Fort Bragg, CA

January 30th - February 5th

After the holidays we were anxious to get away for a few days yet didn't want to go too far.  We finally decided to go to Fort Bragg as we hadn't been there for a while.  This time of year the north coast can be windy, cold and wet.  The best time is usually late summer and fall.  At that time the winds are calm and it is warm with little fog.  Even the crowds are smaller.  We decided to take our chances and it was indeed windy, cool and wet part of the time.   We had the RV Campground almost to ourselves and we enjoyed it thoroughly.

Downtown is a mix of shops and of course the famous Skunk Train Depot.  The tourist train runs from Fort Bragg to Willits but we passed as we had taken it several years back.   There was one shop that had various meats, smoked fish, cheeses, and sausages and we picked up a selection of cheeses.

You guessed it, yes Linda found a quilt shop and checked it out.  

The Guest House Museum

This home was built in the early 1900s by a lumber baron.

Glass beach is full of shards of glass of all colors, sizes, and shapes.  How did the glass get here?  The edge of the cliff was once a trash dump and over the years the only thing left is the glass.  The dumping ended many years ago.

Glass Beach

Glass smoothed and rounded by the waves and sand

Pomo Bluff Park is a popular place to watch for whales, walk along the bluffs, or just sit and enjoy the views.  Many people come with their lunch and enjoy a break from work.

View from the bluff

 Gulls on almost every post

Entrance to Noyo Harbor is under the bridge.

Point Cabrillo Lighthouse is 5-10 miles south of Fort Bragg.  Again, it is a good spot to watch for whales.  We didn't see any.

The beach at Pudding Creek

Sadie checking out the Pomo RV Campground

Saturday we went to Mendocino Botanical Gardens for a Birders walk.  It was interesting seeing a number of different birds.  It was too early for the Rhododendrons and Azaleas to be in bloom.  April and May are fantastic times to visit the gardens.

Sunday we had planned to attend a whale watching talk at MacKerricher State Park just north of Fort Bragg but it was outdoors, very windy and raining.  As it looked like we would be the only ones there we decided to leave.  They give talks on Saturdays and Sundays during whale migration season.

We had planned to stay another day but a storm was coming in and we didn't want to travel in heavy rain and winds so we headed home.  We got home and unloaded before the rain started that night.  The storm dropped 8 1/2" in four days.  It certainly helped but it isn't enough to end the drought.  We are still way, way behind normal rain/snow fall.

Now we will start planning for our next trip in April.