August 28, 2023 - NoCali Vacation
Mendocino

I grew up in northern California, what is now known as Silicon Valley.  While I was goofing off in high school, Steve Jobs and Steve Wozniak were inventing the personal computer and revolutionizing the world in their garage less than ten miles away.  But I had never really been north of Sacramento.  So this was my, and Lynnette's, first time in Mendocino, a quaint little coastal town in northern California.  I think Joe may have been here before.

We started off at the little town museum.

Prior to 1850, a Pomo settlement named Buldam was located near Mendocino on the north bank of the Big River. In 1850, the ship Frolic was wrecked a few miles north of Mendocino, at Point Cabrillo, and the investigation of the wreck by agents of Henry Meiggs sparked the development of the timber industry in the area.  Mendocino itself was founded in 1852 as a logging community for what became the Mendocino Lumber Company, and was originally named "Meiggsville" after Meiggs. The town was also known as "Big River" Meiggstown, and "Mendocino City", before the current name was settled on.

Mendocino's scenic location on a headland surrounded by the Pacific Ocean has made it extremely popular as an artists' colony and with vacationers.  The town has a population of approximately 825.
   
Even though it was small, the museum was very well done and interesting with lots of artifacts, dioramas and pictures.
 
Mendocino started off as a logging town, as their were groves of massive redwood trees in the area.  This diorama shows an oxen team pulling some huge redwood log segments.
   
A photograph from back in the day, showing the huge size of the redwood trees being logged.   Also notice in the big trunk segment at right, the loggerw are using jackscrews -- one of the most important tools in the woods -- to move the trunk segment.
   
Some tools used for logging including a model of a Dolbeer Spool Donkey.   The spool donkey was the first steam engine used for logging.  It replaced donkeys, horses and oxen for dragging logs out of the forest.
   
Since Mendocino doesn't have a natural harbor, they used slide or apron chute to lower the timber down to barges and ships on the water.
   

Leaving the museum, we did a town walk-about.  Mendocino kind of sits on a peninsula jutting out into the ocean.  Here looking south.

 
   
Walking west down Main Street.
   
Beautiful old hotel from the big timber days.
   
Lynnette likes the pink flowers.
   
Mendocino's water tank on a tall tower.
   
In what looks like used to be a church is now a natrual foods organic produce store.
   
An colorful garden on a beautiful sunny day.
   
Lansing Street, off Main Street, seemed more like the Main Street than Main Street.  We had a nice breakfast at the Goodlife Cafe and Bakery.
   
A little history of the northern California coast.
   
To the south of Mendocino is Mendocino Bay where the mouth of the Big River is.  There's a nice beach there.  To the west and north of Mendocino is rugged coast, pictured in the following pictures.  There is a nice hiking trail around the perimeter.  The western part of Mendocino is wild prairie until you get to the ocean.
   
Lynnette with the blue Pacific Ocean in the background.
   
That's an island at top left.  The ocean water turns a lighter blue and green in the shallow, calm water.
   
 
   
 
   
 
   
 
   
 
   
 
   
 
   
We left the Point Mendocino Trail and headed for the Big River beach area, southeast of town.
   
Highway One thunders overhead on the bridge.  I don't like the look of that rusty bridge pier!
   
Joe and Lynnette at the mouth of the Big River with the Pacific Ocean in the background.
   
Looking east down the Big River and the Highway One bridge.
   
On the east side of the bridge, still looking east.
   
To get to our AirBnB, you turn east on Comptche Ukiah Road just before crossing the Big River bridge from the south.  You go about five miles through winding, hilly forest.  It was sort of like a family compound, but we had our own place:  the Americana House.  It was very comfortable and rustic.  One unusual thing, there was absolutely no cell coverage up here.  No Wifi either.  We were off the grid!  But the house did have a fireplace with lots of wood stocked, books and games.  We stayed two nights.  I could easily have stayed longer!
   

Our rental car parked by the firepit.  We used the house fireplace both nights so didn't use the firepit.
   
The compound was fairly large.  On this side there was cornhole and volleyball.  A grove of redwoods is straight ahead.
   
Two wild turkeys prowling the compound.  We would see these two on numerous occasions.  We also saw deer.
   
Lynnette standing by a large redwood tree stump.
   

We were on top of a hill I guess, with this nice view looking west.
   
Another grove of redwoods.
   
A tree growing in the middle of what used to be a big redwood.
   
The descendents of that redwood stump growing around it.
   
Another look at the Americana House.
   
It's those two turkeys again, eating the fallen pears outside the house.
   
One of the books in the house was this book about hiking in the area of Mendocino.  Most helpful.
   
 
   
Previous
Home
Next