We left the Redwoods National Park and spent the morning exploring the California coast, we had booked a campground on the Mendocino Coast thinking we would like to explore the town. We took our time driving there, Rt 101 was becoming increasingly curvy. It was a blue sky day and we stopped in Fort Bragg to explore the Botanical Gardens there. This place BLEW MY MIND. The temperature dropped suddenly and the fog rolled in which greatly enhanced the experience. First, keep in mind coastal California is Zone 9, so the crazy variety of perennials, heathers, and succulents that they are able to cultivate is staggering. I was unaccustomed to seeing such vibrant blooms in October. We spent a few hours wandering the extensive grounds and I had a blast taking photos and dreaming of planting such a garden in my own backyard.
Unfortunately, the day was getting on and we needed to get to our site. We passed Mendocino figuring we would return tomorrow to explore, the road was slow going, winding, with sharp angular turns and steep cliff sides with no guard rails. The fog thickened, slowing our pace. By the time we rolled into the campsite it was gloomy and damp. We quickly set up camp and ate our leftovers intending to call it an early night. KOA’s re usually great places to stay. Family friendly, amenities, quiet hours. At 2am I was awakened by loud drunken cursing which proceeded throughout the night, a young couple deciding to air their grievances in the quiet confines of our little campground. UGH. First time, I guess we’ve been lucky. Usually, the KOA has people paroling the grounds, but it was off season and there was no one around.
We were both cranky when we hooked up to leave in the morning. As we were making our way to Mendocino in the still thick as soup fog, we looked at each other and said, forget this! Let’s go find some sunshine. And that’s how we found ourselves in the hot and sunny Anderson Valley doing a day of wine tasting. This was completely NOT on our itinerary and what a pleasant diversion it turned out to be. The day was the complete opposite of what was going on at the coast and we were ecstatic, pulling off our layers and thick socks and changing into flip flops. It felt so good to be HOT. We had not experienced this kind of weather since we had begun. We tasted wines at Handley Cellars and Roederer Estates, stocking up on wines for Thanksgiving. The topic of conversation was the wine country fires, of course. The devastation to the south was very much on everyone’s minds. Strange to say, there was some annoyance at the media for ignoring another raging fire just to the north of the Anderson Valley, the Pocket fire which burned over 17,000 acres. We met a couple wine tasting who were just returning to their home in Sonoma, their house had been spared, not so their neighbors. It was sobering to talk with those who lived and worked there, the level of empathy for the absolute destruction of property and loss of life was palpable.
We ended up at a campground outside Healdsburg which was a big disappointment, little dirt patches with giant rigs, not our speed, so we nixed that and found a room at the Best Western in Healdsburg, where we parked the camper(it had been 6 days in the Cricket) and took a dip in the pool. The downtown was just a mile away so we walked from our hotel and enjoyed a fine meal at the Dry Creek Kitchen. I like this town, it was lively and the streets were organized around a lit up central square, a common design in old California towns. Signs in every window pronounced Wine Country Strong and most of the restaurants were offering free meals to firefighters. In fact, the place we ate had an abbreviated shortlist menu, suppliers were not back up to speed after the devastation of the wildfires. People were out and about enjoying the evening, apparently the air quality from the Santa Rosa fires had kept most indoors over the last few weeks, not to mention the fear and anxiety over the vulnerability of this community to the winds.
In the morning, we walked back into town to visit the Farmer’s Market, one of my favorite things to do. I love discovering the local fruits and veggies unique to the region and here we found gorgeous burnt orange persimmons and golden yellow quinces. Mushrooms of every size and variety and huge slabs of fresh fish in big tubs of ice. Across the street we discovered a fantastic place, The Shed. Market, cafe, and community gathering space, it exists to connect consumers to the local bounty and provide guidance and workshops around growing, preparing and sharing food. We spent a full hour here perusing the enticing selection of artisan foods and produce, an in house larder featuring cured meats, house made pickles, preserved fish, a fermentation bar, a mill where they ground and bagged their own grains and spices. The cafe serves food grown within a 10 mile radius of the kitchen, with a pledge to support small family ranchers and farmers. I was in heaven, each person we talked to who worked there was passionate about food and filled with information on how to cook with their products. It is so affirming and inspiring to patronize entrepreneurial wonders like this place that values community and collaboration.
We were due in Sacramento for the weekend, having scheduled a visit to see an old friend from Mark’s residency days in Chicago. Brian & Jan graciously offered for us to stay with them for a few days, I was looking forward to a staying in a home and all the comforts that entailed. Our route took us through Santa Rosa, and we saw firsthand the horrendous aftermath of the fires right from the highway. We skirted the Napa/Sonoma region but passed by many blackened and scorched fields. It made me so sad to see such violent rendering of a beautiful place. Everyone seems hopeful and talk of rebuilding and getting tourists to come back were paramount. But the magnitude of this conflagration was staggering: 7500 structures destroyed, 22 deaths. With all the astounding natural beauty we have seen on this trip, it is a sobering reminder that Mother Nature can destroy as well.