan
A couple of days ago, I went down to Point Arena with Bruce because I heard that the tundra swans had returned to their local resting spot during migration. When we got down to the Garcia River, I was hoping I would see dozens of swans as I had in the past. On the south side of the river, there’s a huge green wetland that the tundra swans love. On Friday, though, there was only a single swan. Bruce thought he saw some off in the distance on the north side of the river, so we decided to return after visiting the Stornetta Preserve to see the waterfall after recent rains. It’s an easy mile-long walk out to the waterfall.

Stornetta Waterfall

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Stornetta Waterfall
Stornetta Waterfall Obscured by A Wave
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Stornetta Waterfall Obscured by A Wave
Stornetta Waterfall Obscured by A Wave
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Stornetta Waterfall Obscured by A Wave
Point Arena Lighthouse from the Stornetta Waterfall
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Point Arena Lighthouse from the Stornetta Waterfall

There was certainly more water coming off the waterfall than in the summer, but the real story was the ocean. The waves were at times quite large — large enough for the spray to obscure the waterfall! Unlike the last time we went down there, it was a sunny day, and we could see the Point Arena Lighthouse in the distance to the north.

Tundra Swans in the Field

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Tundra Swans in the Field
Tundra Swans are Very Skittish!
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Tundra Swans are Very Skittish!
More Tundra Swans on the Ground
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More Tundra Swans on the Ground
Dairy Cows at Stornetta Dairy
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Dairy Cows at Stornetta Dairy

After we headed back to the Garcia River wetlands, we went off on a side road on the north side of the river — but just around the bend, it was marked as Private Property. A man came along in a pickup as we were starting to turn around, and we asked if we could go in and take some pictures of the swans. He said it wasn’t his land, so we couldn’t get out there. But he urged us to follow him, and he took off. A couple of miles up the highway, he turned off on a dirt road towards the ocean. In a short while, we were entering the Clover Dairy — not only the sole dairy in the county, it’s also the only organic dairy in the county. He told us to join him in his truck, and he took us out a short distance to where the swans were hanging out in the fields. He introduced himself as Walt Stornetta, the owner of the dairy. He has about 400 cows on 550 acres of land. Each cow produces on average 67 pounds of milk — about 8 gallons a day. I felt really lucky to run into him like we did, and that he was so generous with his time.

Mendocino Outdoors is the premier guide to outdoor activities on the Mendocino CoastMendocino Outdoors, the premier guidebook for outdoor fun and adventure on the Mendocino Coast, has been updated in 2017 as an ebook for the 5th Edition. You can buy a copy at Smashwords.com, the Apple iBooks Bookstore, Amazon’s Kindle Books, and Barnes & Noble's online store.

New Photo Galleries: Goldeneye Fall Foliage Redux and more!
Tuesday, November 20th, 2007 by dff

Pinot Noir Grapes Amid the Fall Foliage

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Pinot Noir Grapes Amid the Fall Foliage at Goldeneye
Back in October, I had the chance to go shoot the fall foliage at Goldeneye Vineyards near Philo in the Anderson Valley. There had been showers the day before, and more were predicted for that day. As it turns out, though, there was no rain. There were lots of clouds moving through quickly, though, making wonderful patterns of light on the grape vines. I’ve now added a more extensive gallery of photos from that day, and we’re now working to expand the photo galleries to show more images of the Mendocino Coast. You can currently find these galleries:

Gallery 1: favorite images from DFF

Gallery 2: flower pictures by DFF, mostly from Mendocino Coast Botanical Gardens

Gallery 3: pictures of the Point Cabrillo Light Station and area by Bruce

Gallery 4: Goldeneye Fall Foliage by DFF

We hope you enjoy the pictures!

Mendocino Outdoors is the premier guide to outdoor activities on the Mendocino CoastMendocino Outdoors, the premier guidebook for outdoor fun and adventure on the Mendocino Coast, has been updated in 2017 as an ebook for the 5th Edition. You can buy a copy at Smashwords.com, the Apple iBooks Bookstore, Amazon’s Kindle Books, and Barnes & Noble's online store.

Fall Colors at Goldeneye in the Anderson Valley
Friday, October 19th, 2007 by dff

If you’re driving on Highway 128 through the Anderson Valley on your way to or from Mendocino this weekend, plan on taking some time to stop at some of the many tasting rooms to enjoy the fall foliage in the vineyards. Bob Nye, Operations Manager at Goldeneye Winery, called me the other day to remind me about coming down to see the fall colors on the grapevines, so I made it down on Wednesday. Although the weather guys had predicted showers that day, it turned into a warm day with clouds racing through — perfect for walking through the vineyard. I’ve always admired the colors on the vine-covered hills, but this is the first time I’ve had the chance to walk through the middle of it.

Across Goldeneye Vineyard in the Anderson Valley

As you can see, the colors ranged from green to yellow to orange to deep red from one plant to the next, making for swaths of color below the hill. You can still find the occasional bunch of grapes that was missed in the picking. These were pinot noir grapes, and while the resulting pinot is excellent, they weren’t particularly tasty in the raw. I love the deep almost-indigo blue in contrast to the wild yellows and reds around the grapes.

Pinot noir grapes among the fall colors

The Goldeneye tasting room is a charming building nestled between several restored apple-drying sheds. They host group events on the patio outside, with its barbecue grill and Dutch oven and fabulous view. Out in the middle of the vineyard on a manicured path, they’ve placed a pavilion with picnic tables. What a spectacular place to enjoy a picnic or some cheese with a fine wine!Pavilion and Tasting Room at GoldeneyeWalking the rows of grapevines, in and out of the sun

Mendocino Outdoors is the premier guide to outdoor activities on the Mendocino CoastMendocino Outdoors, the premier guidebook for outdoor fun and adventure on the Mendocino Coast, has been updated in 2017 as an ebook for the 5th Edition. You can buy a copy at Smashwords.com, the Apple iBooks Bookstore, Amazon’s Kindle Books, and Barnes & Noble's online store.

Seal Pupping Season Begins at MacKerricher SP
Wednesday, April 18th, 2007 by dff

Harbor Seals on the rocksFrom now until the middle of May, visitors to MacKerricher State Park will find a barrier cable and signs east of the harbor seal rookery. Seals give birth on an open beach, and the newborn pups are extremely sensitive to intrusions — especially by dogs. It’s fine to observe the seals from the bluffs overlooking the beach, but don’t bring your dog. This is a great time to see the harbor seals. As the pups get a little older, you can watch the mothers coax the pups into the water for their first swimming lessons.

Coastal bluffs north of MacKerricher SPDuring pupping season, the males hang out elsewhere in the area. Last Sunday, we drove north along the coast north of MacKerricher and Ten Mile Beach. We stopped at the vista point at mile marker 74.09 on Highway One. This is a lovely spot with some wetlands areas on the headlands, leading down to the ocean. We saw a number of harbor seals down on the rocks, and we’re guessing they were males.

Peet the Monster Dog!This was also the driving trip where I discovered that Peet, my 9-month-old puppy, gets car sick. After he threw up twice in 25 miles, we headed back home — where Peet moped around the rest of the day. Gonna have to toughen that puppy up! 🙂

Mendocino Outdoors is the premier guide to outdoor activities on the Mendocino CoastMendocino Outdoors, the premier guidebook for outdoor fun and adventure on the Mendocino Coast, has been updated in 2017 as an ebook for the 5th Edition. You can buy a copy at Smashwords.com, the Apple iBooks Bookstore, Amazon’s Kindle Books, and Barnes & Noble's online store.

It’s Good to be Queen….
Monday, February 26th, 2007 by dff

Queenie‘s Roadhouse Cafe

Or so says Lynne (a.k.a Queenie), the owner and chef at Queenie’s Roadhouse Cafe in Elk. This is the best breakfast around, in my opinion — an opinion shared by a lot of locals. This is the place where you’ll see the most innkeepers outside their pens inns. As a recovering innkeeper, I have to say it’s wonderful when someone else fixes breakfast for you! Here’s what makes Queenie’s so consistently excellent:

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Mendocino Outdoors is the premier guide to outdoor activities on the Mendocino CoastMendocino Outdoors, the premier guidebook for outdoor fun and adventure on the Mendocino Coast, has been updated in 2017 as an ebook for the 5th Edition. You can buy a copy at Smashwords.com, the Apple iBooks Bookstore, Amazon’s Kindle Books, and Barnes & Noble's online store.

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