It ain't (Ft.) Bragg-in' if it's true

As I post this, I'm sipping my last cup of coffee in the Headlands Coffee House in Ft. Bragg. I depart for Eureka in a few minutes and have no idea how much access to the Internet I'll have. So, please bear with me if I drop off for a few days.

Ft. Bragg and Mendocino County have been wonderful to me. Onward to the north!

Read on...
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8/10, 1906, Cleone Campground, Cleone, CA – I’m getting behind, but as my lovely and very wise wife said earlier today, “You’re on vacation. Don’t spend it all blogging.” She’s right, as always.

As I stated, the drive from G’ville to Ft. Bragg was one beautiful coastal scene after another. I stopped here and there taking pictures, but knew the estimated travel time vs. the actual one was way off. Within just a few minutes of returning to Hwy. 1, I saw a turnoff for “Vista Point” or something similar and turned off with photos in mind. It was still somewhat foggy, but I had faith. A walk through a meadow teeming with flying insects (too bush to notice me) resulted in arriving at a ridge overlooking a view of the coast to the South, starting with the mouth of the Russian River emptying into the Pacific and stretching scenic point by scenic point all the way back to Point Reyes, which, though semi-shrouded in fog, was still visible off in the distance. I squeezed off a few shots and started back to the car. In the time it took me to take photos and start my walk back, a flock of birds had discovered the insects in the meadow and had descended, swooping and diving, through the buffet of bugs. It was like seeing bats at work at night. A feast!

I hate to trivialize the trip to Ft. Bragg, but honest to God, it was just one stunning view after another, which is becoming commonplace (though I still stop and shoot photos because “commonplace” up here is “eye-popping” back home). One does have to be discerning, though, otherwise I’d be blowing through film and the developing costs would be brutal. I learned that the hard way back in ’98 with the Colorado vacation.

Two notable items, though…Sonoma County seems to enjoy providing coastal access. The southern reached of Mendocino County, though, was not only privately-owned, but views were blocked with countless privacy fences. Very disappointing. I know there were some luscious views to behold, but there was no way to get to them. The other thing was there was a huge development in southern Mendocino County that featured neighborhood after neighborhood of 70’s-style coastal homes in what appeared to be “planned communities” on both sides of Hwy. 1. The enclaves were scattered for miles and miles along the coast. I couldn’t tell how old the houses were because there were new ones being built that mimicked the same 70’s style as the older ones. No question it was run by the same developer, though.

Well, the sun is going down and I’ve yet to see a sunset into the ocean on this trip. So, if y’all don’t mind, I’m going to drive next door to the State Park and go catch the sunset.

Be right back!

2083 – Beautiful sunset. Lots of people out to watch, fortunately out of camera shot.

Stopped in Point Arena to photograph the lighthouse, then continued on to Mendocino. Quaint little spot, far smaller than I expected. Decided to breeze through quickly, then return during my Ft. Bragg stay (it’s about 10 miles from FB). Soon after departing Mendocino, I noted I was closing in on Russian Gulch State Park, which features – among other things – a unique bridge on Hwy. 1 that crosses where the creek empties into the Pacific. Within a minute or two, I was crossing it and “living” a scene I’d seen repeatedly while planning the vacation. Again, I noted its location and added it to the list of places to visit.

8/11, 1142, Ukiah Brewing Co. & Restaurant, Ukiah, CA – The brewpub tour of Northern California continues…

I’m getting so far behind in my blogging. I apologize to the few of you who’re actually reading…

Ft. Bragg has turned out to be the highlight, so far. The town is just large enough, just small enough, just old enough, and just new enough. Friendly people, nice weather, a free state park/beach, lovely scenery, a port (fresh seafood!), and the North Coast Brewing Company right downtown. I set up camp in Cleone (just a few miles north of town, right next to the state park) in “The Meadow,” one of the campgrounds nicest sites and THE nicest site for tent camping. The “retired” couple that runs the camp has a nice thing going here. They have strict rules, none of which I have the least bit of objection to. The wife runs the business, the husband chops wood and does maintenance and cleaning. And there’s a small grocery/campstore out front. Couldn’t be more convenient. Nicely wooded and quiet campground, the only exception to the quiet being the distant roar of the ocean.

(Just took my first sip of a pint of Sunhouse Amber Ale. Not as sweet as some ambers I’ve had around here. A bit drier, too. Not bad. Not bad.)

So, once I have my tent sent and my bearings straight, I head back into town to find the coffee shop with WiFi. Didn’t take long. Parked on the street, opened my door and was just about knocked to the ground by the smell of hops. Wow! What a welcome! A great advertisement for the North Coast Brewery, too. “We’re here. We’re beer. Deal with it.”
I commenced the “walking tour” and quickly fell under the town’s spell. Lots of galleries, but not too upscale. It’s got the California progressive attitude, but with a Mendocino spin (i.e., not too high fallutin’). Just enough alternative living to be California, but enough normal people to still be Earthbound. I’m impressed. With all due respect to Guerneville, this is a marked improvement.

I have since used the Headlands Coffee House at least once, and sometimes twice a day since then. Great selection of coffee. Strong WiFi signal and great sourdough bagels. I’m not the least bit embarrassed to admit that I’ve eaten dinner BOTH nights I’ve been in Ft. Bragg at the North Coast Brewery’s taproom/grille. The prices are right, the beers are fresh and cold, the atmosphere is inviting, and it’s on the north side of downtown, making it a short drive home (fear not, I’ve not had more than one pint per night).

(Oh, this is weird…one of the young men working here at Ukiah Brewing is named “Austin” and his twin brother is named “Travis.” I told him where I was from and he said “Cool!”)

So, Wednesday evening, after dinner and a pint, I checked out the state park, returned to camp, built a fire, and - as I pointed out in an earlier post – sipped some Maker’s Mark. It was, all in all, a wonderful introduction to Ft. Bragg.

Next morning, I did my “bidness” at the coffee shop, then headed south to Russian Gulch State Park, near Mendocino. I undertook a 4-1/2 mile hike through the thickly-forested, fern-floored woods to a small waterfall and “communed” with nature and my inner self for a while. I was the first on the trail – by far – and watched (and felt) myself move from microclimate to microclimate as I climbed up and up the creek canyon and into and out of small spots where the run barely broke through. The woods was quiet, apparently home to mountain lions (!!!), except for my nearly constant whistling and jingle-jangle of the compass and whistle around my neck (which, I learned during my first Colorado hiking vacation, comes in handy for letting wildlife know I’m in the area). If I recall correctly, Led Zepplin, Genesis, and Stevie Ray Vaughan were my whistling selections. Thank God I learned that little talent!

I was all the way to the waterfall and about 1/3 of the way back before I ran into anyone else coming up the trail. The early bird gets the privacy, as I always say. I continued a shorter hike into the park’s headland area overlooking the raging, but still fog-bound Pacific. One of the park’s features is a inverted arch-shaped bridge (Rt. 1) I mentioned above. It spans where the Russian Gulch Creek meets the Pacific at the park’s headlands. A very beautiful sight, worthy of photographs when cars aren’t parked under the bridge. I compromised and used a tree to try to block the cars and shot a photo anyway.

Then, it was onward to Mendocino. Well, lunch is over. Time to move along myself. I’ll pick up with Mendocino at my next stop.

8/11 – 1820, Cleone Campground – The car is gassed up, I’ve had my “big meal” for the day (a tasty fish sandwich at Ukiah Brewing Co.), the car is cleaned and organized for travel, the cell phones are charging up, the campfire is burning…I’m in for the night.

Yes, well, Mendocino…much smaller than I anticipated, considering how much I’ve heard about it and the fact that Doug Sahm wrote a classic song about it. It is a quaint little village on a bluff overlooking the Pacific, featuring Victorian cottages and businesses catering to tourists. Since it’s just a short little drive to the much larger and more developed Ft. Bragg, it seems to be perfectly happy just as it is, thank you very much. And it works, too. There’s everything from the usual beach gift shop merchandise to inns/B & Bs to high-end fashion wear to even a well-stocked (for it’s size, which was not much larger than a closet) CD store (and they were playing Delbert McClinton, had CDs from Los Lonely Boys, and - most surprising – even a CD by Austin’s Del Castillo. Made an Austinite feel right at home). I also noted that this past June’s Mendocino Music Festival had, as one of it’s featured artists, the Austin Lounge Lizards. Lots of Putamayo CDs available, too. My sense it’s either a well coordinated marketing plan by Putamayo or the record store is catering to the world music tastes fed by the local public radio station operating out of Philo.

In addition to coffee and a piece of organic pumpkin bread, I paid for much needed internet service and sat along the sidewalk tables and caught up with “things” and chatted with my lovely wife.

Have I mentioned how much I love my wife? She is a wonderful lady. I miss her greatly and count the mintues until our next cellphone conversation or instant messaging session. Sigh…

Anyway, I walked through the business district, took some ocean pictures from the edge of the bluff and some pictures of the gardens. Ah! The gardens! Mendocino seems to excel at growing flowers, developing courtyards, and backyard flower gardens. There was flower color EVERYWHERE! The whole place just reminded me of a small, quaint English coastal village full of retired gardeners. Most of the houses were small “cottage”
style buildings, the vast majority had obviously been around for a while, and they were – for the most part – immaculately kept up. The place was charming.

I noticed that the time was coming in, so I quickly returned to Russian Gulch and took “the picture” of the inverted arch bridge I mentioned earlier.

After marveling at Mendocino’s gardens, it only made sense that my next stop was the Mendocino Coast Botanical Gardens, 57 acres of meticulously maintained gardens and one of the better ocean views along Hwy. 1. A non-profit group runs the gardens, so I didn’t put up too much of a fuss with the $7.50 entrance fee. Turns out it was well worth the price of admission. Now, there was a time not that long ago when I wouldn’t have given a botanical garden a first, let along second, thought while planning a vacation. That was before I married Sundance, who has not only developed my appreciation of plants in general – and flowering plants specifically – but done so to the extent where I can’t walk by a rose bush without inspecting it and, as the saying goes, “taking time to smell the roses.” Since Sundance is not along with me (except in spirit), I shot many photos using both the Nikon and the digital camera. I’ve been shooting flowers right and left since arriving in San Jose. Sundance deserves no less.

Ahhh…the sun is starting to wane, the campfire is going well, it’s getting chilly. The sweatshirt is on. With a little more “brought along” food in me, there’ll have to be some liquid refreshments considered…for warmth and medicinal purposes only, of course.

For those of you who know me well, you know that Thursdays hold a special place in my heart. Being away from Austin, I’ve not been able to enjoy my weekly Oaxacan mole with friends and colleagues. Fortunately, here in Ft. Bragg, Thursdays are also special. It’s Pint Night at North Coast Brewery. So, having scrimped on food throughout the day, it was time to “splurge” on another dinner at NCB. But, first, I had to perform an important test of NCB’s product. Does it taste good in a bar other than that run by the brewery? I know, you beer snobs are with me on this one. These things are important! So, having not yet visited Ft. Bragg’s wharf district, I drove to North Harbor Ave. and down into the dock area, where an inlet from the Pacific meets either a small river or creek. Quite a number of fresh seafood processors, deep sea fishing outfitters, and restaurants line the docks, so Silver’s Restaurant & Bar was where I wanted to test the integrity of NCB’s Red Seal Ale. I’d considered having dinner there, but something about enjoying another Red Seal with dinner at NCB’s taproom & grill appealed to me. So, I sat at Silver’s bar overlooking the docks and soaked up the scenery, the ambience, and a Red Seal. And, to be honest, the prices of food around here are pretty high. I knew there was a particular dish I wanted try at NCB, so that’s where I headed. Besides, it was PINT NIGHT!!!!

The bar was far more crowded than the night before (gee, I wonder why), but I found an open stool at the end of the bar and set anchor. Pint Night at NCB involves them choosing one of their hand-crafted brews, discounting it (and refills even more) AND you get a pint glass (to keep, no less) with the label of the featured brew silk-screened on it. Sweet! It just so happened that Red Seal Ale was the chosen brew, so that’s what I ordered. Along with it, the Carolina BBQ Pork.

Now, for those of you unfamiliar with Carolina BBQ’ing, or for those of you steeped in the traditions of Texas, Kansas City, or Memphis style BBQ, brace yourselves. Carolina barbecue sauce is vinegar and mustard-based. Whoa! Yeah, I know…that concept takes some getting used to. Well, let me tell you, so does the taste! Tangy, vinegary, sometimes sweet, often not-so-sweet. Some of it as yellow as a No. 2 pencil. But, after some time eating this regional delicacy in South Carolina, it grew on me and I have to tell you, I miss it sometimes.

So, how could I pass up the opportunity to try NCB’s version? On the opposite coast, too! And who’d have thought I’d find it in Ft. Bragg, CA?

It turns out that the waitresses have been instructed by the head chef to warn people who order it about the vinegar/mustard-based sauce. “Of all the items on our menu,” the bartender told me, “this one gets sent back the most. A lot of people aren’t aware of what they’re ordering and don’t like it. We warn people now.”

I assured her that nearly five years in Charleston, SC prepared me adequately. The result? Well, the Red Seal was excellent (and it was at Silver’s too, by the way). The Carolina BBQ pork was just a tad sweeter than more Carolina pork, but it was tangy, vinegary, and tender. For California, it was pretty good Carolina pork. It was served with some very good cole slaw and jalapeno corn cakes. “Some mighty fine eatin’” would be the way a Carolinian would term it.

There was only one way to top off a day like this, my first Pacific sunset. So, with camera’s loaded and ready, I headed to the nearby state park/beach, called Sundance from my seaside location, and watched (and shot) as the Pacific slowly engulfed the sun. The ocean was pretty rough last night, so there were some great pics to be had.

I called Sundance upon my return to camp, wished her “good night,” secured everything, and crawled into my awaiting sleeping bag. Quite a day!

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