A B O U T T H E R E G I O N
The Coast
California Highway One lays along the Pacific Ocean at the very edge of the western United States. In Mendocino County, the black ribbon wends its way from Gualala (Wah-lah-lah to the locals) at the southern most end of the county, up through Anchor Bay, Point Arena, Manchester, Elk, Mendocino, and Fort Bragg and on through Westport and Rockport to the north. It then turns, torturously, inland to Leggett where it joins Highway 101.
Along this route you will find some of the most fabled scenery in the world -- photographed time and again for motion pictures and television commercials. High ocean bluffs offer captivating views of off-shore islands and white water surf -- the hills on the east are reminiscent of Ireland and the Scottish Isles. All along the way clandestine coves offer oceanside beaches of silver-white sands. Sea lion and sea bird rookeries dot the rocks and estuaries as they spill out to the sea.
If southern and central California bear the influences of the Spanish arrival in the territorial United States, the dramatic Mendocino Coast harkens to a time just one hundred and fifty years ago when Russian outposts had a toe-hold in this country.
The jewel of the region is the village of Mendocino. Located about three hours north of San Francisco, it sits on bluff above the bay that once churned with the traffic of clipper ships delivering passengers and goods and loading the currency of the north -- redwood logs and lumber. Almost surrounded by state park lands, the town of 1000 welcomes visitors from around the world to its fine restaurants, shops, theaters, and art galleries.
The terrain within reach of the coast is varied and equally dramatic: from forests of gigantic fir and redwood to ancient pygmy forests where one might fantasize staging a gigantic blow-up Godzilla for effect. The Mendocino Coast is a kind of Shangri-la for the world-weary as well as those with a voracious appetite for life. It offers something for everyone with diversions from the intellectual to the challenge of outdoor adventures.
If it's ocean you want, let me show you the Coast that I love.
The Inland Valleys
Twenty minutes from the mouth of the Navarro River, at the edge of a redwood forest, begins one of the most beautiful coastal valleys in California: The Anderson Valley. You have arrived in the celebrated North Coast wine country.
The western end of the Valley enjoys a coastal-influenced climate, with
soft ocean breezes traveling less than ten miles to reach the surrounding ridges. On most summer evenings, coastal fog creeps through the lowlands laying a blanket of white across the vines. Ridge dwellers wake to a lake-like vision below them which dissapates with the rising sun.
Highway 128, paralleling the Navarro River and tributaries, travels through the small towns of Navarro, Philo, Boonville (at the very heart of the valley), and Yorkville. The drive offers the traveler a changing panorama: orchards in bloom in spring and ripening vines as summer approaches. As the seasons progress, the hills turn from verdant, velvety folds to rippling golden grasses relieved by the elaborate splashes of color from flowering gardens.
The appellation "Anderson Valley" is increasingly recognized the world over for fine award-winning Pinot Noir, Merlot, and Cabernet, as well as Chardonnay and sparkling wines. The Valley is also home to Anderson Valley Brewing, named one of the world's ten best micro breweries by The New York Times.
This Valley and the Comptche Valley to the north are prime horse-raising and horse riding areas as well, offering miles of wilderness trails for the enthusiast. Here is a place where young and old mingle -- where communication is down to earth and the true meaning of "community" comes to life. Boonville, in the mid-section of Highway 128, is home to the Mendocino County Apple Fair and Show each September.
Come home to the California of a sleepier time. Let me introduce you to my Anderson Valley.
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