Warren Lieb

Renata and Tom Dorn were our hosts at the delightful Mar Vista Cottages in Gualala, Mendocino County.

Warren Lieb

The Point Cabrillo Light Station, six miles south of Fort Bragg, is a gathering place for whale watchers. It has been in service for over 90 years.

Warren Lieb

To our utter amazement, we found beautiful flowering calla lilies growing wild along the Mendocino coast. This specimen was in the Botanic Garden below Fort Bragg.

Warren Lieb

Tom’s garden at Mar Vista Cottages are seen here. Guests can pick their own produce and cook in their cabins. The choices include mixed lettuces, peas, cauliflower, celery and green beans.

Warren Lieb

Hwy. 1 winds up the California Coast through Mendocino County. The Pacific Ocean beats against the rocky cliffs on one side of the road and bull pine forests and mountains hug the other side of Route 1.

A Wow Drive Along US 1

Yearning to explore California’s legendary US 1 highway, we flew to San Francisco for a coastal driving adventure. We photographed the glittering Bay from our Hyatt Regency balcony, browsed alluring shops at Embarcadero Center, and wished we had time to visit world-class museums like San Francisco Museum of Modern Art and Asian Art Museum.

But US 1 beckoned, so next morning we drove north over the famous Golden Gate Bridge, to a very different planet.  Jagged cliffs, monster boulders, and turquoise waves crashing onto beaches, were on our left.  Iridescent green valleys dotted with grazing cattle and sheep, and green roofed mansions balancing on mountain crests, were on our right. Mile after mile, we navigated a roller coasting, S curving highway, until we were both exhilarated and exhausted.

“Sharon, just don’t tumble down a cliff or crash into a peaceful cow,”  I prayed.

Three hours later, crossing into southern Mendocino County, we arrive in the serene coastal town of Gualala. At Mar Vista Cottages, owners Tom and Renata Dorn settle us into petite cottage No. 9, one of a dozen on the property. We fall in love with our sunflower gold doll’s house, where red ladybugs and purple dragonflies adorn fluffy down comforters, and a huge picture window, lined with comfy blue striped cushions, offers stunning sea views.  Renata has stocked our kitchen with tomorrow’s breakfast: crusty raisin bread, fruit, local cheese, yogurt, coffee, milk. Brown, beige and pale green eggs, laid hours ago by several of Mar Vista’s 50 chickens, line a bird’s nest basket.                                                          

“Do hens lay green eggs?” I later ask Renata. “Reminds me of my favorite children’s book, Dr. Seuss’ Green Eggs and Ham.”

“Oh Yes, the green eggs are laid by my Aracauna chickens,” she laughs. “Those chickens originally came from Chile.”

The next morning, Warren scrambles the eggs in butter, and we marvel at the delicious taste. I relax by the picture window, sipping coffee and watching the crashing surf. After breakfast, we tour the grounds with Renata and Tom, learning that Eastern European and Scandinavian immigrants built these cottages in the mid 1930’s and mid 1940’s. They served as fishing and vacation cabins for local families, and in 2000, Renata and Tom bought the property and undertook the massive job renovating each cottage, and transforming the grounds and garden. Renata’s extensive experience in hotel management and Tom’s expertise as a management consultant were perfect for this project.

“We want our guests to relax in this beautiful natural setting,” Tom says. “Mar Vista is about peace and simplicity, where folks can reconnect with family and friends, and escape the pretentiousness of high end resorts.”

He proudly shows us “Tom’s Garden,” where we meander among rows of vegetables and herbs.

“We encourage guests to pick their own produce,” says the enthusiastic consultant turned master gardener. “We hope they’ll enjoy a salad of mixed lettuces, crunch a fresh pea, steam the cauliflower and green beans. Pinch fresh tarragon or sage into your breakfast eggs…now that’s flavor you’ll never experience from any grocery store.”

We spend the afternoon playing with two goats named Pygmalion and Higgins, visiting the chicken coop, petting the feral cat named Farrell, and watching the glittering Pacific Ocean from a hillside hammock.

There is no TV, phone, computer, or newspaper. Who cares?

Hanging out in this seacoast farm with chickens, goats, fresh veggies, fragrant herbs, and that knock your socks off view….. we’re completely content.

That evening, we drive a few minutes to Anchor Bay, where Owner/Chef Jane Kaufman from The Redwood Grill greets us. We dine on scallops in maple syrup and red chiles, Dungeness crab cakes, melt in your mouth short ribs and succulent halibut with buttery mashed potatoes. Dessert was an old-fashioned favorite: gingerbread topped with hot fudge and whipped cream.

Back in our comfy cottage, we fall asleep under our dragonfly comforter, dreaming of tomorrow’s adventure on US 1.

A whale of a town

Next morning, a warm sun and more spell binding views beckon us onward, so we  head further into Mendocino County toward Fort Bragg.

A small town with a rich history in fishing and logging, Fort Bragg is now a friendly coastal community of 7,000 artists, chefs, small hoteliers, and nature lovers. Throughout the year, there are festivals to celebrate the World’s Largest Salmon, The Best Tasting Mushrooms, or The Annual Gray Whale Migration. Tourists enjoy a day trip aboard The “Skunk Train,” which meanders through towering redwood forests, crossing over bridges and navigating through tunnels back to the historic 1927 depot.

From Fort Bragg’s high bluffs, you might be lucky and spot the 45-foot gray whales as they migrate from Baja, California to the Bering Sea, Alaska. Every year, some 20,000 gray whales undertake an astonishing 12,000 mile roundtrip journey.  If you’re in town December through April, there’s a good chance you’ll see these amazing mammals swimming north or south for their annual migration along the coast.

That night at Mendo Bistro, families are buzzing about their whale watching experiences. Restaurant Owner/Chef Nicholas Petti, sporting a waxed moustache, shaved head, gold earring and stylish suit, attends to everyone with grand hospitality. This dinner is going to be special.

Out comes an elegant spinach salad, each leaf artfully layered with sun-dried tomatoes and spiced pecans. Warren dives into sweet Dungeness crab cakes, topped with a dollop of tarragon aioli.  Warren’s fresh tuna entree is perfectly seared; my black cod is accented with tangy fried capers. Tender homemade linguini in lemon butter is the heavenly side dish.  For dessert, we relax with a wedge of creamy lemon cheesecake and a glass of Anderson Valley Chardonnay. Our delightful meal has energized us for tomorrow’s whale watching.

But high winds and dangerous seas the next morning cancel our whaleboat trip. Our Sea Hawk Captain suggests we drive six miles south of town to Point Cabrillo Light Station. There we join hundreds of whale lovers on the cliff, peering hopefully through binoculars.            

“Keep a sharp eye, watch every wave carefully,” Art Morley, an avid docent, advises. “The mothers keep their calves close to shore to protect them from great white sharks and orca killer whales. Moms don’t eat much out here, because once they get back to Alaska they’ll enjoy a banquet of shellfish, clams, krill, squid, and shrimp-like amphipods. But the moms do nurse their calves on milk that’s 40 percent fat, so the calves gain 60-100 lb a day.”

Bundled in coats, scarves, hats and gloves, we brave the chilling wind for hours. I watch for a double-plumed misty jet of vapor that signals a whale exhaling warm moist air. Maybe one whale will poke its head up out of the water, a behavior called “spyhopping,” or hurl its body out of the sea in a breach, landing backward in an explosion of water.

Warren and I see no whales on our only whale-watching day.

“Many whales were here yesterday,” Art says, trying to make us feel better. “Why don’t you come back tomorrow or later in the week?”

But tomorrow we fly home.

I’m bitterly disappointed. I’ve been dreaming about their massive tail flukes and pre-historic barnacled faces. Imagine these giant mammals swimming night and day in a single file at 6 mph, spending two to three months on their 6000-mile journey north.

Then next fall, they will swim 6000 miles south to Baja Mexico’s warm lagoons to have new babies. I’m in awe.

“I want my whales,” I sulk.

Stepping into the warm Point Cabrillo Light Station, I pick up a brochure on “Whale Watching: The decline and recovery of the gray whale population is one of the great stories of wildlife conservation. During the late 19th and early 20th centuries, whaling reduced the population to as few as 1,000. An Atlantic coast whale population was completely wiped out. The good news…an international agreement signed in 1937 protects gray whales. Today, there are nearly as many whales in the eastern Pacific Ocean as there were historically, and possibly more. We now have the opportunity to continue protecting these majestic creatures into the future.”

So dry your eyes, Miss Sharon. You traveled 2600 miles to see the majestic gray whales? Some 20,000 gray whales are out there, nursing new babies and swimming some 6000 miles home for dinner.  Now that’s a miracle.

If you go

Picturesque Mendocino County, 2-3 hours north of San Francisco, CA, includes breathtaking coastline, rolling vineyard-covered hills, redwood forests and rugged mountains. The County is known for outstanding wineries, restaurants, and diversity of lodging, and outdoor recreation like camping, diving, fishing, ocean kayaking, hiking and whale watching. For more information, call 707-463-4371, or visit   www.co.mendocino.ca.us.

We flew from Charleston to San Francisco, overnighting in the city at the beginning and end of our US 1 road trip. We recommend both Hyatt at Fisherman’s Wharf and Hyatt Regency San Francisco. The Fisherman’s Wharf property offers 313 newly renovated guestrooms, Knuckles Historical Sports Bar and Grill, and is close to Fisherman’s Wharf, Pier 39, Union Square, Alcatraz/Angel Island, Ghirardelli Square, and Chinatown. The Hyatt Regency, San Francisco’s largest luxury waterfront hotel, features 805 newly renovated guestrooms and suites, with panoramic city and Bay views. Guests dine at the Eclipse Café inside a soaring 17-story atrium lobby, or the revolving rooftop restaurant and lounge, Equinox. Steps from Hyatt Regency, the historic California Street Cable Car climbs San Francisco’s hills to Chinatown, Union Square, and Fisherman’s Wharf.  A wide variety of shops are close by at Embarcadero Center.

Guests can take ferries to Sausalito, Tiburon and Alameda from the nearby Ferry Building Marketplace. Hyatt at Fisherman’s Wharf, 555 North Point Street, San Francisco, CA. 415-563-1234. Web: fishermanswharf.hyatt.com.

Hyatt Regency, 5 Embarcadero Center, San Francisco, CA. 415-788-1234.

Web: www.sanfranciscoregency.hyatt.com.

A highlight of our trip was Mar Vista Cottages at Anchor Bay, 35101 South Highway 1, Gualala, CA. Toll free: 877-855-3522.

Excellent seafood and beef dishes are served at The Redwood Grill, 35517 S. Highway 1, Anchor Bay Village, Anchor Bay, CA. 707-884-1639.  

In Fort Bragg, we recommend the comfortable friendly Atrium B&B, walking distance to the town’s galleries, shops, restaurants.  Close to Point Cabrillo Light Station, Noyo Harbor, and Mendocino Coast Botanic Gardens. Proprietors Gail Bradkey and Mary Knoerdel serve delicious homemade breakfasts. 700 North Main Street, Fort Bragg, CA 800-287-8392. www.atriumbnb.com.

Creative cuisine, fabulous local wines, and a family friendly atmosphere are a pleasure at Mendo Bistro,  301 North Main Street, Fort Bragg, CA. 707-964-4974.  Web site:  http://www.mendobistro.com

All Aboard Adventures, Noyo Harbor, Fort Bragg, CA. 707-964-1881 offer whale-watching trips aboard The Sea Hawk. Delicious pizza and local beers are served at Piaci Pub and Pizzeria, 120 W. Redwood Avenue 707-964-6844.   www.piacipizza.com.

C2008 Sharon Spence Lieb and Warren Lieb