July 18 Day 70 — The Beginning of the End

Mendocino Coast seen from Mendocino Botanical Gardens Shore Trail

July 18 Day 70 — The Beginning of the End

Final Friday — Mash-up of Do’s & Don’ts, FAQ’s, Multiple Choice, True & False, Pro-Tip, Tales, and Photos (Epilogue to be posted tomorrow.)

Do start your day in Fort Bragg at the Headlands Coffeehouse. Order their fresh fruit, vanilla yogurt, and chunky homemade gluten-free granola bowl. It will put happiness in your mouth on an otherwise gloomy day.

Don’t forget to fill your gas tank in Fort Bragg. Gas prices will noticeably increase between here and San Francisco.

Q: What is the best part of the Mendocino Botanical Gardens Shore and South Trails?

A: Everything! Their tagline, “47 acres of botanical bliss fronting the Pacific Ocean,” couldn’t be more apt. If you go in the summer, you will want to spend hours in the Dahlia Garden’s extravaganza of color. Regardless of the time of year, you will be enthralled by the rugged rocky shoreline on the windswept western edge of the property.

1. Of the sixteen lighthouses on the California Coast, which was the last one you visited?

a. Point Reyes Lighthouse, on a harsh and exceptionally foggy headland a couple hours north of San Francisco.

b. Point Cabrillo Lighthouse, erected in Mendocino to aid ships carrying lumber to rebuild towns and cities after the 1906 earthquake.

c. Point Arena Lighthouse, originally built in 1870 and reconstructed in 1908 after the 1906 earthquake.

d. Point Bonita Lighthouse, standing on the Marin Headlands not far from the Golden Gate Bridge.

2. Food establishments abound alongside continuously winding Route 1 in Mendocino, Sonoma, and Marin Counties.

False: A person could starve as they inch through scores of road work stops and over hundreds of switchbacks on this portion of the coastal road. At 1:30 p.m., we eventually spied the first eatery sign in almost two hours. I hopped out of the car, rushed inside, and asked the guy at the counter if I could have a burger in a lettuce wrap. Without looking at me and while wiggling a pencil between his thumb and forefinger, he said, “I don’t know. I s’pose.” For a few seconds, I stood dumbstruck. He continued to stare down at the counter and wiggle his pencil. In an even voice, I replied, “You suppose?” He rolled his eyes and gave me the side-eye. With a sullen surly tone, he said, “Yeah. Anything else?” I turned to Steven and asked what he wanted. Then it hit me. As hungry as I was, I didn’t want to give this guy any money. Looking back at him, I said, “You know what, I’m not that hungry,” turned on my heel, and walked out. I lied. I was beyond hungry. I was ravenous. I’m still glad I didn’t give that guy any money.

Pro-tip: When you are out of cell service range and are need directions to a trailhead that isn’t accessible on your car’s GPS, you can still get to the trailhead using the navigation function on the AllTrails app. This trick does require your having downloaded the trail map previously when you are in a place with cell coverage and/or internet (something you should always do). Use GPS to get to a town closest to where the trail is. Once there, open the navigation map of the trail on the app. You will appear as a blue dot on the navigation map. Pinch the map wider to find your blue dot, if needed. You can now track your route to the trailhead.

It took 70 days and over 15,000 miles, to find the restaurant I’d been seeking the entire trip. What was this perfect meal? Lunch on Day 70 at Fisherman’s Cove in Bodega Bay before we crossed the Golden Gate Bridge. We sat seaside on picnic benches and had fish that tasted like it had just come off the boats docked nearby. Our meals weren’t fancy. They were the opposite of fancy — served in red plastic baskets with paper liners. And yet it was the absolute perfect ending to the trip. I had two haddock tacos (should have ordered three!). What made the meal even more perfect? Knowing my decision to walk away from a greasy hamburger served by a surly waiter had been the right one.

Picture Caption:

What is your caption for the photo below taken on Bodega Bay Trail an hour and a half before reaching home?

View from Bodega Bay Trail

At 5:00 p.m., we joined rush hour traffic on the Golden Gate Bridge. I had dreamt of the bridge’s orange uprights glistening in the afternoon sun as we drove under them. I should have known better — this was July in San Francisco. Karl the Fog takes up residence at the Bay in the summer. He was on his daily roll over the bridge just when we got there. Even so, all tension I’d accumulated after driving 15,466 miles (yes, I drove them all) and walking 366 miles over this extraordinary country, slipped away when I crossed from Sausalito to The Presidio. I was home. We moved here during the pandemic and too late in our lives to form community in this city. Nonetheless, the energy and beauty of San Francisco are incomparable. I want to bottle it up to take with me to the Berkshires.

Tomorrow I’ll post an epilogue. It will only cover goings on and reflections for the past ten days. Insights from this trip, as with all my pilgrimages, will arise over time. And, as with every journey I’ve been on, I usually start planning my next soon after one ends. Where to next?

Prius Dashboard — Start of Day 1

Prius Dashboard — End of Day 70

“Annswers:”

1. c. — The Point Arena Lighthouse is one of the tallest of the 87 that stand sentry along the U.S. Pacific Coast. I wish we could have visited every one of them. On May 5, Day 1 of this trip, our first stop was Pigeon Point Lighthouse. Point Arena was the second to last stop on Day 70. Hmm…I’m thinking an ice cream & lighthouse pilgrimage may have to be next.