Ah. Bright and early in Ft. Bragg. Not suprisingly, I'm not hungry, as the excessive and easily digestible nutrients that abounded in last nights culinary masterpiece of a supper are still saturating my appreciate bodily systems. Either that or its sitting like a lump in my stomach, creating a sludge-y mass that the cheddar flavored gold fish crackers I unwisely ate at midnight are swimming through with as much glee as water birds through the wreckage of the Exxon Valdez.
Yeah, I'm going with the second one.
So I grab a cup of coffee (natures Roto Rooter) and a bagel (stashed in the car for the road, so's I wont have to stop en route) from the Super 8 complimentary continental breakfast, and decide to walk Zack on the beach. Much better than a parking lot, no?
Yeah, I'm going with the second one.
So I grab a cup of coffee (natures Roto Rooter) and a bagel (stashed in the car for the road, so's I wont have to stop en route) from the Super 8 complimentary continental breakfast, and decide to walk Zack on the beach. Much better than a parking lot, no?
Barely more than a mile from the hotel is "Glass Beach". Glass Beach has a great back story, one that probably isnt unique to this particular spot either. In 1949, some genius (who I'm guessing didn't move on to pioneer hybrid vehicles or low-flow toilets...) decided turning the beach into a public dump seemed like a solid plan. People freely dumped anything and everything right into the ocean: household trash, appliances, cars... you name it, they chucked. Some 15 or so years later, it dawned on the fine citizens of Ft Bragg that this might not be the best of longtime garbage disposal solutions, and the slow but eventually successful process of cleaning up the area began.
Despite the areas dirty (har har) past, its turned into something pretty in the end. The beach as it stands today is a glittering mosaic of wave and weather worn bits of trash turned treasure, mostly glass but I spied some metal (small, still usually smoother) and hard plastic bits. Since Glass Beach has attained a small but steady "tourist attraction" crowd, I wouldn't be surprised if they do regular clean ups of the less pretty chunks and leave the area's namesake items be.
Regardless, its a small, gorgeous area:
Then we were off to Gold Beach, our first destination in Oregon (and my first time in Oregon, period).
The 101 continues up the coast, ofttimes providing a stunning view of the Pacific on the left but also frequently veering east into forest territory. Yes, back to the snake roads and peeing behind trees again. But bonus this time - we're heading into Redwood Country, Skeeter!
The trees in some spots meet at the top, crossing the road towards each other and tangle limbs like an accidental arbor. In the photo on the above right (on most computers) they form a tunnel. You cant imagine how many times I've had to purposefully steer my eyes and mind back towards the road - the scenery has been so captivating, its easy to forget the task at hand. It's like travel ADD.
Incredible tall trees, the tips beyond the breadth of the camera lens.
I'm sucker for cheese-tastic tourist attractions, so when I saw the big roadside signs proclaiming "DRIVE THRU TREE" I was all about it.
It was $5 to the cute lady with the cute mutt in the little booth at the entrance, and in I drove.
I didn't actually drive thru it, because I can see that you can, so I really didn't need to be, but you totally could if you wanted. It says so. The stats of that tree, for those of you who can't see (I'm a poet, and I didn't even know it):
Height: 315 ft
Diameter: 21 ft
Maximum (?) age: 2400 freakin years!
This one fell and was left. To give you an idea of compartive size, just before I took the picture a 10 year old or so kid was standing in it and, arms reaching up, couldn't reach the tallest bit of the "roof".
I was SO tempted....
They were prettier standing up.
I can't choose which beach shots to post so I'm posting most of them. These were all taken at the numerous viewpoints along the coast, which crop up every couple hundred feet. Don't fret if you miss one beautiful vignette - there's another one around the corner:
Half dog half billy goat.
Good to know. This reminds of the time Darryl and I were in San Diego, many moons ago. We met friends down on one of the beaches (Ocean, Pacific, something...) for Taco Tuesday! Great, very busy place, with long waits for the seat-yourself tables, fantastic fish tacos and lots of very cold beer and very tequila tequila. Then came the sirens and tsunami warning... this was not as pleasant as the tacos. Everyone was told to go in shore as a precaution, but here we were, drunk, in need of taxis, and that wasn't happening. Discussion ensued, options were considered - we could walk inland for instance, but really, are we going to out run a tsunami? We could beg rides with people, but where do we go, how will we get back, etc etc...?
We could stay here and drink booze and eat tacos.
We stayed.
The waitress, however, flipped the F out. Crying and shrieking, she piled our last round on the table and fled. Bet she felt silly when the warning expired a short time later. Either that or she was around the corner with her own margarita, giggling.
Regulations for the gathering of mollusks and shellfish. One of my serious wants is to go clamming, crabbing, fishing - all of it. I'm fascinated with clamming especially. Supposedly its as easy as going out at low tide, finding 1/2" to 1" holes in the sand, and digging those buried little suckers up. In practice, however, I'm just the crazy lady with the dog using a stick to dig a slow tunnel to China in the middle of the hotel beach. My technique needs work. With the right info and/or guide, though, it can be a very worthwhile endeavor. Annual collection licenses are $6.50/$16.50 (resident or non-resident) and there is the option of three-day non-resident passes for only $9. Regulations change often, so defintiely check, but the take limits I heard were 24-48 crabs and 15-36 clams, daily, depending on species. There are size limits as well, but let's face it, when crabs often sell at market for at least $12 a pound (often more) and its not rare to order well into the teens for a small appetizer bowl of steamed clams, a seafood loving family with access to some simply cooking equipment can make out like some very happy-bellied bandits.
Out hotel in Gold Beach was the Pacific Reef Resort (http://www.pacificreefresort.com/). Its part of a collection of ocean-side lodging the stretches along the coastal portion of Gold Beach, everything from self-service condos to luxury hotels. The "resort" portion of Pacific Reef Resort is a little understate, nor is it truly ocean front, but their website paints a very accurate picture of the place so I was expecting neither, and still very pleased. When I check in, the extremely friendly front desk clerk asked if it was just me and the dog - yes, I said. "Well..." she replies, "If you're not hung up on space, I have a ocean view room you can have. Its small, and sunny in the morning, but..."
Um, YES I say, YES! The hotel is single story and long, with most of the rooms bordering the parking lot, but number 118 is on the end, around the corner, on the path that extends down the hill and to the beach. Its a smaller room, yes, but bright and airy, with a full glass door next to a ceiling to wall window that makes up the ocean side wall of the room. The white linened bed is there, with tv, microwave, refrigerator and a bathroom that is small but efficient (shower but no bath, who really cares?).
The view from my door.
The beach below.
Bed and bath.
During a walk down the beach, a light sprinkle turned into torrential downpour, a long jaunt turned into a sprint, and since dog and human did not turn into ducks we headed indoors.
I had overheard the clerk as she answered another couple checking in's inquiry as to a good, local place to eat. She recommended Playa Del Sol, a "hole in the wall Mexican joint" down the street. I didn't want to eat out so I headed over for take away. Though from outside the two window/one door wide shop front was hardly stand out, inside was a different story. Carved booths, brightly colored walls, not at all cliche, just beautiful and traditional, complete with a very serious looking altar-like display featuring statues and candles. It looked and smelled like home.
I was given a menu with several sections, almost all labeled "House Specials". Despite the focus on homemade tamales (I'm not a huge fan) and rellenos (just wasn't in the mood) I ordered the Chile Colorado Mexicano. What I got, for $14.95 total, was: a box laden with tender beef chunks with peppers and onions in a spiced (flavor not heat wise) tomato-y sauce, a box of seasoned rice and beans/cheese, a container of lettuce and fresh tomato with homemade guacamole, warm flour (corn was also available) tortillas wrapped in foil, and a bag of tortilla chips and delightfully fresh tasting salsa. It was very, very good.
Despite the pitch black outside after sunset, I left the blinds on the door and window open until we were ready for bed (somehow just knowing the ocean was there made me want to).
For months Ive been looking for an alarm clock the has sound settings - you know, things like "rain forest" and "ocean" and "rain storm" that are supposed to calm your mind and promote sound sleep.
Stupid, stupid me, to think the magic of those things could be replicated in a machine. I've been listening to synthetic noise for far too long.
The unparalleled sound of the waves crashing to shore and rain falling was the last thing I heard before I sighed, smiled and slept.
Despite the areas dirty (har har) past, its turned into something pretty in the end. The beach as it stands today is a glittering mosaic of wave and weather worn bits of trash turned treasure, mostly glass but I spied some metal (small, still usually smoother) and hard plastic bits. Since Glass Beach has attained a small but steady "tourist attraction" crowd, I wouldn't be surprised if they do regular clean ups of the less pretty chunks and leave the area's namesake items be.
Regardless, its a small, gorgeous area:
Then we were off to Gold Beach, our first destination in Oregon (and my first time in Oregon, period).
The 101 continues up the coast, ofttimes providing a stunning view of the Pacific on the left but also frequently veering east into forest territory. Yes, back to the snake roads and peeing behind trees again. But bonus this time - we're heading into Redwood Country, Skeeter!
The trees in some spots meet at the top, crossing the road towards each other and tangle limbs like an accidental arbor. In the photo on the above right (on most computers) they form a tunnel. You cant imagine how many times I've had to purposefully steer my eyes and mind back towards the road - the scenery has been so captivating, its easy to forget the task at hand. It's like travel ADD.
Incredible tall trees, the tips beyond the breadth of the camera lens.
I'm sucker for cheese-tastic tourist attractions, so when I saw the big roadside signs proclaiming "DRIVE THRU TREE" I was all about it.
It was $5 to the cute lady with the cute mutt in the little booth at the entrance, and in I drove.
I didn't actually drive thru it, because I can see that you can, so I really didn't need to be, but you totally could if you wanted. It says so. The stats of that tree, for those of you who can't see (I'm a poet, and I didn't even know it):
Height: 315 ft
Diameter: 21 ft
Maximum (?) age: 2400 freakin years!
This one fell and was left. To give you an idea of compartive size, just before I took the picture a 10 year old or so kid was standing in it and, arms reaching up, couldn't reach the tallest bit of the "roof".
I was SO tempted....
They were prettier standing up.
I can't choose which beach shots to post so I'm posting most of them. These were all taken at the numerous viewpoints along the coast, which crop up every couple hundred feet. Don't fret if you miss one beautiful vignette - there's another one around the corner:
Half dog half billy goat.
Good to know. This reminds of the time Darryl and I were in San Diego, many moons ago. We met friends down on one of the beaches (Ocean, Pacific, something...) for Taco Tuesday! Great, very busy place, with long waits for the seat-yourself tables, fantastic fish tacos and lots of very cold beer and very tequila tequila. Then came the sirens and tsunami warning... this was not as pleasant as the tacos. Everyone was told to go in shore as a precaution, but here we were, drunk, in need of taxis, and that wasn't happening. Discussion ensued, options were considered - we could walk inland for instance, but really, are we going to out run a tsunami? We could beg rides with people, but where do we go, how will we get back, etc etc...?
We could stay here and drink booze and eat tacos.
We stayed.
The waitress, however, flipped the F out. Crying and shrieking, she piled our last round on the table and fled. Bet she felt silly when the warning expired a short time later. Either that or she was around the corner with her own margarita, giggling.
Regulations for the gathering of mollusks and shellfish. One of my serious wants is to go clamming, crabbing, fishing - all of it. I'm fascinated with clamming especially. Supposedly its as easy as going out at low tide, finding 1/2" to 1" holes in the sand, and digging those buried little suckers up. In practice, however, I'm just the crazy lady with the dog using a stick to dig a slow tunnel to China in the middle of the hotel beach. My technique needs work. With the right info and/or guide, though, it can be a very worthwhile endeavor. Annual collection licenses are $6.50/$16.50 (resident or non-resident) and there is the option of three-day non-resident passes for only $9. Regulations change often, so defintiely check, but the take limits I heard were 24-48 crabs and 15-36 clams, daily, depending on species. There are size limits as well, but let's face it, when crabs often sell at market for at least $12 a pound (often more) and its not rare to order well into the teens for a small appetizer bowl of steamed clams, a seafood loving family with access to some simply cooking equipment can make out like some very happy-bellied bandits.
Out hotel in Gold Beach was the Pacific Reef Resort (http://www.pacificreefresort.com/). Its part of a collection of ocean-side lodging the stretches along the coastal portion of Gold Beach, everything from self-service condos to luxury hotels. The "resort" portion of Pacific Reef Resort is a little understate, nor is it truly ocean front, but their website paints a very accurate picture of the place so I was expecting neither, and still very pleased. When I check in, the extremely friendly front desk clerk asked if it was just me and the dog - yes, I said. "Well..." she replies, "If you're not hung up on space, I have a ocean view room you can have. Its small, and sunny in the morning, but..."
Um, YES I say, YES! The hotel is single story and long, with most of the rooms bordering the parking lot, but number 118 is on the end, around the corner, on the path that extends down the hill and to the beach. Its a smaller room, yes, but bright and airy, with a full glass door next to a ceiling to wall window that makes up the ocean side wall of the room. The white linened bed is there, with tv, microwave, refrigerator and a bathroom that is small but efficient (shower but no bath, who really cares?).
The view from my door.
The beach below.
Bed and bath.
During a walk down the beach, a light sprinkle turned into torrential downpour, a long jaunt turned into a sprint, and since dog and human did not turn into ducks we headed indoors.
I had overheard the clerk as she answered another couple checking in's inquiry as to a good, local place to eat. She recommended Playa Del Sol, a "hole in the wall Mexican joint" down the street. I didn't want to eat out so I headed over for take away. Though from outside the two window/one door wide shop front was hardly stand out, inside was a different story. Carved booths, brightly colored walls, not at all cliche, just beautiful and traditional, complete with a very serious looking altar-like display featuring statues and candles. It looked and smelled like home.
I was given a menu with several sections, almost all labeled "House Specials". Despite the focus on homemade tamales (I'm not a huge fan) and rellenos (just wasn't in the mood) I ordered the Chile Colorado Mexicano. What I got, for $14.95 total, was: a box laden with tender beef chunks with peppers and onions in a spiced (flavor not heat wise) tomato-y sauce, a box of seasoned rice and beans/cheese, a container of lettuce and fresh tomato with homemade guacamole, warm flour (corn was also available) tortillas wrapped in foil, and a bag of tortilla chips and delightfully fresh tasting salsa. It was very, very good.
Despite the pitch black outside after sunset, I left the blinds on the door and window open until we were ready for bed (somehow just knowing the ocean was there made me want to).
For months Ive been looking for an alarm clock the has sound settings - you know, things like "rain forest" and "ocean" and "rain storm" that are supposed to calm your mind and promote sound sleep.
Stupid, stupid me, to think the magic of those things could be replicated in a machine. I've been listening to synthetic noise for far too long.
The unparalleled sound of the waves crashing to shore and rain falling was the last thing I heard before I sighed, smiled and slept.
wow it sounds like you have been having a great time. can't wait for the next installment.
ReplyDeleteStill loving your updates! Fabulous photos. Glad you're having fun.
ReplyDeletefeel better Alana!!!!
ReplyDelete