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| Trip Planning | History of Point Arena | Tourism | Directions | San Francisco View | Photos |
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Trip Planning |
Virginia suggested we use her time share in southern Spain. I thought that was a great idea until we looked at the time share. It was in a big vacation type hotel with a pool in the center courtyard. The buildings were two or three stories tall and I figured maybe there would be a lot of children plus we were out of the way, miles from down town or places to visit. We would have to rent a car and try to drive miles away to see anything. I was not in the mood to go to a large resort with only a pool and not much to do if one doesn't want to sit by the pool all day. I would rather spend the time in Madrid or Barcelona. So Virginia called me up and told me she had made arrangements for using her timeshare. I hoped it was something I was interested in?
So we decided for our third state trip we would setup one of Virginia's time shares in Point Arena where we could check out the locals and of course, the wineries!
Virginia Chuck at Hearst Castle
Virginia Chuck at Filoli Estate
Virginia Chuck at Point Arena
Check out Travels we have made and hopefully some we will make in the Future.....
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Brief History of Point Arena |
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Point Arenas - Created in 1850
Point Arenas was one of the original counties of California, created in 1850 at the time of statehood. Due to an initially minor white American
population, it did not have a separate government until 1859 and was under the administration of Sonoma County prior to that. Some of the county's land was given to Sonoma County between 1850 and 1860.
The county derives its name from Cape Mendocino (most of which is actually located in adjacent Humboldt County), which was probably named in honor of either Antonio de Mendoza, Viceroy of New Spain, 1535–1542 (who sent the Juan Rodríguez Cabrillo Expedition to this coast in 1542), or Lorenzo Suárez de Mendoza, Viceroy from 1580 to 1583. Mendocino is the adjectival form of the family name of Mendoza.
Neither Spanish nor Mexican influence extended into Point Arenas beyond establishing two Mexican land grants in southern Point Arenas: Rancho Sanel in Hopland, in 1844 and Rancho Yokaya that forms the majority of the Ukiah Valley, in 1845.
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Tourism on the Coast |
The “south coast” offers many attractions for the outgoing adventurer. From wine tasting, fundraiser events, and the Arts, to all the natural beauty you can stand, Point Arena and Mendocino County has a lot to offer.
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Directions to the Point Arena |
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Lighthouse Point Resort Information |
Dear Guest,
We are contacting you before your arrival to inform
you about our late check in procedure, as well as events and information about the area/ Resort. PLEASE REPLY TO THIS EMAIL OR CONTACT US at 707 882-2440, to CONFIRM YOU HAVE READ & RECEIVED THIS EMAIL.
First things first, Directions: ***NOTE: Most GPS systems have our physical address incorrect; The GPS system will tell you we are located south of Point Arena when we are located a mile north of Point Arena. We are located at the beginning of Lighthouse road next to the Rollerville Café.
** If you are traveling from the South (San Francisco area), we recommend you take HWY 101 to Petaluma, once you arrive in Petaluma take Exit E Washington St., Turn left onto E Washington St, E Washington St. becomes Bodega Ave, Bodega Ave becomes Valley Ford Rd., Valley Ford Rd. becomes Highway 1 in Bodega Bay, Stay on HWY 1 North until you arrive to Point Arena, We are located a mile North of Point Arena at the beginning of Lighthouse Rd.
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View of San Francisco as we leave to drive north on US-101 to Mendocino County and Point Arena |
| Photos of Attractions in Mendocino County |
| NORTHERN CALIFORNIA SEA SHORES |
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| FLAT TIRE AND NO HELP! |
We had been driving about an hour and a half and suddenly there was a terrible rumbling, a yellow light came on and indicated we needed air in the right rear tire. I said what is going on and Virginia said I should have been looking at the dash board! A car now has 20 or 30 icons and we don't know what they indicate. I stopped the car by a driveway and saw the tire was flat as a rock! What to do? I went to the first house, it was falling apart, then went to the second house, no one there either. There wasn't a connection to the phone so we couldn't call Triple A. I then saw a man walking down a hill and yelled HELP! He came over and I said our phone wouldn't connect and our tire was flat. He smiled and said, "Not to worry, I will call Bob and he will be here shortley!" He said he knew the garage and went to a machine shed and made the call. Later he came down and checked on our situation and I thanked him again and again. He said we were at the exact line where AT&T and Horizon met and usually in that one spot, no access to a cell phone. So it ended up Rudy came to pick us up and drove us to Elk and the garage that had been there for over 100 years. We went for coffee at the Elk Cafe in Elk, next to the Elk Garage. We were happy campers needless to say! 
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| FORT ROSS |
Fort Ross was founded by the Russian-American Company in 1812. Most of the Fort's buildings are reproductions. The one original structure remaining from the Russian settlement, the commander's house, is a National Historic Landmark and on the National Register of Historic Places. The California Department of Parks and Recreation as well as many volunteers put extensive efforts into restoration and reconstruction work in the Fort. |
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| POINT ARENA LIGHT HOUSE |
Point Arena Light is a lighthouse in Mendocino County, California, United States, two miles (3 km) north of Point Arena, California. It is located approximately 130 miles (210 km) north of San Francisco in the Fort Point Group of lighthouses. The lighthouse features a small museum and giftshop. Guided tours of the light station as well as self-guided tours of the grounds are available daily.
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| DOWN TOWN POINT ARENA |
Point Arenas was one of the original counties of California, created in 1850 at the time of statehood. Due to an initially minor white American population, it did not have a separate government until 1859 and was under the administration of Sonoma County prior to that. Some of the county's land was given to Sonoma County between 1850 and 1860. The city itself is built around a small natural cove, used as a harbor, and is located about a 1.5 miles (2.4 km) south of the actual Arena Point, a narrow peninsula jutting around 0.3 miles (0.48 km) into the Pacific Ocean. This is the location of the Point Arena Lighthouse, at 115 feet (35 m) the tallest lighthouse on the West coast of the United States. The lighthouse is also the closest location on the mainland (excluding Alaska) to Honolulu, Hawaii at a distance of 2,353 miles (3,787 km).
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| POINT ARENA PIER |
The pier sits in the Point Arena cove. Point Arena itself juts out to the west (and is in fact the closest point in the continental United States to Hawaii). The old wooden pier, destroyed during the winter of 1982-'83, was replaced with a spiffy 322-foot-long steel and concrete deal with a boat launch and hoist. Offshore is some of the world's deepest waters in the Mendocino Trench; and the underwater Arena Canyon and Navarro Canyon begin directly out from the Point. The cove itself is 20-100 feet deep, sits southeast of the point and is protected somewhat from northwest winds and storms. The entire cove has a rocky bottom with no sand or gravel, a small stream runs into the ocean to the left of the pier, and there are reefs to both the south and north of the pier. I told Virginia I had met a man who used to fish but now raises succulents. That was a mistake, we went back and she spent a lot of money to buy the plants and I stood there looking grumpy! The man cracked up and said since I was being so nice, kind of, he would throw in a free plant just for me! So here Virginia is as we are leaving the time share, the entire back of the car is full of succulents!
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| BRYAN PRESERVE |
B Bryan Preserve has been actively committed to the breeding and preservation of African hoof Stock for over a decade. Now located in Point Arena, California, our animals range from critically endangered to endangered and include various species of zebra, giraffe, and antelope. Not a zoo, but a private preserve housing majestic African animals in large open fields. This is home to nearly 100 African antelope, zebra and giraffe. It was named #6 out of the top ten best U.S. African Safaris in the USA. There are large herds of Sable, Roan and Kudu antelope. There are three kinds of zebra, commom Plains and the threatened Hartman's Mountain Zebra and the Grevy's Zebra.
There are five male Rothchild's Giraffe, the numbers in the wild has dropped to less than 3,000.
The cat in the last photo was very friendly and we had a good laugh as we watched him sit and lie down, looking very cute. His paws were so large and we found out that there were six toes.
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| GARCIA RIVER CASINO |
After our safari with the animals we decided we needed a cocktail and also ordered garlic French Fries. Virginia decided to do some gambling as the screen was at our finger tips. I gave her a $5.00 bill and told her to stick it in the slot. She stuck it into a crack in the chrome surrounding the slot and it fell into limbo. So the bartender had to get maintenance to unscrew the top, then the side to get inside and retrevie the bill! So she put the bill in and won $14.00. Should she keep it, no. Put in a 25 cent gamble and lost, another one and lost and ended up with about $10.00 so we decided it was time to stop gambling and at least, win $5.00. Better than going broke!
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| KELLY HOUSE MUSEUM |
The Kelley House is a house museum in the heart of the historic district of Mendocino, California, a picturesque town of 1,000 people on the Northern California coast. The Kelley House Museum’s mission is to collect, preserve, protect and share the rich history of the Mendocino Coast. Founded in 1973, it serves its mission as a learning center that provides access to thousands of artifacts, photographs and documents. It houses the only museum-quality storage and research facility open to visitors on the Mendocino California Coast. Open: Fri-Mon, 11am-3pm Location: 45007 Albion Street Mendocino, CA 95460.
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| TOWN OF MENDOCINO |
Winding three and a half hours north of San Francisco, the road to Mendocino may be as magical as the destination itself. Frequently no wider than a country lane, it corkscrews through mountain passes, parallels patches of farmland and vineyards, traverses a cathedral of redwoods, and chases the Navarro River to the sea. And what an arrival it is: tabletop headlands carved below by massive sea caves and topped above with barns, lighthouses, and cliffside inns. Amid the dramatic landscape nestles the downtown, with Victorian homes in Easter-egg colors and Main Street lined with a bookstore, museum, toy shop, chocolatier, B&Bs, and eateries. The wildflowers and scrub of Mendocino Headlands State Park blanket the edges of town, where gentle trails lead to secluded beaches and benches for pausing to take in the show of spouting whales and surf-riding sea lions.
Once a logging and mill town, Mendocino has evolved into an arty enclave (with a median housing price of $700,000) that's home to 894 souls: bohemians and bakers, CEOs and sommeliers, four-generation families and farmers, innkeepers and iconoclasts. The residents will be the first to tell you it's the greatest place to live on Earth, steadfast in their belief that they have won the location lottery in life.
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| SKUNK TRAIN |
Departing from Willits and traveling to Northspur, your train will climb the Eastern slope of the Coastal Mountain Range and cut through it at Tunnel #2 (the Summit) before descending down into the redwood-thick Noyo River Canyon. This 4-hour, 40-mile roundtrip allows you to explore the wondrous forest where the world’s tallest trees take you back in time. Once you arrive at Northspur, the midpoint of the railroad, you will disembark for an opportunity to walk around and breathe the pristine mountain air. When we got to the end of the line at Northpoint, I aske why the Redwood Trees were so tall but not that big around as the ones in Muir Woods by San Francisco. I was told that the entire area had been clear cut and these trees were second growth, about 250 years old. There were possible five original old growth trees like in Muir Woods, 2,000 years old.
Years ago they were going to cut down the second growth trees and a woman who lived along the tracks put up a sign to Save the Redwoods. Then three more women became active and eventually the Redwood Coastal Commission and private monies bought the land along the railroad, saving the Redwoods for all to enjoy!
The railroad runs from Willits to Fort Bragg and eventually trains will be able to go the entire distance when the tunnels and tracks are safe to use, perhaps in a few years.
There is a small snack bar with beer, wine and freshly made popcorn. We decided to have a beer and popcorn and relax as we looked over the Northspur camp.
As we left Willits we were told the sign over the roadway was actually taken from Reno and originally had the Greatest Little Town in the West or words to that affect. I remember driving to Reno 40 years ago with that sign welcoming one to Reno. Now it is welcomes people to Willits!
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| LIGHTHOUSE POINT RESORT |
Virginia drove to my apartment around 11 a.m. and said, "You are driving to Point Arena!" She then said, "You are doing the cooking also!" I ended up driving, cooking, cleaning the kitchen up after meals and loading the car when needed! She brought steaks and other items so I was happy to be the Chef and Bottle Washer! I even made pancakes and sausages one morning plus I always got up and made a fresh pot of coffee for us to drink and take to the car for our hour long trips to visit points of interest. I figured I drove on those very dangerous road, at least over 500 miles. It is around 140 miles from the City to Point Arena. From Point Arena to Willits is about 70 miles, all with lots of curves.
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| YEE'S COCKTAIL |
Virginia made sure we had our quota of drinks, vodka, wine, rum, and mixers. She had a special recipe but she made adjustments to the ingrediants. She had a container of watermellon juice and a container of all things, strawberry lemonade. The actually recipe calls for watermellon chunks and strawberries put into a blender and Puréed.
- 6 cups of watermellon juice
- 4 cups of strawberry lemonade
- 1 bottle of rosa wind
- 2 cups of vodka
- 1 cup of rum
- Squeeze the juice of 3 oranges
- Squeeze the juice of 4 limes
- Take fresh mint and crush and put into the drink
- Put in the refrigerator for a day to mellow!
We put some of the cocktail in glasses and froze them. We would come home and take them out and top off with wine or vodka. This made a great cool drink after a hard day of driving and playing tourist!
And to top it off, there was a gas fireplace to sit in front of and for us to have a glass of wine while watching a movie, life is good!
| Created on: 2018.04.29 |
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Updated on: 2018.07.27 |