March 14, 2017 – March 17, 2017

What to do, what to do…three days off in a row AND off over my birthday?!? (Thank you SAFH).  Being the workaholic that I am, I haven’t gone on vacation on my actual birthday for a few years, so I wanted to get back to my yearly tradition of being OOT (out of town, or my favorite OOC-out of country).

Friends being busy didn’t stop me from getting away.  I needed a little solitude and a little time to re-find myself.  We all need a refresher once in a while.

Solo adventuring has never scared me. Don’t get me wrong I would love to getaway with friends, but when they are busy, you just gotta go it alone sometimes.  As they say, Carpé Diem, (or I like to use YOLO).

I got online and searched air bnb looking for the perfect getaway. I had heard good things about the Mendocino area from several Californians so I decided to book it and just chillax.

The Garden at Roads End was the perfect place.  I highly recommend it if you are looking for a peaceful place to chill out.  Minutes to glass beach and MacKerricher park, it has the fantastic bonus of having an onsite hot tub, sauna and if you are so inclined… a weight room.  The owner John is very welcoming and has taken great care and detail in making his garden and home a real beauty.  The gardens are beautifully manicured and cared for and the “zen” of the place is perfect.

The one feature I absolutely loved was, the small window seat for reading.  Perfect start and end to my days, sitting with a good cup of coffee in the morning and a cup of tea in the evening.  My little piece of tranquility.

Glass Beach

Minutes from my air bnb, well… 2.7 mile run to be exact. Is Noyo Headlands Park.  Great place to catch a sunset and great place for a stroll along the coast.

Point Cabrillo Light Station

This historical state park is a nice little walk, to a pretty view with the light station.  Not much else there, a few cottages, a gift shop and if you want to do the tour of the actual lighthouse, it’s only open to tours 8 days out of the year.  If you come at the right time of year (summer and fall), watching the  humpback and gray whales from here would probably be amazing.

Mendocino Headlands Trail 

Mendocino is a cute beach side town, tiny with just a few blocks of town to walk through.  The real attraction is the beautiful coast line.  The trailhead listed on alltrails.com was slightly hard to find, it starts behind the white church.  It is an point-to-point trail 2.5 mile hike (EASY), you can hike back the way you came or do what I did and run up a few streets back to your car (1.8 miles)

 

The Ecological Staircase Trail – Jug Handle State Reserve

Parking is free which is nice.  Its a 2.7 mile out-and-back trail rated as EASY), it starts off with a fork in the road decisions, decisions – left goes down to the beach, right – the ecological staircase trail.  I decided to start with the hike and end at the beach.  The staircases are within the first mile and the trail goes inland into the forest.  No real identified turn around point.  I hiked into the clearing where it said on the map it ended then turned around.

Haul Road Coastal Trail – MacKerricher State Park

It is a 6.2 mile loop trail up the coast, concrete and wide so good for biking, hiking and running.  It goes up along the coast and has some opportunities for beach access.  Gorgeous sunsets and probably some amazing whale watching at the right time of year.

March 15, 2017 –

My big day…

Getting older always brings about mixed emotions, but I was going to make the most of it. I decided to spoil myself and do all the things that I love.

• I slept in til 1100… Woot woot.
• I did the Russian Gulch Trail Hike (MODERATE) covering 7 miles through lush forest, passing a beautiful waterfall.
• I stopped at the Cowlick Creamery to try their “mushroom” ice cream, surprisingly delicious.  (Didn’t taste anything like mushrooms, which is probably a good thing).
• I am a big movie fan – (I used to work for Blockbuster – when it existed, I also have accomplished the feat of seeing a movie a week in a year = 52 movies and have over 300 DVD/Blu-rays – basically my own Blockbuster). I went to see LOGAN.  Great movie, spoiler alert… I cried.
• I then went to Northcoast Brewery and indulged in a tasty beer flight and went home with some goodies.
• Then I spent the evening enjoying some wine and cheese and lounging in the hot tub.
• Perfect day.

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I was dreading my upcoming birthday, I really was, but I made a conscious choice to celebrate me and the blessings that I have.

It’s another year to travel to new places, meet new people, learn new things.  Bring it.