Category Archive: parks
May 1, 2008 at 8:17 pm
by nancy
· Filed under ecotourism, general, hikes, walks, attractions, events, history, parks, museums, gardens
Mendocino Coast Heritage Days begins on Friday, May 2, with fun and unique activities for the whole family. In its 5th year, the 2008 celebration will feature a series of living history reenactments, 19th century and Native American games, museum exhibits, heritage roses and historic walking tours. Annual favorites include the moonlight cemetery tour and the heritage walking tour. The Temple of Kwan Tai will be open to the public on both weekends, and the historic walking tours include an inside look at the Masonic Temple. Talks by experts in preservation and archaeology will give us a different perspective on our local surroundings. Living History Day will have ice cream and butter making, lumberjack demonstrations, the fire pumper, and - new this year – Wells Fargo Stagecoach rides. Many events are free.
Here is a printable (PDF) schedule of events. These pictures are from previous Heritage Days events.
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Fireman Barry Cusick Leads the Volunteers on the Hand-Pumped Fire Engine
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February 18, 2008 at 10:13 am
by nancy
· Filed under ecotourism, attractions, events, parks
On Wednesday, February 20, a total lunar eclipse will be visible along the Coast (barring heavy fog, that is.) An eclipse of the Moon takes place at Full Moon, when the Moon passes through some portion of Earth’s shadow. The color and brightness between eclipses can vary considerably, but most probably it will take on a vivid red or orange color (see the accompanying photo by Carolyne Cathey of MAPA). In recent years, there have been reports of cyan-colored flashes (caused by ozone in the earth’s atmosphere).
The eclipse will last a total of 3 1/2 hours, with some part of it taking place before the moon appears on the horizon. The total eclipse will occur at 7 pm. The Ford House Visitor Center hosts another Star Party, where visitors can borrow telescopes and talk with local experts. MAPA, the Ford House staff, CA State Parks, and Out of This World are co-hosting. Clouds or high winds will cancel: call 707-937-3335 or 707-937-5397.
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December 30, 2007 at 9:28 pm
by nancy
· Filed under ecotourism, events, parks
By Marilyn Boese, Mendocino Area Parks Association, 707 937 4700
Russian Gulch Recreation Hall in Mendocino will be the site for Taylor Lockwood’s only coastal showing of his new program, “Chasing the Rain” on January 3. Astonishing photographs and a globe spanning narrative will bring the world of mushrooms to life as you’ve never seen it before. This completely new show features Taylor’s far flung discoveries in the kingdom of fungi as he has traveled the world in pursuit of the “world’s most beautiful mushrooms”. You simply have to see the show to believe it. The show begins at 7:00PM.
Taylor Lockwood is captivated by mushrooms and has brought world wide attention to their variety and beauty. But his is a Mendocino story. Having moved into our cool moist woods, he found mushrooms virtually at his door, and rushed to Fort Bragg to buy a camera. The rest is history, as he has now published his second book on mushrooms, the well received “Chasing the Rain”.
Tickets are $10 for adults and $2.50 for children 12 and under. The digital slide show will be shown in its entirety and mushroom items and books will be available for purchase. Refreshments will be served. Entrance into Russian Gulch State Park is included in the price of admission. Taylor Lockwood’s presentation is a fundraiser for MacKerricher State Park educational programs and the Mendocino Area Parks Association.
For ticket purchase contact MAPA at (707) 937-4700 or email to mapa@mendoparks.org .
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December 24, 2007 at 4:35 pm
by dff
· Filed under general, hikes, walks, birding, parks, drives
A couple of days ago, I went down to Point Arena with Bruce because I heard that the tundra swans had returned to their local resting spot during migration. When we got down to the Garcia River, I was hoping I would see dozens of swans as I had in the past. On the south side of the river, there’s a huge green wetland that the tundra swans love. On Friday, though, there was only a single swan. Bruce thought he saw some off in the distance on the north side of the river, so we decided to return after visiting the Stornetta Preserve to see the waterfall after recent rains. It’s an easy mile-long walk out to the waterfall.
There was certainly more water coming off the waterfall than in the summer, but the real story was the ocean. The waves were at times quite large — large enough for the spray to obscure the waterfall! Unlike the last time we went down there, it was a sunny day, and we could see the Point Arena Lighthouse in the distance to the north.
After we headed back to the Garcia River wetlands, we went off on a side road on the north side of the river — but just around the bend, it was marked as Private Property. A man came along in a pickup as we were starting to turn around, and we asked if we could go in and take some pictures of the swans. He said it wasn’t his land, so we couldn’t get out there. But he urged us to follow him, and he took off. A couple of miles up the highway, he turned off on a dirt road towards the ocean. In a short while, we were entering the Clover Dairy — not only the sole dairy in the county, it’s also the only organic dairy in the county. He told us to join him in his truck, and he took us out a short distance to where the swans were hanging out in the fields. He introduced himself as Walt Stornetta, the owner of the dairy. He has about 400 cows on 550 acres of land. Each cow produces on average 67 pounds of milk — about 8 gallons a day. I felt really lucky to run into him like we did, and that he was so generous with his time.
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December 17, 2007 at 11:59 am
by dff
· Filed under ecotourism, general, attractions, events, favorites, parks
Every year, over 20,000 California Gray Whales make their way south from Alaska and the Bering Sea down to their breeding grounds in Baja California. After a brief respite in Baja where the babies are born, the whales return back to their northern territory. The Mendocino Coast provides excellent opportunities to see the whales without all the crowds around, starting at the end of December and continuing into April. If you have ever been to Point Reyes when the whales are going by, it’s hard to park anywhere near the ocean because of all the watchers. That’s not a problem up here!
We’ve seen the first whales already, and we’re starting a new feature from Captain Tim at All Aboard Adventures: the whalewatching report.
There are 3 ways to see the whales: watching from the shore, going out on a whalewatching excursion from Noyo Harbor, or going on a plane flight. Some great places to see whales from the shore are: Mendocino Headlands; Chapman Point / Spring Ranch; Point Cabrillo; Mendocino Coast Botanical Gardens; Noyo Bluffs; MacKerricher State Park.
The other way to see the whales is to go out on a boat. You’ll find a number of excursion boats that will get you up close and personal (not really — they are required to keep a decent distance from the whales). But you are incredibly close, and you’ll take pictures that amaze everybody else afterwards! Some of the excursion boats are: All Aboard Adventures; Adventures Unlimited; Noyo Fishing Center (Rumblefish and Tigerfish); Lady Irma II; Telstar Charters; Fort Bragg Sportfishing.
The third way to see the whales is to go for a flight with Coast Flyers, who fly out of the Little River Airport.
If you want to know more about the whales, MacKerricher State Park Visitor Center has a Gray Whale & Marine Mammal Program. MacKerricher Docents lead interesting talks and watches about Gray Whales and marine mammals on Saturday and Sunday mornings, January through March. Meet at the MacKerricher Visitor Center, then after a brief program, caravan to Laguna Point deck to watch for whales and other sea life through spotting scopes and binoculars. Call 707-964-8898 for the schedule.
Check out this page for more information about whales, including contact info for the businesses that will take you out on whalewatching excursions.
Whalewatching Report from Captain Tim, All Aboard Adventures
December 14, 2007
We spotted a pod of four whales heading for their winter home while fishing for crabs about a mile off MacKerricher State Park between Pudding Creek and Cleone. Weather was cool and sunny.
All Aboard offers public crab fishing adventures: trips accommodate up to 20 people, but will go out with as few as four. $75/person. Whale Watching for up to two hours for $35/person.
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