Archive for January, 2008
Surf Motel Opens Doors to 300+ People During Storm
—Posted Sunday, January 13th, 2008 at 5:18 pm—
Govind Reddy says it was his own experience growing up in Fiji, where huge storms left he and his family without food, water or shelter for days, that motivated him open his Surf Motel and Gardens in Fort Bragg to anyone who wanted to take showers. More than 300 people, stranded without power, heat and hot water after a series of big storms hit the North Coast a week ago, took advantage of Reddy’s kind offer. Some tried to pay him. “Of course I didn’t take it. I’ve been in their shoes. My offer was from the heart.” That’s the Mendocino Coast spirit.
A Bit Battered, Perhaps, but It’s Not Outer Mongolia
—Posted Tuesday, January 8th, 2008 at 12:02 pm—
The New Year has started out with a bang, as Mother Nature decided to celebrate the occasion with the wildest storm in several years. I was reading the Santa Rosa paper this morning about someone who said they were going to file a complaint with PG&E because their power was out in their neighborhood longer than the rest of the surrounding area. She says, “We’re in town. It’s not like we’re in Outer Mongolia.”
At least she had the choice of walking a few blocks to electricity. That wasn’t a choice for the entire Mendocino Coast, lovingly known as “Outer Mongolia”, as we lost power last Friday morning. At my house, we didn’t get our power back until last night — 4 days and 4 nights of no power, and howling winds, and driving rains. I recorded 4 inches of rain in my gauge. During the worst of it, the highways into the area were blocked by large trees. Of course, many of the roads on the coast were blocked, as well, so the authorities told everyone to stay put as much as possible.
We didn’t have much choice at our house. The big winds came early Friday morning, and knocked 2 trees down across our driveway. Somewhere in there, we got a bunch of hail that actually covered the ground.
The first week of 2008 has been a wild one. It started out with gorgeous weather, with wild turkeys and deer parading around everywhere in the sun. And then the bank of 3 storms came in, and it all changed.
It sounds daunting if you’re not from around here, but people really pull together when we have a massive outage. Kudos go to Tom Yates and Vicky and Joe and all the gang at KOZT-FM, who broadcast throughout the storm. They pull together updates from PG&E and the County and Highway Patrol and the phone company, and give updates every half hour about the progress of the recovery. When you’re stuck in the dark, hearing friendly voices keeping you abreast of developments is a wonderful thing. Many restaurants and stores have generators, so you can stay warm and well-fed.
If you are up here when something like this happens, you have to go with the flow. On the plus side, the waves are magnificent after the storms. If you want to take your own postcard pictures, that’s the time. You have to stay away from the blufftops, of course, because of sleeper waves and winds. In between the storms, the weather this time of year can be surprisingly warm (mid-60s even), and you can check out the migrating whales.
Welcome to 2008!
Gray Whales Coming Close to Shore along the Mendocino Coast
—Posted Tuesday, January 8th, 2008 at 11:37 am—
I was at Point Cabrillo Light Station last week watching the sunset, looked over the cliffs, and just 100 yards offshore, saw a pod of whales. There was tail splashing and spouts everywhere. This was further evidence, as reported by Capt. Tim Gillespie of the Sea Hawk at All Aboard Adventures, that the great annual Gray Whale migration has begun. This tidbit from the American Cetacean Society:
“The only member of the family Eschrichtiidae, the gray whale is a mysticete, or baleen whale. It is a “coastal” whale that migrates along the North American Pacific Coast between arctic seas and the lagoons of Baja California, Mexico. Frequently visible from shore, gray whales provide a unique opportunity for land and boat observation, and commercial whale watching has become a major industry along its migration route. Visitors to the calving and breeding lagoons sometimes encounter the phenomenon of the “friendlies”; gray whales that closely approach small boats and allow themselves to be touched by humans.”
Mendocino Outdoors, the premier guidebook for outdoor fun and adventure on the Mendocino Coast, has been completely expanded and revised for the 3rd Edition.
Recent Blog Posts
- The History of Three Glass Beaches: From Trash to Treasure
- Glass Beach Museum – Treasure from Fort Bragg’s Beaches
- Whale Festivals in March 2012
- Whales and First Day Hikes Start January 1
- Candlelight Inn Tours This Week
- Festival of Lights
- “Potluck” Ceramics Holiday Sale
- Santa’s Coming to Town
- Historic Walking Tours
- Mendocino Art Center’s Thanksgiving Arts & Crafts Fair, November 25 & 26