Mendocino in the Fall

/ Bulldog Travels

Fall in Mendocino means mushrooms.  Mendocino is surrounded by ocean, redwoods, and hills therefore the fall colors do not blaze as brightly here as they do on the drive through the wine country to get there from Sacramento.

Mushroom hunting

My husband and I dream of owning property here one day.  But, in the meantime it really does not get any better than camping at MacKerricher State Park.  It is $35 per night and one is surrounded by Redwoods, ocean, Cleone Lake, mushrooms, curious seals, deer, wine cork stealing bunnies, and even a Giant Whale Skeleton on display for kids.

 

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She is smart enough to sniff and walk away!

Looking for seals or wayward sailors

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After realizing she looks a lot like a seal with legs

MacKerricher is my favorite campsite in California located in one of the prettiest areas of California.  MacKerricher sits just north of Fort Bragg.  Fort Bragg is a tough old logging town which is finding its footing with breweries, shops, and tourism.  Fort Bragg has newly renovated its famed Glass Beach formed from years of waves crashing against an old garbage site.  My favorite place to visit in Fort Bragg is the Mendocino Botanical Gardens.  It is and will remain my happy place.

Just a hop, skip, and a jump down the road is the village of Mendocino.  This iconic village is where Eric and I got married five years ago!  (Happy Anniversary to us!)  We relived the big day by having dinner at our favorite restaurant 955 Ukiah Street Restaurant.  The next day we picked up a baguette from Cafe Beaujolais and picnicked on the ocean.

Just north of MacKericher is a beach near Pacific Star Winery where the tide pooling is stellar.  A nice little blue grab game out to assert his domain.

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Mr. Blue Crab

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Not that you can tell with the iPhone but those are seals out there lounging in the sunshine

 

 

The guy who showed me what fun tidepooling can be

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Low tide allows for shenanigans like this

The amazing part about the Pacific Ocean is that we left weather in the 40’s and found clear weather in the 60’s on the ocean.  The weather is typically the opposite of what is happening in the Sacramento Valley.

Happy Fall everyone. I am trying to hang on to the last bit of it before winter takes hold.  Is it cold and wintery where you are already?

Remnants of an old dock at MacKerricher

For further Mendocino and Mushroom adventures click here.

63 thoughts on “Mendocino in the Fall”

  1. Love the photos! No, it’s not cold or wintry here in Amsterdam yet, strangely mild and temperatures above average, but plenty of wind/storms/rain. Odd weather really. I’ve experienced very cold winters here in years gone by, so hoping for a bit of that maybe in January, we need some good chill to rid us of germs. And what’s not to like about snow?? 🙂

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  4. A lovely “paseo”. Looked it up. Not too far from SAcramento.
    I support your idea of buying something there. 🙂
    (I think I would gladly buy something in California right now, but I don’t think I can afford it)
    Right here is getting chilly. Not too cold. 8-10C in the morning. And a bitta sun during the day.
    Be good.
    brian

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  7. I love the idea of a sea glass beach. I will definitely visit if I am ever in that part of the world. Near me there is a beach next to an old pottery. If you look carefully you can find bits. Most are plain but I have some treasures with the maker’s mark. As to winter, it is as wet, mild and stormy here across the North Sea as it is in Amsterdam. It is odd, we would often have snow by now.

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  11. a shroom-eating bulldog…now there’s a good travel story. is that your dog…and hence, “bulldog travels”? I’m in Abu Dhabi, it is a wonderful spring-like day and will be all winter. In two weeks, I’ll be in the Maldives!!

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  12. I always enjoy MacKerricher. In fact there is little about the northern California coast I don’t enjoy. I travelled up the coast in August from San Francisco to Fort Brag and will be blogging about it for the next couple of weeks. Next up is the town of Bodega but I will be blogging about Mendocino and Fort Brag starting on Wednesday. I enjoyed your blog. The bulldog is great. As for weather, I live up the Applegate River on the edge of the Siskiyous. I would’t be surprised to see a little snow in the morning. –Curt

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