Thursday, May 1, 2014

Fort Bragg, CA

 

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It was another lovely but winding drive west from Boonville along the remainder of Hwy 128, then north on Hwy 1 for our return to the Pacific coast. We were fortunate to be invited to spend some time on the property of friends who live in Fort Bragg. It is so nice not to be staying in an RV park.

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So far we’ve enjoyed two days of unusually warm temperatures (70s and 80s) for this area. Yesterday we walked along the coast north of Fort Bragg where we saw flowers, horses, and harbor seals. It’s the first time we haven’t been cold walking along the Pacific.

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Today we rode our bikes on a former logging road (now part of the state park system) along the Big River near Mendocino. It was a nice shady ride through a redwood forest but we were swarmed by mosquitoes when we stopped to make an adjustment to my seat. And we unintentionally spooked a horse which caused the woman riding him to fall, but luckily she was not injured.

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After our ride we drove through Mendocino and stopped to walk along the headlands. All of the coast is scenic but this was especially so.

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And we saw our first migrating whales.

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What a view they must have from these homes.

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We’re looking forward to exploring this rather remote part of the coast. We sure like what we’ve seen so far.

12 comments:

  1. What a beautiful place... your photos are outstanding!

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  2. What a beautiful scenic coastline!

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  3. Now that is some pretty scenery. I'm enjoying your reports.

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  4. The coast is so beautiful. Great that it was warm. The cool temps sure are a down to the this beauty. You got some gorgeous photos!!

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  5. I can't believe how close that whale was to the coast, very cool! What incredibly beautiful water and coastline. This has me really looking forward to our time along the coast (WA and OR) later this summer!

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  6. We spoke with a local woman who pointed out the whales. We had been looking much farther out but she said at this time of year you will see the mothers with their little ones hugging the coastline to keep them safe from sharks and orcas that swim in deeper waters. Now that we know where to look maybe we will see more!

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  7. I didn't know that's why the whales hugged the shore--thank you! More gorgeous photos of California & FHU's! Enjoy!

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  8. That woman just made that up about the orcas and sharks. What's REALLY going on is hikers have been tossing their uneaten portions of McDonald's "meals" into the ocean and mother whales, rather than having to swim all the way in every time one of the kids spots one, are doing their best to placate the children by keeping them within range.

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  9. One of my favorite parts of the coast. Wonderful place to stay. Enjoy!

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  10. I haven't spent much time along that part of the coast - it sure is beautiful! You are really learning a lot about the west coast/Pacific Ocean on your travels. The whale sighting was the icing on the cake! :)

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