A Stunning Day 4-7

The weather predicters said today would be sunny and warm today, so we decided to go on a field trip. We went to Mendocino and it is one of my favorite drives...from the oak covered hills, to the vineyards of the Anderson Valley, through the Redwoods and onto the coast.

The hills were emerald green and the oaks are just leafing out...we did see a baby pig trotting alongside the highway...an escapee or feral, we couldn't tell. The vineyards are just starting to show their leaves and their rows are clogged with grasses and wildflowers that workers are trying to get cut...what a big job. The redwood forest looked like the cypress swamps of the southeast...there was murky standing water everywhere...love those monstrous trees! Then when we popped out on the coast the ocean reflected the cloudless blue sky with its expansive turquoise and aqua blues.

We went to the headlands first and watched a fishing boat haul in its catch and two seals cruised back and forth hoping for a snack. When we first got there, there was a slight breeze, but as we strolled the streets of Mendocino we had to take off our light jackets, it was wonderfully warm. One of our first stops was at a small coffee house where we sat in the sun while I had a very artistic latte and we shared a Cowboy Cookie...yum.

We strolled in and out of all the shops...a few have moved, some have restored and opened the upstairs of their historical late 1870's buildings and then we had a wonderful lunch at an upstairs restaurant overlooking the coastline and the street.