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| In May we flew out to San Francisco for a trip up the Northern California coastline. It was a trip we had wanted to take for a while and timed it to hopefully coincide with the blooming of the Rhododendrons in the Redwoods. Hali had a few things she really wanted to shoot while we were there, but the big two were (1) Sea Anemones in tide pools and (2) Rhododendrons with Redwood trees and fog. We had some mixed luck with her wish list, so we'll just have to go back again! In particular, the fabled fog seemed to be elusive for us. Maybe we just didn't wake up early enough. But we are jumping ahead. We started the trip with a few days in Point Reyes. We visited the Point Reyes seashore and lighthouse and took some hikes along the cliffs. This is where we started to notice the vast amounts of land dedicated to ranches. Oh, and the commercial is right -- California cows really are happy cows. I'd be happy too if I could live with their beautiful coastal views all year round. Next we headed to Mendocino and spent 3 nights there and explored the coast in that area. After Mendocino we headed into the Redwoods and stayed 2 nights at the old Requa Inn in Klamath. Looking at pictures of the redwoods is nothing in comparison to actually standing there underneath those towering trees and just feeling dwarfed by their majesty. I really didn't think it would impress me as much as it did. We then headed back to San Francisco after 2 very nice nights in Eureka. We really didn't budget enough time for San Fransisco. We don't consider ourselves "city folks" but we both LOVED San Francisco! We finished up the trip with a few days in Monterey visiting with Mike's family and taking pictures of Sea Lions. All in all it was a great trip! We only had one day of rain, and the sights were wonderful. We also had some great accommodations, and fantastic meals. We hope you enjoy the pictures we put together here! Happy Trails, Mike & Hali A few shout outs to some excellent restaurants and accommodations: The Inn at Roundstone Farm. A beautiful room and fantastic homemade breakfast that had us filled up all day long. The Headlands Inn: A very elegant Inn right in the heart of the town of Mendocino with very accommodating hosts. The bed was piled high with an ultra soft mattress cover but Hali's back was really bothering her and when she said something they took it off and the bed was wonderfully firm. Breakfast was served in the room and delightful. The hostess and staff were really nice. The Requa Inn: A rustic, historic inn in the heart of the redwoods perfectly located for our excursions. The Carter House Inn: The staff was super accommodating we had a really nice room with a great breakfasts in their airy dining room in the historic section of Eureka. Very nice. The Inn at the Presidio: The Presidio itself is amazing. The history of the place, the grounds and the views are breathtaking, there are beautiful trails and the room was in one of the renovated Bachelor officer quarters and was superbly appointed. The only downside was that breakfast was a sparse buffet. The staff was very accommodating in helping us find our way around town and places for dinner. We ate a bunch of nice restaurants but our top picks are here: Albion River Inn restaurant in Albion. A limited menu for our tastes, but we had an excellent meal there with great service. The lawn outside hosts a great view, should you need to wait for a table. Cucina Verona in Fort Bragg. A super nice Italian restaurant with many wonderful choices. Pleasant staff and a nice ambiance. We'd love to go back again! Ristorante Buon Gusto. A real Italian restaurant on Grand Ave in South San Fransisco. |
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