Mendocino Trip

Mendocino is one of those places which we've always talked about visiting but never have in all these years. Since Spring is supposed to be the best time to visit the small coastal city, we went there over the Memorial Day weekend with the cousins and had a fun, relaxing trip.

After a 4 1/2 hour drive, our first stop was the Van Damme State Park, one of three state parks in the area. We skipped the park itself and instead, drove to Pygmy Forest, a small area north of the park where the unfavorable soil has resulted in the plants in the area remaining stunted. We walked a small trail that took us around the area and it was neat seeing the dwarfed pine trees and the teeny-tiny pine cones on them. From there we drove to the Russian Gulch State Park, which has a beautiful beach with a tall bridge forming the backdrop. The kids had fun playing in the sand, wading in the water and clambering up the rocks. After a short stop at the nearby Point Cabrillo Lighthouse, we drove on to the Glass Beach. This beach has a rather unique history in that it used to be a dumpsite and the waves have, over the years, crushed the bottles and other junk thrown there by the people. As a result, the beach has these colorful, smooth glass pieces mixed among the stones. It was a sort of fun treasure hunt for the kids as they walked around collecting the glass pieces and shells. After a perfectly-timed(though the womenfolk termed it hurried!) dinner, we again hit the beach for a glorious sunset.

The next day, we went to Fort Bragg for a ride on the Skunk Train. It was quite cold but the scenery - with the redwood trees and the creeks and the bushes and shrubs - was gorgeous. It was a fun an experience riding the open carriage with the wind blowing in your face and watching the greenery race by (though 4 hours is a bit too long for a train ride, especially when it goes past lunch time). After a late lunch, we spent a some time walking the new Pudding Creek Trestle, a wooden walkway which allows nice views of the beach, at the 10-Mile Beach a short distance away. Our last stop was to be the Botanical Garden but we missed that since it closed at 5. So we headed home straight away.

A few photos from the trip are here.