The waters of the Russian River gently stream against a sandy finger of beach before spilling into the Pacific Ocean at Jenner, Calif. The other side of the beach is pounded by the foaming ocean surf. A few yards offshore, rough blue waves explode into white as they smash against huge boulders.
At the tip of the beach, where the river and the ocean join, sea lions and pelicans congregate. From a glass-walled restaurant on a cliff high above the river and the ocean, we use binoculars to watch them, taking particular joy in the success of the pelicans who take off from the beach and dive for fish.
The view is so spectacular that I would recommend this restaurant – the River’s End – even if it were serving sawdust and oyster shells. But, the waiter comes bearing a fresh shrimp and haddock ceviche with just the right touch of lime juice and cilantro, followed by a heavenly crab and lobster cake in a thin, crunchy batter, surrounded by a truffle sauce.
It is one of those vacation moments that is so perfect, so striking, that you don’t need to take a picture to remember it.
The portion of the northern California coast we toured is so spectacular that only the most jaded, nature-hating traveler would fail to have such perfect moments. Children are generally fairly immune to beautiful scenery. But during a four-day driving trip north of San Francisco, from Point Reyes to Mendocino on California 1 and U.S. 101, I repeatedly hear the word “wow” coming from my 12-year-old.
Since the trip, visions without the benefit of photos revisit me: of red and purple starfish lying in tide pools. Of sea grasses that seem to change from gold to silver as they bend in the wind. Of patches of fog that lift to reveal horses in silhouette grazing on low hills at sunset. Of waves that crash through archways carved in rock. Of rows of grapevines stretching up hills of terraced fields.
Italian immigrants in the 1850s discovered that the hills of Mendocino County were similar to their wine-growing regions back home and began producing table wines for their families. Small but commercial-
quality wineries took off in the late 1960s. More than 40 family-owned wineries now grow grapes on 16,000 acres in the county.
I’ve been reading over the past couple of years that the wineries of Sonoma are the “in” substitute for Napa. I’d suggest that the wineries of Mendocino are an even less-traveled substitute for Sonoma or Napa.
I also consider the coast just north of San Francisco an apt contender with the better-
traveled southern shoreline. I’ve always been a loyal fan of Big Sur, that glorious stretch along California 1 just south of Monterey, and have returned again and again, convinced nothing in America could surpass that dramatic collision of earth, water and sky.
But consider me a new convert to the wilder, less-trammeled version to the north.
Even closer to the city, on the southern end of Point Reyes National Seashore, lie miles of beaches, lagoons and marshes, cliffs covered with wildflowers, and hundreds of miles of hiking and horseback trails.
The national seashore begins 25 miles from the Golden Gate Bridge Its natural state is a tribute to former President John F. Kennedy, who declared that the peninsula should be saved as a national treasure. He set aside nearly 80,000 acres for public use.
The largest town at the edge of the park, Point Reyes Station, consists of a couple dozen buildings that line both sides of California 1. You will find a great bakery, a few restaurants, a shop selling the crafts of local weavers, a studio for a photographer who has devoted his life to shooting the Point Reyes landscape, a surf shop, grocery store and combination organic produce/artist gallery/gift shop/feed store.
I imagine the town to be quintessential California circa 1950, but then I notice the building cornerstones from the 1800s.
On the entire peninsula, no buildings are higher than two stories.
Small inns and cottages scattered around the edges of the park offer the only lodging, which might explain why, at the height of the tourist season, there are no jostling crowds of tourists on the streets, no traffic jams. Wide expanses of beach are so empty you feel as if you’ve found a private space.
We’ve rented for two nights a two-bedroom cottage at the Bar-Or Ranch, about a mile outside of Point Reyes Station, with our friends John and Emily and their daughter, Ellie. The 35-acre property, with three cottages for rent, is a working farm and horse ranch that is just getting off the ground. I’m amazed by the faith needed to imagine that the spindly little avocado and olive trees will one day produce enough fruit to pay off the mortgage.
The Point Reyes peninsula is known for its fog, but the area around Point Reyes Station is often spared. We hit three perfect, sunny days, with daytime temperatures in the high 70s and low 80s.
For our first adventure, we head to the Point Reyes Lighthouse, built in 1870. We’re looking forward to climbing the 300 steps from the base of the lighthouse at the edge of a cliff to the shore below. But at a crucial moment, John confidently proclaims that we should turn left at a crossroad, and we dead-end at Drake’s Beach.
Point Reyes is so large, and roads through it so indirect, that you can’t experience all it has to offer in three days. So we never get to the lighthouse. But we happen to reach Drake’s Beach at low tide and find rocky pools filled with creatures.
Cheryl Bar-Or, co-owner of the ranch, has recommended we get up early for the peninsula’s best tide pools, at Ducksberry Reef. But thanks to our mistaken turn, we manage to satisfy our tide-pool needs at Drake’s Beach without getting up at working hours. Anemones of various colors close at our gentle touch, and we watch for them to reopen.
The nine ocean beaches surrounding the Point Reyes peninsula are too cold for swimming, but we find ourselves perfectly satisfied to stroll and explore.
At Drake’s Beach, white cliffs tower over the sandy beaches.
When Sir Francis Drake arrived here in 1579, he noted in his diary that the beach reminded him of the white cliffs of Dover, and he claimed the land for England. The natives, the Coast Miwok, thinking Drake and his crew were the spirits of their ancestors, apparently did not object.
The waters of Tomales Bay, on the eastern side of the peninsula, are said to be warm enough for swimmers, but I’d say for hearty swimmers. At the same time, I don’t think the wet suits provided by the kayak company we used were necessary.
In retrospect, I wish we had started our paddling at
Inverness, where the bay is more sheltered, and numerous small islands provide refuge for birds and turtles. But we figured that if we started at Marshall, farther north on the bay, we could kayak all the way to the elk feeding grounds.
Indeed, this is something a good kayaker should be able to accomplish, particularly on a calm day. On a day when wind is whipping up whitecaps, and you aren’t a better kayaker than your children, you’d be better off reserving time to drive to see the elk.
Then again, the launching point at Marshall does have its pluses – namely, a rough little restaurant built on a pier over the bay, where fresh oysters from nearby are cooked over an open grill. Or you can have them in a stew. We did both.
On our final day together, I drive our friends north to Santa Rosa to pick up a rental car so they can head off on a separate journey. As my daughter and I head alone back to the coast along California 128, we soon
realize that we’ve shortchanged our friends: The best part of the trip is yet to come.
The inland drive takes us by rolling hills that glow golden in the sun, then past a series of wineries, with vineyards stretching as far as we can see. The highway seems to end at Navarro, but a clerk in the only store along the way assures us that the narrow road over a bridge to the west really is a continuation of the route.
It is midafternoon. But the tall redwoods along each side of the road block out the sun so completely that is appears to be dark most of the time, except when streaks of sunlight glimmer through openings in the thick woods.
Suddenly, California 128 does end, and I hear my first “wow” from the back seat. We’re back on the coastal highway, California 1, where the western edge of the continental United States ends with a dramatic drop into the Pacific.
The coast between here and Mendocino seems wilder than its cousin to the south. For miles there is nothing but dramatic views on one side and rolling hills with pastures or pear and apple orchards on the other. Occasionally you turn a corner to see a lovely low-rise inn or restaurant snuggled at the top of a cliff overlooking beaches pounded by ocean surf. At several points along the way, rivers and streams provide a warm place to swim where they flow into the colder Pacific.
If the town of Mendocino had been built by Disney, many travelers would condemn it as fake, too pretty to be real. But the gingerbread Victorians and Cape Cod-style homes are authentic, built in the 1800s by Maine loggers and fishermen who settled the area.
The town, constructed on a headland that juts deep into the ocean below, is surrounded on three sides by water. Flowers bloom in profusion in every spare bit of dirt. I barely recognize some of the species I have in my own backyard because, growing in this moist seaside air, they get so huge. The spires of New England-style churches rise above the two-story homes to help create the feeling of the perfect small American town.
When the producers of “Murder, She Wrote” went looking for the quintessential village to represent Cabots Cove, Maine, they ended up in Mendocino. The television show was taped here between 1984 and 1989.
Mendocino got its start as a movie prop early, when producers began filming silent pictures here in 1904. A coffee-table book in the inn where I settle profiles the many dozens of movies filmed here.
Although rising housing prices have forced out many of the artists who reclaimed the town from obscurity in the late 1950s, an astounding arts scene remains. Mendocino, with a population of 824, has at least a dozen studios, with as many as 14 artists working and selling their art from each studio.
The rural county also has two theater companies, a full production opera company, three musical theater groups, two symphony orchestras, a classical ballet company and American Indian cultural performing groups.
We happen to hit town during one of a number of special events – the 10-day annual music festival, with top-ranked performances plus seminars and classes in music and art.
It is America at its very best, and most beautiful. It’s my new Big Sur.
INFORMATION FOR TRAVELERS
GETTING AROUND: Point Reyes Station is about an hour drive from the San Francisco area; Mendocino is just more than three hours. Most travelers will want to rent a car.
WHERE TO STAY: In Point Reyes: The Point Reyes Seashore Lodge (10021 Coastal Hwy., Olema, 415-663-9000, .pointreyesseashore.com) is an updated, 21-room country-style lodge. Doubles (many with fireplaces and whirlpool tubs) begin at $135 a night with continental breakfast; private cottages run $295.
Anns View on Tomales Bay (19980 Hwy. 1, Marshall, 415-663-9144, annsview.com) sits above the bay and has just two suites, both of which overlook the water. They go for $225 and $275.
Bar-Or Ranch (11925 Hwy. 1, Point Reyes Station, 415-663-9596, bar-or.com) is a working ranch, with horses and the feel of an Israeli kibbutz. Cottages range from $175 to $400 per night, including an organic continental breakfast.
More than a dozen inns and about a dozen companies renting cottages are listed through Point Reyes Lodging, 800-539-1872, ptreyes.com.
Around Mendocino: Heritage House (5200 N. Hwy. 1, Little River, about 5 miles outside Mendocino, 800-235-5885, heritagehouseinn.com) sits on 37 acres of lovely gardens above the ocean. A double room including breakfast begins at $125 off season (November through March) and $175 during peak season.
Dennen’s Victorian Farmhouse (7001 N. Hwy.1, 800-264-4723, victorianfarmhouse.com) was built in 1877 and is surrounded by two acres of land with gardens. Rates for a double, including breakfast served in your room, range from $135 to $235 a night.
Stanford Inn by the Sea & Spa (Highway 1 at Comptche-
Ukiah Road, 800-331-8884, stanfordinn.com) is a luxurious romantic inn on 10 acres with great views of the Mendocino coast and Big River. Rooms start at $269 a night.
Vacation homes are rented at Mendocino Coast Reservations, 800-262-7801, mendocinovacations.com.
WHERE TO EAT: In Point Reyes: The Station House Cafe (11180 Hwy. 1, Point Reyes Station, 415-663-1515) has a continental menu and a nice garden. Seafood-focused dinner entreesare mostly from $10 to $20. Vladimir’s (12785 Sir Francis Drake Blvd., 415-669-1021) has a Czech and Eastern European menu, with a set price of $15 for lunch, $25 for dinner.
Manka’s Inverness Lodge (30 Callendar Way, Inverness, 800-585-6343) is a 1910 Arts and Crafts-style hunting lodge with a highly regarded restaurant. Fixed-price dinners are $58; $88 on Saturday nights.
For organic, free-range continental fare, the Olema Inn (10000 Sir Francis Drake Blvd., Olema, 415-663-9559) has been serving travelers since 1876. Entrees begin at $22.
Around Mendocino: For a gourmet meal with a glorious view, try Heritage House (5200 N. Hwy. 1, Little River, 800-235-5885). Entrees, including seafood and meat dishes, begin at $21. The Mendocino Market (45051 Ukiah St., Mendocino, 707-937-3474) has a few tables, or prepare a picnic. In Jenner, River’s End (11048 Hwy. 1, 707-865-2484) includes great continental cuisine with fabulous views. Dinner entrees begin at $23.
WHAT TO DO: Horseback riding: Ride along the beach at Five Brooks Stable, 8001 Hwy. 1, Olema, in the Point Reyes area. Details: fivebrooks.com, 415-663-1570. Lessons are also available at Bar-Or Ranch (see above).
Biking: Rent at Cycle Point Reyes (415-663-9164, cyclepointreyes.com), or in Mendocino, at Stanford Inn by the Sea (see above).
Kayaking: Rent at Blue Waters Kayaking in the Point Reyes area (19225 Hwy. 1, Marshall, 415-663-2252; 12938 Sir Francis Drake Blvd.
Golden Hinde Inn & Marina, Inverness, 415-669-2600; bwkayak.com), or in Mendocino at Stanford Inn by the Sea (see above).
Whale-watching: Gray whales migrate along the coast; prime season runs late December through early February as they travel south. They return on the trip north late February through April.
Wine tours. Get a list of wineries and brew pubs from the Mendocino Winegrowers Alliance, (707-468-9886, mendowine.com).
Train tours: Ride a steam or diesel train along the scenic Mendocino coast and through redwood forests on the Skunk Train, which has daily 3 1/2-hour runs. Details: 866-457-5865, skunktrain.com.
INFORMATION: West Marin Chamber of Commerce, 415-663-9232, pointreyes.org. Point Reyes National Seashore, 415-464-5100, nps.gov/pore. Mendocino County Alliance, 866-466-3636, gomendo.com.
– Cindy Loose
