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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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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The Adventure Continues… Botanical Gardens

Since I’ve been looking through my photos from last October when I visited the Mendocino Coast Botanical Gardens in Fort Bragg, I thought it would be nice to revisit this episode — it was my very first look at this beautiful spot in Mendocino County. This segment of California’s Golden Coast originally aired in September 2003, and I featured it here on the blog in October 2018: I’ve been a botanical garden fan ever since my visit to the San Francisco Botanical Garden in Golden Gate Park in 2016. Before that, I had no idea how wonderful such  places could be — perfect for photography, for wandering, or for just sitting to relax in the middle of nature’s beauty. Watching this episode of California’s Golden Coast is a great introduction to the Mendocino Coast Botanical Gardens, a unique and beautiful public garden near the small town of Fort Bragg; I was surprised to learn that this garden has been here since 1961. Now it looks like I have another spot to add to my must-visit list! The Mendocino Coast Botanical Gardens is the only public garden in the continental United States located directly on the coast. Huell explores this rare jewel set within coastal pines and coastal bluffs in Fort Bragg. In addition to its diverse flora, there is a retail nursery and garden shop as well as workshops, classes and lectures so you may take a bit of the […]

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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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Ocean sounds

One of my favorite YouTube videos recently is a 12-hour soundscape of ocean waves; I frequently use it to lull myself to sleep. When I gaze at these images from the Mendocino Coast Botanical Garden in Fort Bragg, it’s easy to summon up the boom and crash of waves along a rocky shore along with the fresh salt air on […]

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Bluff Top Trail

I’ve stopped at the small Moat Creek parking area a number of times now, always to follow the short path to the shore. The site is just a bit south of the town of Point Arena, and the beach is popular with surfers (high tide) and with tide pool explorers (low tide). On this visit, I decided to check out […]

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Riparian habitat

I really wasn’t sure what to expect when I started the trail known as the Ecological Staircase at Mendocino County’s Jug Handle Reserve, but it turned out to be a really great hike — not too physically demanding and yet a decent workout. All the way out to the Pygmy Forest and back, it totals about 5 miles. After taking […]

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Bridges and boardwalks

If you’re traveling along coastal Highway 1 in Mendocino County, you will probably notice there are quite a number of different bridges crossing over creeks and rivers that flow into the Pacific Ocean. From south to north, the scenic artery crosses the Gualala River, Elk Creek, the Navarro River, the Albion River, the Big River, Jughandle Creek, and the Noyo […]

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