Fort Bragg / Mendocino Spring Trip

Beachcomber motel, Ft. Bragg CAIn March, Kate and I took off for a couple days stay at the Beachcomber Motel in Ft. Bragg.  The winter of 2015 has been the driest ever, but the forecast for “our” few days was rain, so we left our bikes and the dogs at home.  Other than driving rain when we arrived and checked in, the rest of the time was perfect.  Our room was on the ground floor facing the ocean and right on the trail that goes from Glass Beach, in town, to MacKerricher State Beach to the north.  Plus, this time of year the whales are migrating north and from our little patio we easily saw several of them.

Trestle Bridge, Ft. Bragg CaRight next to the motel is a Trestle Bridge that originally was for the private railroad used to transport lumber to ships.  The old rail bed is now the trail right outside our room.  So we hiked the trail and the headlands but it would have been perfect for bikes so next time we’ll bring them.  Also we would upgrade to the upper level which is easily  worth the extra ten bucks given the private deck and higher view.  We had great food at Taka, a Japanese Sushi place, and North Coast Brewing Co.  while in Ft. Bragg and some awesome clam chowder at Spud Point Crab Co. in Bodega Bay, near the marina.

Lots of old abandoned or run down buildings.  Some on priceless ocean property.  Ya gotta wonder what happened that someone just walked away from these places and let them go back to nature.  Even in Ft. Bragg, we walked by houses that were just left to ruin, even with evidence that someone was living inside and looked to be afflicted with  hoarder disorder.  Some of these places looked downright scary.  You just had to wonder who could live like that.  Anyway, here are some choice ones.  I wish I had captured even more.

We saw seals, coastal birds, whales, wildflowers, Cabrillo Point lighthouse, tidepools at McKerritcher, beautiful sandy beaches, tiny blue jelly fish, and a gorgeous coastline. Another great trip.

Celebrating our arrival
Kate had to get her pic under the Stewart Point name
Stopped raining long enough to have a glass of wine and walk the bridge
Ft. Bragg on the other side of the Trestle bridge
Monday morning was clear skies
California Condor?
Tiny jelly fish
Kate sneaking up to look down on seals
These taken with long telephoto
Beachcomber Motel in background
Is this an Oystercatcher bird?
Boardwalk at McKerritcher
Point Cabrillo Lighthouse
In Mendocino
McCallum house in Mendocino
Point Cabrillo Lighthouse from Mendocino
Contacts:
Posted by: Geoff on March 26, 2015
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10 Comments so far:

  1. Brother George Panek says:
    March 26, 2015 at 11:17 am

    Hello Kate & Geoff
    Looks & sounds like you had a really nice trip. Hope you didn’t have too much rain. Wonderful collection of really great photos. I can’t believe all of the old, run-down buildings. Neat wildlife & scenery in that area. Did you happen to meet any of the people living in the decrepit buildings? Thanks for sharing your fantastic weekend get away.

  2. Kate says:
    March 26, 2015 at 11:33 am

    Lets go back….now:-)
    The photos are all so beautiful and inviting.
    xoxo

  3. gary goldsmith says:
    March 26, 2015 at 12:19 pm

    Nice!

  4. Scott O. says:
    March 26, 2015 at 2:16 pm

    Pretty damned inviting. Hell, I could live in one of those places – feel right at home. All shots contest winners. Kate, how did u ever get g to spring for a hotel?! Smile.

  5. Carrie says:
    March 28, 2015 at 8:48 am

    How did you get the wildlife to pose for you? Love the pic’s as always you are an exceptional photographer!! Like the old buildings, the decaying vintages of time. No dogs this trip?
    Looking forward to your next adventure in photography!

    C

  6. Debbie King says:
    March 28, 2015 at 4:52 pm

    Awesome pics! I want to go and stay and see all that too! Were you just a bit too close to the seals, wondering?? A bit painful to know you were so close, and yet “so far”. Miss you two.

  7. M Harms says:
    March 29, 2015 at 12:37 pm

    The photos are fantastic. You had a great adventure in a very short time. Enjoyed reading
    brother George’s remarks. You do great photography.
    Love, Mom

  8. Lisa says:
    May 12, 2015 at 9:27 pm

    It’s MacKerricher and is pronounced Mack-CARE-i-ker, not McKerritcher. 🙂

    A lot of the old run-down abandoned homes were abandoned so long ago and are on state park property now; the state is allowing nature to reclaim some of them. In Caspar and especially down near Mendocino at the Point Cabrillo Light Station.

    I sure hope you come back to visit us again soon. Fort Bragg is changing dramatically and for the better in many instances 🙂

  9. Feather says:
    April 22, 2016 at 12:22 pm

    It’s MacKerricher (pronounced Mack-Care-Ick-Ker)

    The so-called abandoned places you think are abandoned, are in fact, being allowed by state parks to be reclaimed by nature as part of their restoration program to allow the land to reclaim what was taken from it. (the lumber in most cases) In the case of the railroad buildings; if you know someone who has the funding, please let the Skunk Train folks know….

    A lot of the places you were visiting have other names too. I won’t go down the list as it’s rather tedious.

    At any rate, glad you enjoyed your time here! 🙂

    MacKerricher State Park is amazingly long, extending from Ten Mile Beach in the north (and a ways beyond after Seaside and other privately held beaches) all the way into town to Glass Beach. The city now has Noyo Headlands Park, which is rather new and I am sorry you missed that! The Coastal Trail running alongside the city of Fort Bragg is quite impressive. It’s been well over 100 years since the public has been allowed onto that property 🙂

    Feather

    • Geoff says:
      April 22, 2016 at 3:11 pm

      Hey Feather, Sorry about that misspelling, I thought I had corrected it when the last person commented on it, last year. We just got back from the Beachcomber in Ft. Bragg a couple weekends ago. This time we took our bikes and got to do most all of that coastal trail that runs past the motel. I also filmed a bunch of the coast line with my drone. The recent post with video and photos is here http://www.puresync.com/mendocino-coastline-at-fort-bragg-ca/. We love it there and plan on visiting every year.
      Geoff