Albion studio

When we headed over to the Mendocino coast last October, we found ourselves staying in a place that was new to us. Rather than Point Arena or farther north in Mendocino, we opted for a more central location — in the vicinity of the tiny town of Albion, near the Navarro River. At first I was concerned that our lodgings were so small, basically one room. But I actually loved staying here and wouldn’t mind returning sometime. Although Highway 1 was only a stone’s throw from our door, traffic noise was almost nonexistent. And while the view from our rear balcony included a small house below us on the same property, we felt comfortably secluded, with magnificent ocean vistas and a beautiful sunset just about every night.

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Point Arena palette

I’ve discovered that the small town of Point Arena in Mendocino County is a great place to spend a few days — or even longer — no matter what time of year. The last time we were there was in December; the weather was a bit unpredictable, and I didn’t get out and go hiking as much as I normally […]

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Low tide

Doran is a required stop on every coastal trip, the spot where we gather ghost shrimp to use as live bait. We never know exactly what the tide situation will be until we arrive — more than once we’ve waded in knee-deep water as we collected the allowed number of pale pink shrimp. The tide sat just right on this […]

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Mendocino big trees

Whenever I go hiking alone in a place like the Ecological Staircase at Jug Handle Reserve, I’m never sure how much exercise I’m actually getting. I may end up walking three or four miles — and more if I have time — but I tend to go slowly as I gaze around, admiring the beauty and shooting photos. I’m perpetually […]

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Keesbury again

The first time I saw this spot along the Mendocino coast was in November 2021. The weather had been rainy that day, and the trail was much too muddy to hike so I shot a few photos before leaving. The Keesbury Bay Viewpoint is very easy to miss along Highway 1 just north of the village of Mendocino. I still […]

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From the South Rim

I’ve seen many, many images of the Grand Canyon in my lifetime, both still shots and videos, and I grew up reading stories about it like Marguerite Henry’s 1953 novel Brighty of the Grand Canyon. But absolutely nothing prepared me for my first real-life view of this incredible place. I certainly can’t do it justice with my photos. Even knowing […]

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Schoefer Creek Trail

There are so many beautiful places to wander within the Mendocino Coast Botanical Garden in Fort Bragg! It seemed to me that most of the other visitors while I was there last October headed for the bluff trails to enjoy the views of the ocean. I preferred the woodland areas and had them mostly to myself — with only birdsong, […]

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