COASTAL GETAWAY

I arrived home on Monday (from my every other weekend trip into my dad’s) to Lou’s suggestion that we plan a quick road trip up the Northern California coast to visit a couple of lighthouses. Guess he was still in a lighthouse kind of mood after our trip to the Carolinas.

After some internet research & a few phone calls, we made a reservation at a bed & breakfast inn right on the water. We hit the road at 8 AM Tuesday morning for an overnight trip to Point Arena & Mendocino. How’s that for last minute planning?

Following several scenic photo ops & a picnic lunch break overlooking a bluff along the ocean we arrived at Point Arena Lighthouse in the early afternoon. Its claim to fame is being the tallest lighthouse on the Pacific Coast that you can climb.

The Point Arena Lighthouse perched high on a cliff above the Pacific Ocean.

The lighthouse has been restored & freshly painted.

The 145 steps were a piece of cake after climbing 458 lighthouse stairs in one day in North Carolina! We learned that lighthouses are generally not as tall in California so they can be seen beneath the fog.

Notice that you can see all the way down & notice my death grip on the railing!

No way was I leaning as far over to take the picture as Lou did.

We had spectacular weather both days to enjoy our amazing state. I’ve seen a lot of beautiful shoreline in many states & countries but I still haven’t seen any that can take your breath away like the rugged Northern California coast.

Volunteers work to keep only native plants around the lighthouse grounds.

The shoreline from the top of Point Arena Lighthouse.

The Wharf Master’s Inn is located on a hill high above Arena Cove in the small town of Point Arena. Our room had a fireplace, a two person Jacuzzi tub & a balcony overlooking the Pacific Ocean.  We managed to enjoy all of these features as well as a nice seafood dinner with a view of the cove at a restaurant on the wharf.

The road up the hill to the Wharf Master's Inn.

Fishing boats anchored in Arena Cove for the night.

The next morning we stopped for a short visit in the picturesque town of Mendocino before heading to Point Cabrillo Lighthouse. This lighthouse has the distinction of still using a Fresnel lens to magnify the light for good visibility to passing ships.

Point Cabrillo Lighthouse - with the light illuminated.

A close up of the Fresnel lens.

You certainly didn’t think I would pass up the opportunity to photograph flowers along the way, did you? Here are just a few of the many floral offerings that were everywhere.

The California Poppies were beautiful!

I'm not sure what these are but I've seen them before on the coast.

Some more pretty orange flowers - Jan informs me these are nasturtiums. Thanks!

After lunch in Fort Bragg we headed inland for the journey back to Sacramento along the north shore of Clear Lake. The little town of Lucerne, “The Switzerland of California” (according to the sign), had a really nice park where we stopped for an ice cream break & walked out on a pier.

Lou on the pier - up close Clear Lake is NOT clear.

The piers & reflections looked much better from a distance.