Family & Friends,
Once again, I am way behind on posting. In 2018, I started a tradition of taking a solo trip over the Thanksgiving holiday. For 2019, it wasn't technically a solo trip, as I had my pup, Muddy, with me. This trip to Fort Bragg and Mendocino was a very different climate than that of Cuba the previous year! The main reason for this trip was to celebrate Muddy's "birthday"/one-year adoptiversary (on December 8th). And boy, did we have a ton of fun. Everyday was an adventure with some sort of obstacle to conquer.
Being on the Northern coast reminded me of my trip to the Redwoods, with a bit of a Monterey trip as well. It made me realize how much has happened in my life since then. Le sigh.
I also noticed that I definitely have less energy than I did traveling alone in my 20's. However, I have nailed down preparedness and packing all the right things. Out after dark? Boom! Flashlight. Desirable leftovers? Bam! Ziploc baggy. I've shared my packing lists in the past.
The other cool thing about this trip was that I had my own personal bodyguard in Muddy. No one wants to mess with what looks like a police dog, and I was able to push some limits more than I'd otherwise feel comfortable doing. Not only that, but this trip allowed me to push Muddy's limits as well. I always knew that Mudfox is undoubtedly a talented athlete, but this pup is one hell of a mountain dog too. We were practically bouldering at one point and he was down for more. But enough of my proud MaPa gushing.
The last observation I'll note about Fort Bragg is that there are paper towel dispensers everywhere and I couldn't for the life of me figure out why.
Anyway, along with the play-by-play...
DAY 1:
We had a rough start on Day 1. It took us four hours to get to Fort Bragg from Oakland, when it should have taken three. A storm rolled in and we were met with pouring rain. About halfway there, my "check tire pressure" light came on, so we had to stop at a gas station where I added air to all four tires in the freezing rain. After that, it started snowing and I had to take it easy on the winding redwood roads (no four-wheel-drive on my trusty 2008 Chevy sedan).
We arrived at the Super 8 Motel in the afternoon. Since it was stormy, we couldn't do much. So I of course put myself to work fixing things in the motel room (re-calibrating the TV and setting the clock on the microwave). Luckily, there was a Batman movie marathon on TV.
DAY 2:
The weather was a bit schizophrenic, so I found myself over-layered in the morning and under-layered in the afternoon. Fortunately, it's a small town, so I was able to make stops back at the motel to change.
First, we went on a long walk along the coast in Noyo Headlands Park. There were big waves because of the storm. We passed by the Noyo Center for Marine Science, but it was closed.
Next, we took the long (vehicle road) way down to Noyo Harbor, which is super cute. The motels are up at the top of a cliff, so you have to descend to get to sea level. Right as we got to Noyo Beach, it started to rain. Despite that, Muddy went crazy running around off leash. The other dogs left at the sign of rain, so we had the beach to ourselves and got drenched.
On the way back, we discovered a staircase up the cliff, which is way quicker. The top of the stairs is right next to the Harbor Lite Inn. You're welcome.
After a brief dry-off period back at the motel, Mud and I walked across the Noyo River Bridge to check out the Surf Motel because they supposedly have a dog park there. It was not a real dog park. Skip it.
We walked over to Todd Point and Pomo Bluffs Park as the sun was starting to set. These are sites of more scenic coastline. The surrounding area looks really rural, with houses strewn about without any fences, just dry grassland.
After that, we took the staircase back down to the marina for dinner at Sea Pal Cove, where I got clam chowder in a bread bowl and a beer. Since I had Muddy, we sat outside on a wet chair in front of the fire pit. Some local dudes joined and offered me some hospitable smokage. Heading back to the motel, it was pitch black returning up the creepy staircase, but Mud was on point in his protective leadership role.
DAY 3:
This was Thanksgiving Day. We drove about 15 minutes to MacKerricher State Park. There was a road closed because of the storm, so we had to park right off the highway and walk into the park. We walked along the boardwalk to Laguna Point, but it wasn't as cool as I thought it was going to be. Dogs aren't allowed off of the boardwalk, but we explored another trail anyway.
Coming back, we took a trail along Lake Cleone. This part was more fun. You see, the trail was actually closed because of the storm, but we didn't know that until towards the end when we were met with a collapsed plank bridge over a marsh and a sign saying that it was closed. But we had come this far, so I was determined to cross the marsh. I let Muddy off leash so that we wouldn't knock each other off balance. He was hesitant at first, but then went ahead and crossed on what was left of the plank bridge. I slowly made my way across, almost falling in completely. When I got to the other side, Muddy celebrated by intentionally jumping into the marsh.
After that, we encountered another obstacle of a fallen tree blocking the trail. We both had to crouch down and navigate through the fallen branches to get through. It was an adventure!
Next, we drove to Glass Beach, which was quite crowded. Glass Beach is known for its sea glass resulting from years of there being a garbage dump nearby. You have to get down to water level to find the really pretty stuff. Otherwise, it's just another rocky beach. We saw two seals sunbathing on a rock.
In the evening, Mud and I walked 30 minutes to Overtime Brewing for our Thanksgiving meal. They allow dogs on their back patio. We had the whole patio to ourselves for awhile until a couple from San Francisco arrived with their black lab puppy named Jack. The server was really nice and let us move all the tables so that the pups could play. And oh, did they play! As for Thanksgiving dinner, I had a giant turkey leg (Flintstones-style), cranberry sauce, apple huckleberry pie, and a flight of four beers. It was pretty perfect. Muddy got some of that for his dinner too.
DAY 4:
On the last day, we checked out and drove ten minutes to Point Cabrillo Lighthouse. It was a quick and easy hike to get out there, and the lighthouse wasn't anything special.
After that, we drove another five minutes to neighboring Mendocino. We parked at Cypress Grove and walked in to Point Kelli, which had a pretty view. We spent some time at the grove because there were a bunch of trees calling to me to be climbed. Muddy was a patient boy as I climbed up, up, up.
From there, we hiked the Mendocino Trail, which goes along the coastline through Mendocino Headlands State Park and eventually ends at Big River Beach. We had lunch on a jutted cliff and thoroughly explored almost every jutted point.
When we got to Big River Beach, Muddy had the time of his life off leash and playing with other dogs. He listened pretty well and even did some doggy paddling!
Finally, we walked 20 minutes through town to get back to the car. It took us awhile to get home because we ended up taking Highway 128, which is super twisty-turny and made both Mud and me nauseated. We had to stop in Cloverdale to regroup before we all puked (we made it without puking).
***
All in all, this was one of my favorite short trips. Spending all day outside exploring with my boy and then the evenings drinking whiskey, smoking, watching cable TV, and snuggling with my pup on the bed (he's not allowed on the bed at home) was nothing short of marvelous. It was a pretty inexpensive trip too.
Check out the photos below and stay tuned for a video someday when I catch up on my editing projects. Spoiler alert: There are a lot of cute puppy photos. A fun game to play is to guess at which moment Muddy caught giardia.
Onward,
Chris
Once again, I am way behind on posting. In 2018, I started a tradition of taking a solo trip over the Thanksgiving holiday. For 2019, it wasn't technically a solo trip, as I had my pup, Muddy, with me. This trip to Fort Bragg and Mendocino was a very different climate than that of Cuba the previous year! The main reason for this trip was to celebrate Muddy's "birthday"/one-year adoptiversary (on December 8th). And boy, did we have a ton of fun. Everyday was an adventure with some sort of obstacle to conquer.
Being on the Northern coast reminded me of my trip to the Redwoods, with a bit of a Monterey trip as well. It made me realize how much has happened in my life since then. Le sigh.
I also noticed that I definitely have less energy than I did traveling alone in my 20's. However, I have nailed down preparedness and packing all the right things. Out after dark? Boom! Flashlight. Desirable leftovers? Bam! Ziploc baggy. I've shared my packing lists in the past.
The other cool thing about this trip was that I had my own personal bodyguard in Muddy. No one wants to mess with what looks like a police dog, and I was able to push some limits more than I'd otherwise feel comfortable doing. Not only that, but this trip allowed me to push Muddy's limits as well. I always knew that Mudfox is undoubtedly a talented athlete, but this pup is one hell of a mountain dog too. We were practically bouldering at one point and he was down for more. But enough of my proud MaPa gushing.
The last observation I'll note about Fort Bragg is that there are paper towel dispensers everywhere and I couldn't for the life of me figure out why.
Anyway, along with the play-by-play...
DAY 1:
We had a rough start on Day 1. It took us four hours to get to Fort Bragg from Oakland, when it should have taken three. A storm rolled in and we were met with pouring rain. About halfway there, my "check tire pressure" light came on, so we had to stop at a gas station where I added air to all four tires in the freezing rain. After that, it started snowing and I had to take it easy on the winding redwood roads (no four-wheel-drive on my trusty 2008 Chevy sedan).
We arrived at the Super 8 Motel in the afternoon. Since it was stormy, we couldn't do much. So I of course put myself to work fixing things in the motel room (re-calibrating the TV and setting the clock on the microwave). Luckily, there was a Batman movie marathon on TV.
DAY 2:
The weather was a bit schizophrenic, so I found myself over-layered in the morning and under-layered in the afternoon. Fortunately, it's a small town, so I was able to make stops back at the motel to change.
First, we went on a long walk along the coast in Noyo Headlands Park. There were big waves because of the storm. We passed by the Noyo Center for Marine Science, but it was closed.
Next, we took the long (vehicle road) way down to Noyo Harbor, which is super cute. The motels are up at the top of a cliff, so you have to descend to get to sea level. Right as we got to Noyo Beach, it started to rain. Despite that, Muddy went crazy running around off leash. The other dogs left at the sign of rain, so we had the beach to ourselves and got drenched.
On the way back, we discovered a staircase up the cliff, which is way quicker. The top of the stairs is right next to the Harbor Lite Inn. You're welcome.
After a brief dry-off period back at the motel, Mud and I walked across the Noyo River Bridge to check out the Surf Motel because they supposedly have a dog park there. It was not a real dog park. Skip it.
We walked over to Todd Point and Pomo Bluffs Park as the sun was starting to set. These are sites of more scenic coastline. The surrounding area looks really rural, with houses strewn about without any fences, just dry grassland.
After that, we took the staircase back down to the marina for dinner at Sea Pal Cove, where I got clam chowder in a bread bowl and a beer. Since I had Muddy, we sat outside on a wet chair in front of the fire pit. Some local dudes joined and offered me some hospitable smokage. Heading back to the motel, it was pitch black returning up the creepy staircase, but Mud was on point in his protective leadership role.
DAY 3:
This was Thanksgiving Day. We drove about 15 minutes to MacKerricher State Park. There was a road closed because of the storm, so we had to park right off the highway and walk into the park. We walked along the boardwalk to Laguna Point, but it wasn't as cool as I thought it was going to be. Dogs aren't allowed off of the boardwalk, but we explored another trail anyway.
Coming back, we took a trail along Lake Cleone. This part was more fun. You see, the trail was actually closed because of the storm, but we didn't know that until towards the end when we were met with a collapsed plank bridge over a marsh and a sign saying that it was closed. But we had come this far, so I was determined to cross the marsh. I let Muddy off leash so that we wouldn't knock each other off balance. He was hesitant at first, but then went ahead and crossed on what was left of the plank bridge. I slowly made my way across, almost falling in completely. When I got to the other side, Muddy celebrated by intentionally jumping into the marsh.
After that, we encountered another obstacle of a fallen tree blocking the trail. We both had to crouch down and navigate through the fallen branches to get through. It was an adventure!
Next, we drove to Glass Beach, which was quite crowded. Glass Beach is known for its sea glass resulting from years of there being a garbage dump nearby. You have to get down to water level to find the really pretty stuff. Otherwise, it's just another rocky beach. We saw two seals sunbathing on a rock.
In the evening, Mud and I walked 30 minutes to Overtime Brewing for our Thanksgiving meal. They allow dogs on their back patio. We had the whole patio to ourselves for awhile until a couple from San Francisco arrived with their black lab puppy named Jack. The server was really nice and let us move all the tables so that the pups could play. And oh, did they play! As for Thanksgiving dinner, I had a giant turkey leg (Flintstones-style), cranberry sauce, apple huckleberry pie, and a flight of four beers. It was pretty perfect. Muddy got some of that for his dinner too.
DAY 4:
On the last day, we checked out and drove ten minutes to Point Cabrillo Lighthouse. It was a quick and easy hike to get out there, and the lighthouse wasn't anything special.
After that, we drove another five minutes to neighboring Mendocino. We parked at Cypress Grove and walked in to Point Kelli, which had a pretty view. We spent some time at the grove because there were a bunch of trees calling to me to be climbed. Muddy was a patient boy as I climbed up, up, up.
From there, we hiked the Mendocino Trail, which goes along the coastline through Mendocino Headlands State Park and eventually ends at Big River Beach. We had lunch on a jutted cliff and thoroughly explored almost every jutted point.
When we got to Big River Beach, Muddy had the time of his life off leash and playing with other dogs. He listened pretty well and even did some doggy paddling!
Finally, we walked 20 minutes through town to get back to the car. It took us awhile to get home because we ended up taking Highway 128, which is super twisty-turny and made both Mud and me nauseated. We had to stop in Cloverdale to regroup before we all puked (we made it without puking).
***
All in all, this was one of my favorite short trips. Spending all day outside exploring with my boy and then the evenings drinking whiskey, smoking, watching cable TV, and snuggling with my pup on the bed (he's not allowed on the bed at home) was nothing short of marvelous. It was a pretty inexpensive trip too.
Check out the photos below and stay tuned for a video someday when I catch up on my editing projects. Spoiler alert: There are a lot of cute puppy photos. A fun game to play is to guess at which moment Muddy caught giardia.
Onward,
Chris