Day 9 - Mendocino County and the Pacific Coast Highway

Today we intended to catch the ferry from Larkspur to San Francisco and spend the day touring the city. But my back is out and I can hardly walk so we decided to have an easy day and just do a little sight seeing in the area.

I put an ice pack on my back and did some gentle stretches and tried to walk it out. Not working that much. Oh well, no point in sitting around being miserable.

So we set out to travel Hwy 128 the Mendocino County wine road north to Hwy 1 and return that way for a nice scenic drive. A couple hours, right? Not!!

I did get to tour an antique/junk store on the way out. Nothing there of note but behind the antique store was a lumber mill with piles of redwood timber waiting to be cut. Amazing! I didn't know they could still harvest Redwood.

Redwood logs at the lumber mill

Hwy 128 was gorgeous and quite a surprise. Johnnie said he never dreamed California had this kind of terrain. There a lots of little towns you will miss if you blink.

The vineyards there are family owned for the most part so it was particularly enjoyable visiting with the people who do all the work!

Grapes almost ready to harvest; generally harvest starts the first week of Oct.

First stop on our tour is Yorkville Cellars. This is a small winery and with a nice selection. After that we stop at Philo Ridge Winery which has nice white wines and grows all their own grapes "off the grid" -via solar or wind power. (It is also owned and operated by a woman). We ate our picnic lunch there on their patio.

Next stop is Scharffenberger Cellars, known for their sparkling wines. We keep looking for a sparkling wine like the Prosecco we had in Italy. This one is close.

Last stop is Navarro Winery. They have beautiful tasting room and a nice outdoor area for picnics and such. They also sell handcrafted cheeses from goat and sheep's milk. We tasted those and bought some, another reminiscence of Italy!

Patio area for picnics

Once Hwy 128 meets Hwy 1 at Navarro Point, the entire scenery changes. Hwy 1, or Pacific Coast Highway, winds along the rugged coastline with breath-taking views and hairpin turns. The first few miles from Navarro Point to Gualala were enjoyable; from Gualala to Bodega Bay were downright treacherous!

 At one point we were stopped behind a line of traffic and the California Highway Patrol was blocking the road. The patrolman came down the line of traffic talking to each car. We wondered what is going on?? When he gets to our car he explains that there is a car company  shooting a commercial on this road. It is all very secret and even he doesn't know what company or what new car it is. Later when we get to pass by we can see where the film crew is set up and there is a car sitting there covered with a tarp. We will be on the lookout for a new car commercial with California coast scenery in the background!

Pampas Grass grows wild all throughout California

Along this coast are some very beautiful homes. Many are original architecture like geodesic or some with irregular angles and glass walls. We asked the Highway patrolman that stopped us, "what do people here do for a living? besides vineyards and cattle, we can see nothing for miles". His reply, "they grow marijuana". Wow, that surprised us! I guess this remote area is probably the right climate for it and certainly away from prying eyes. According to him, the California Medical Marijuana laws are such that just about anyone can get the medical card so it is already a thriving business.

We didn't really know what we were getting into here! My easy day on my bad back ended up being 4 hrs. of driving over 50 miles of rugged coast. At three different places, the west lane was washed out and traffic was down to one lane; that lane was so narrow that our truck tires hung off the asphalt about 6 inches away from the sheer 1000 ft. cliff to the ocean! RVs and trucks over 30ft. are not recommended on this road. 

We finally got back to the RV park after 8pm. Johnnie was exhausted from white knuckle driving and my back was in major pain. But it was an incredible day with views that were magnificent. We will have stories to tell for years to come from this adventure. Lord, we thank you for the surprise blessings that come with each day.