Sept 11th 2012 San Fran to Mendocino

Sept 11th 2012 San Francisco to Mendocino

We left San Francisco via the iconic Golden Gate bridge along Highway 1 (CA 1). We soon merged onto the 101. At Petaluma we turned off and went east to the coast rejoined the Highway 1 and soon arrived at Bodega Bay where we stopped at the marina for lunch.

We met Bill and Linda here. Bill retired from his government job and Linda is a retired teacher. They, like so many we met, are uncertain what the future brings and how the upcoming presidential election is likely to impact on them. They are concerned about the ongoing increases in local government charges. We had a great chat with them . They advised us to drive up to Bodega Head where they said we might be lucky enough to see whales close to shore.

We took some coast shots while waiting for the whales to arrive. We finally decided to call it a day and were close to our car when Brenda said she thought she saw something moving out at sea. I took some shots and have enlarged the images on Flickr. Have a look by following the link below.

Grey Whale off Bodega Head

Our Travelling companion admires the view from Bodega Head

We then took to the road again. This time heading for Mendocino and Fort Bragg. The drive from Bodega Bay to Mendocino along Highway 1 is spectacular. I think it is probably the most beautiful part of the California coast we have seen since arriving on the west coast at San Diego. You drive on the edge of the mountainside several hundred feet above the sea with striking images of the cliff faces all along the coast. The colours of the rocks, the yellows, reds and greens of the plants and the birds soaring on the rising winds from the seas edge will leave you breathless.

This photo was taken at Hearn Gulch as the mist began to come in over the coast.

We took a quick look at Mendocino before heading on to Fort Bragg to determine where we would stay for a couple of days. No contest, we returned to Mendocino. It was late but I was in for a surprise when we found somewhere to stay. See the next blog

It was late when we arrived in Mendocino

Our Flickr images after San Fran through Bodega to Mendocino
Bodega Bay
Mendocino
Hill House Inn of Cabot Cove

Sept 13-14 2012 Mendocino to Eureka

I am a closet follower of 'Murder She Wrote' starring Angela Lansbury. So, you can imagine my delight when we found this hotel, where they filmed many of the series and where many of the stars stayed while filming, and they had a room available. We stayed two nights.

Brenda and me outside Hill House of Cabot Cove. See our images on Flickr to find out what happened to our travelling companion : (



Kathy and Liliya at Hill House

These are two of the lovely ladies at reception in the Hill House of Cabot Cove. Kathy, on the left, took the photo above and gave us some background information about the hotel and murder she write. Liliya hopes to study photography and get a really good camera.





Brenda relaxing and catching up with her eMails at Hill House of Cabot Cove

I visited many of the shops displaying works of art in Mendocino. I met with Suzi Marquess Long in her gallery where she has some of her amazing work on display. She specialises in pastels and I was facinated by how she manages to create such life like images of seascapes, waves, foam and my favourite, bubbles. Have a look for yourself by cllicking on this link: Suzi Marquess Long

Have a look at these links for more information:

Our images from Mendocino, Leggett and Eureka


Hill House of Cabot Cove  - Murder She Wrote


Mendocino


Eureka