Thanksgiving On The Mendocino Coast

Wow - look at this.  Another post and it hasn't even been a week.  It must be a new trend!

Thanksgiving week we drove from Sebastopol to the Mendocino Coast to spend the holiday with my oldest daughter and her family which includes our first granddaughter - now 16 months old.

If you've never taken the drive up the coast to Mendocino - it's well worth the trip.  We usually go by way of Highway 101 to Cloverdale and then Highway 128 to the coast.  The drive from Santa Rosa is about 2 1/2 hours to Mendocino.  You can add an additional 45 minutes from the Golden Gate Bridge.  If you are really adventurous and have the time, you can take Highway 1. The road is windy but the coastal scenery is spectacular.  Also for the "outdoor" types - you can actually hike the California Coastal Trail from San Diego most of the way to and past Fort Bragg.

Breggo Winery just north of Boonville

There are numerous wineries on Highway 128 through the Anderson Valley.  Mendocino County wines are right up there in quality with Sonoma and Napa County wines.

128 meets Highway 1 at Navarro River

Mendocino - taken from the Mac House B&B

Most of the
coastal Northern California towns have their history in the lumber industry.  Each of the towns on Highway 1 either were logging or fishing villages.  Fort Bragg at one time had the second largest Redwood mill in the world.  Mendocino had a large mill many years ago but now the town is primarily an artist community.

I grew up in Fort Bragg which is 8 miles north of Mendocino and I don't remember ever seeing the mill but my mother worked in the office for the lumber company when she first moved out from Nebraska.

There's plenty to do and see on the Mendocino Coast.  Great places to stay, great restaurants with a variety of price ranges for every budget.  The link following link will bring up a pdf of a map with winery names and locations   http://www.mendowine.com/files/maps_directions.pdf.