Day 6 - Santa Rosa and travelling north to Mendocino

6th August 2019

A very comfortable night at the Sandman Hotel, and after a short drive due west to the Pacific coast we were on Highway 101 heading north by 10:30 am.

This is the coastal road, and should offer some splendid views of the rugged coastline of Northern California. Once again, though, we were blighted by the thick Californian fog. We headed to Bodega Bay (Sir Francis Drake’s entry point into the USA on the Golden Hind in 1579 - as mentioned before). There was really nothing of note there. Alfred Hitchcock chose this place for the filming of ‘The Birds’ and it’s easy to see why. It was grey and foggy and the town was so tiny that we decided not to stop, but to head on to our next planned spot of Jenner. Jenner By the Sea is mentioned by the Sonoma Tourism website as a wonderful place to relax and unwind in natural beauty. Maybe it’s the fog not highlighting any natural beauty, but again, not the nicest place.

Bodega Bay - hardly a bird or person to be seen

The fog was so thick, and we could hardly see the coast line, and as our next stop was to be Point Arena Lighthouse, we started to think that a plan B was in order. We swung the car round and decided to head back to pick up the main highway and to lose the fog inland.

Driving up valley alongside the Russian River, we could see kayakers and campers below us. Within ten minutes we came across some shops in a large clearing of trees which looked interesting. Duncan Mills. It was mainly craft shops and antiques, but it had an authentic looking general store, so we thought we’d stop for a drink and to review the map.

The general store made their own fresh sandwiches, so we thought we’d choose some food and then eat on the grassy area at the front. Whilst paying, the guy at the till asked what our plans were, and I mentioned we were feeling a little lost for ideas, so he suggested the Armstrong Redwoods State Natural Reserve, which was ten minutes away. A nice young guy, so we thought we’d trust his recommendation and visit.

The sandwiches, by the way, were HUGE. Packed with layers of turkey and salad and so delicious.

We arrived at the Armstrong Woods really easily and parked our car. There are a number of trails you can follow, so we chose the easy route and soon found ourselves in a world of the giants.

The ancient coast redwood tree is the tallest living thing on our planet. These remarkable trees live to be 500-1,000 years old, grow to a diameter of 12-16 feet, and stand from 200-250 feet tall. Some trees even survive to over 2,000 years and tower above 350 feet. Coast redwoods are classified as temperate rain-forests and they need wet and mild climates to survive.

The Parson Jones Tree is the tallest tree in the grove, measuring more than 310 feet in height. The oldest tree is the Colonel Armstrong Tree, estimated to be over 1,400 years old, and named after a lumberman who chose to preserve this portion of the park in the 1870s.

It is hard to describe just how beautiful this area is - the pleasant walk took us about an hour and we really did stroll through, marvelling at these majestic trees. Although it was 85 degrees today, it was pleasantly cool under the canopy of the redwoods. It really is something one has to see to believe, you can’t actually see the tops of the trees and you only get a true indication of their size when you see someone else standing next to one. Thank you to the lovely man in the general store.

Andrew and Oli looking a little bit tiny

Among the things we learned is that that the root systems of these huge trees is no more than 12 feet deep, but that their roots extend outwards to 150 feet from the base and then interlock with roots of other trees, so that they give each other strength and stability. Like a huge holding of hands under the surface - team work.

We loved our time here at the Armstrong National Reserve - and completely free to walkers (but we left a donation).

It’s now around 4pm, and time to head for our next inn for the night. In Mendocino, which is a coastal town, so we are expecting more grey.

We took a two hour drive through the most beautiful forests of pine and eucalyptus, and field after field of vines and rusting farm machinery. Winding roads, but a nice drive.

And then, as if from nowhere, appeared the ocean and BLUE SKY. Hooray! Apart from Andrew swearing the whole way across two small [tiny!] bridges to reach the ocean, we were all cheering!

We hopped out of the car to say hello to the ocean and then hopped back in, and arrived at the Hill House Hotel, Mendocino by 7pm.

It’s a beautiful building. The room is massive and clean but has been decorated by someone who likes the 1980s. I like the contrast of changing rooms every day; the contrast between one day and the next is all part of the fun.

Restaurants in the less touristy areas on California close early (around 9pm), so, after the wonderful sight of a hummingbird hovering among the flowers in the hotel garden, we headed down the road to the main town area. It is SO nice here. The shops are so nice, and there are white picket fences, gorgeous little houses, a bank, a white church and the coastline. We had a pizza (actually I had a salad) and walked around the streets gazing at houses and wondering what life is like if you are a resident of Mendocino. There are only 894 residents in all.

We saw two raccoons trying to get a last minute snack from the bins, and we walked back up the hill staring at the sky full of stars. All new experiences.

After a rather grey start to today, we have managed to turn it around and end it feeling so happy. Mendocino is going to be a tough little act to follow.