Monthly Archive: February, 2007
February 23, 2007 at 8:42 pm
by bruce
· Filed under events
Microbrew tasting and whale watching will be the featured attractions of the 25th Annual Fort Bragg Whale Festival.
Along with dozens of microbrews provided by the Fort Bragg Rotary Club, the area’s top chefs will produce their favorite chowders.
With some 20,000 gray whales migrating north from birthing grounds in Mexico to their winter home in Alaska, there will be plenty of whales to view from the Pomo Bluffs Park in Fort Bragg and miles of beaches in MacKerricher State Park just north of the city.
Some key events during Whale Festival:
• Microbrew Beer Tasting and Barbecue at Eagles Hall, Saturday only from 12-5 pm, $30
• Whales on Parade: More than 40 wooden whales, decorated by local artists, will be displayed in coastal businesses February 10 – March 11 and will be sold in a month-long silent auction with final bidding on Sunday, March 18, from 10am-3pm at Town Hall at Main and Laurel Streets.
• Arts and Crafts Fair in downtown, on Saturday from 10-5pm & Sunday from 9-3pm, free admission, at the Fort Bragg Masonic Hall, 428 N. Main St., Fort Bragg.
• Whale Walks at the Mendocino Coast Botanical Gardens on Sat and Sun at 1pm, Hwy 1, Fort Bragg
• Guided Whale Walks at MacKerricher State Park Saturday and Sunday, call 964-8898 for more information.
Visit the Mendocino Coast Chamber’s official Whale Festival website, www.MendoWhale.com, for more activities.
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February 22, 2007 at 9:13 am
by bruce
· Filed under hikes, biking, walks, diving, favorites, parks
Long before I moved to the Mendocino Coast, Russian Gulch State Park, one mile north of Mendocino Village, was my favorite state park. I camped there at least 20 times over 25 years. That’s saying something when there are so many great state parks in Northern California.
What’s so great about Russian Gulch?
How many state parks have a waterfall, a beach, redwoods, picnic area on a bluff overlooking the ocean, a blow hole, bike trail up a fern canyon and a limited number of quiet campsites, many completely private from your neighbor?
My favorite hike is the North Trail. It’s 2.3 miles long (one-way) and climbs up short switchback through ferns and redwoods, then levels off for a very secluded walk toward the park’s waterfall. Most people stay on the paved bike/hike trail below. It’s fine, too. But if you want to get away from other campers and hikers, only a fraction of visitors use it.
When you come to the end, you can go left .7 miles to the waterfall, or take a 2.3 mile alternate loop to the waterfall. 
From the beach you can launch you dive raft or kayak or sit in the evening and watch the sunset. Forget about swimming since the water is around 54 degrees.
There are several places along the coast with blow holes, sea caves without roofs that shoot a huge spray of water upward when a wave hits. Really a mesmerizing sight. The blow hole is west of the picnic area, before you drive down to the campgrounds.
It’s not difficult to see why Russian Gulch has been my favorite park all the years I lived in the Bay Area.
Today, I live just two miles from Russian Gulch and find every opportunity to hike or walk to the falls. Locals have a secret, one-mile route to the falls, but it’s a bit complicated to explain. And, if I tell you, then it’s no longer a local secret.
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February 19, 2007 at 6:14 pm
by bruce
· Filed under events
If you like the idea of an afternoon ambling down Main Street in Historic Mendocino Village tasting wine and looking seaward occasionally for a Gray Whale whale spout, then the annual whale festival on March 3 is the place to be. It’s safe — no driving necessary — and you get to taste a wide variety of wines (20 total) produced in Mendocino County.
Wineries pouring this year: Albertina Wine Cellars, Barra of Mendocino, Breggo Cellars, Claudia Springs Winery, Cole Bailey Vineyards, Elizabeth Vineyards, Esterlina Vineyards, Frey Vineyards, Germain Robin & Alambic, Giuseppe Wines & Neese Vineyard, Graziano Family of Wines, Domaine St Gregory, Handley Cellars, Husch Vineyards, McNab Ridge Winery & Cononiah Vineyard, Meyer Cellars, Milano Winery, Naughty Boy Vineyards, Oracle Oaks Winery; Lolonis Winery, Pacific Echo, Roederer, Scharffenberger, Philo Ridge Winery, Terra Savia, Sanel Valley Vineyards and Yorkville Cellars.
A fundraising event for the Mendocino Coast Chamber of Commerce, tasting is from noon to 4 p.m. and costs $25 per person.
Bruce Best Bet: eat a light breakfast and plan on being at Crown Hall on Ukiah Street in the Village (two blocks from Main Street) for chowder tasting at 11 (four tastes for $5 and chowder goes quickly). Four tastes is plenty and you’ll get to sample the personal chowder recipes of some of the area’s top chefs.
For other area activities (non alcholic, docent led walks and talks, family-oriented events), check out www.MendoWhale.com.
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February 18, 2007 at 9:36 pm
by bruce
· Filed under general, picnics, favorites, parks
Lighthouses are romantic all by themselves: 300 years of guiding sailors safely through the night; withstanding great storms — lonely beacons that recall stories of heroism and history.
But sitting at a picnic table near the restored and operating 1909 Point Cabrillo Lighthouse in Mendocino, watching whales (December to April), being awed by huge waves pounding against 50-foot-high cliffs on a sunny winter day or listening the harbor seals or sea lions is simply an incredible experience.
State Park property, the 300-acre nature preserve that surrounds the lighthouse provides a wonderful backdrop for enjoying a care-free lunch.
Afterward, tour the Lightkeepers Museum, the Lighthouse, or walk a half-mile north to Frolic Cove, where in 1850 a Gold Rush Era retired opium trading ship sank with all cargo.
As you wander along Point Cabrillo’s trails, stay a safe distance back from the edge.
Be swept away by the beauty, not by the waves.
Getting There: from Highway 1, take Point Cabrillo Drive (from the north or the south) to the light station.
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February 12, 2007 at 3:25 pm
by dff
· Filed under ecotourism, general
Welcome to MendocinoFun.com, the Discriminating Guide to Life, Fun, and Adventure on the Mendocino Coast. We’ll have several authors posting about their outings, hikes, picnics, walks, and other perambulations on the Mendocino Coast. The area is beginning to be known as a destination for eco-tourism, since there are so many different opportunities: whalewatching, organic wineries, kelp harvesting, old-growth redwood forests, demonstration forests, fishing, mountain biking, hiking, kayaking, abalone diving…. The list of outdoor activities goes on and on — what a great place to be! Mendocino is on the Northern Coast of California, about 6 hours north of San Francisco. We’ll also be adding some photo galleries to let you see how beautiful it is up here.
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