Mendocino county - A Day Trip

Saturday brought an early morning fog typical of late summer in Northern California and we decided to hit the road to take in sights in our neighborhood - that being something in a couple hundred mile radius. Oh the joys of driving the American highways and byways. After traveling for 10 km an hour on average for the last month in a cramped vehicle in the disaster that is India, I was itching to let the six cylinders of our mini SUV open up and take me for a ride.

So we settled on several spots in Mendocino County (200 miles due north of us) to check out a few items not previously visited after hearing about it from some friends who recently did.

Heading around 70 miles north out of San Francisco on the 101, you drive into the town of Ukiah. Considered one of the most livable cities in America it is a town built on lumber - industry that is.

We broke journey here to visit a Buddhist monastery called 'city of ten thousand Buddhas'. A Mahayana school of Buddhism has monks from Vietnam that inhabit this landscape along with a host of cawing peacocks and hens.

Greetings Fellow Humans

What are you looking at?

Both species were in abundant supply as we strolled the grounds on a peaceful and cool morning.

The monastery is on route 222 (go east for about a mile and you run into it) before the next exit further north called Perkins ave.

Beating the drum - we got 10,000 (Buddhas that is)

After the walk in the monastery we were hungry and drove into Perkins where we got some lunchtime nourishment at a bakery run by Dutch migrants - place called Schat's. Open for over 30 years the next generation of Schat's continue to crank out whole host of baked goodies and pancakes and French toast that goes quick at breakfast.

Lunch Time @ Schat's, Ukiah

Since we reached closed to lunch time the menu had dwindled but we enjoyed some walnut cookies and focaccia bread along with a simple cheese and salami sandwich that reminded me of our visit to Germany.

Washed down with some hot and strong Chai latte at the local Starbucks we felt restored for the next leg of the journey that took us further north on 101 to a beachfront called Glass Beach in Fort Bragg, Mendocino county.

To get there we headed north on hwy 101 (for another 50 miles) and jumped on route 20 west in the town of Willits that took us through 40 miles of scenic redwoods and mountain passes to the Pacific Coast Highway or PCH or Route 1; where we turned north for a five mile run to the beach.

Glass beach is so named due to the ground and smoothed out glass pieces that the ocean worked on for decades and spit out, when the land was used as a garbage dump, empty glass bottles included.

Need Glasses? Its glass with some rocks - Glass Beach, Fort Bragg

Pacific churning some kelp

Very monastic - Jonathan Seagull?

Yellow Poppy - CA state flower

This was the northernmost point of our journey and a spot where someone who wants to enjoy the scenery on rails can do so by hopping on the touristy Skunk Train. The tour operators use the old lines left behind from the days when lumber was hauled on rail to the sea ports for exports.

Mural showing the days of the rail road - Fort Bragg CA

Train Depot

After loitering on the beach with some of the wild life we headed south to our next destination - Russian Gulch state park - about 15 miles south on hwy 1.

We did not actually venture in to the park which straddles the ocean but ventured east for 5 miles on route 409 which took us to a dead end. Here we left the car and hiked in for a couple miles to a hidden waterfall that runs down a rock face for about 30 feet.

Bridge over the Creek that becomes the waterfall

On the trail to the waterfall

Falling Water, Fort Bragg, CA

Not much by way of water but quite soothing and serene a spot amidst giant redwood and local ferns.

It was a perfect end to our sojourn out on a otherwise warm day. We drove back home by 9 that night after filling up on some faux Italian (Olive Garden) cuisine. Very hearty as in bad for your heart but delicious soups and bread.

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