Although it runs the length of California’s coast, once north of San Francisco State Route 1 becomes a scenic two-lane roadway that dips and climbs as it snakes its way across rivers (like the Russian, the Gualala, the Navarro, and the Noyo) and through a lot of small towns, one of which is Point Arena, population 473. It’s all too easy to rush through these humble hamlets without actually seeing them on the way to some final destination; so I was glad to find our week-long accommodation was only a short walk from the center of this seaside community.

Mural near the junction of Main and School streets