Derek: From Calistoga we drove several hours north and west to the county and town of Mendocino, located right on the coast and among the redwood forests. After a few days of Calistoga breaking 30C it was nice to have cold evenings and cool mornings, with highs barely reaching 25C. The house we stayed in was right on the cliff edge overlooking several small rocky bays so the crashing waves were a constant lulling soundscape. With lines of pelicans, darting cormorants, and even fairly regular sea lions passing by it was easy to sit and bask.

Charis: And not just those! There were herds of deer, a goose family with 6 goslings and even a very friendly golden retriever from one of the nearby houses. It was very easy to zone out just listening to the waves and taking in the view, what a gorgeous place.

It also ended up being quite inspiring in the kitchen. Taking a few ideas from Nigel Slater’s Greenfeast and the fresh greenery from Aleta’s farm, I got to cooking up various dishes such as a peach and freekeh grain salad, fava bean and asparagus pilaf and a lemony turnip chowder. We also did a little exploring of the liquor shelf and whipped up some mezcal margaritas with which to enjoy the sunset.

Derek: Highway 1 runs along the California coast for 656 miles (1,056 km), from south of Los Angeles till just north of city of Fort Bragg, just a few miles from where we stayed. We’d driven along a few miles of it to reach Mendocino, and jumped back on it quickly to reach the Mendocino Coast Botanical Garden. It’s 47 acres has several kilometers of paths through dense trees and out to the coast. The large collection of rhododendrons were blooming, though we have few photos of them.

From the house we could walk out to the Russian Gulch State Park. As well as walking along the coast, several trails extend inland along a stream and surrounded by redwoods and ferns. At the end a lovely waterfall pours into a crystal clear pond. The aptly named Russian Gulch Fern Canyon and Waterfall Loop was a great and easy walk.

Derek: The town of Mendocino was fun to walk through, and that it was a three day weekend thanks to Memorial Day made it a bit extra lively. We visited a craft fair, escaping with just a loaf of tasty raisin and cinnamon sourdough, and dropped into the small Temple of Kwan Tai. The Goodlife Cafe has playful Koi painted on the sidewalk, and if we wanted to search for alien life I think these 19 foot (5.8 meter) purple giants would count.

Mendocino is also full of artists, there was almost literally an art gallery at every turn. Several particularly stood out to us. The Mendocino Art Center was hosting two exhibits, Kelp! as part of the North Coast Kelp Fest, and Try it and See: The Story Behind Mushroom Dyes. Both are linked to the upcoming Mendocino Film Festival, which sadly we’ll miss. But the International Mushroom Dye Institute will be posting their film online very soon!

Another craft carried to extraordinary heights is cabinetry and furniture making, thanks to the Krenov School who were having an end of semester exhibit in a local gallery. There were probably two dozen pieces done by students who had just completed a 9 month course being featured. Charis and I were both really impressed by most of them, and these three in particular would have come home with us… if not for prices matching their quality and style. I particularly was charmed by how the top appears to float on the end table, and we both liked how whimsy often appeared to be a driving design element.

Charis: Mendocino had loads of fun little cafes and restaurants, but our favourite was definitely the Fog Eater Cafe, a weeny veggie/vegan restaurant with a southern inspired menu and some fabulous snacks and drinks including boiled peanuts and homemade strawberry vermouth spritz. Quite eclectic, and a shame we only got there later on in the week! One dish that caught our attention so much we had to beg for an extra slice at happy hour the next day – corn and chocolate cheesecake! I know it sounds bizarre, but imagine the buttery naturally sweet corn made into both a biscuit for the base and into a frangipane for the top, sandwiching a fluffy chocolate filling? Ungh, to die for. We really tried to weasel the recipe out of the waitress but the most we got was that almonds were involved and the corn had been made into cookies at home point along the way (presumably for the base?). I’ve already done some research and think these choc chip corn cookies probably fit the vibe and will be trying them soon. Please let me know if you try them too!

Finally; part one in my crochet chronicles. Please ignore the PJ bottoms and the fact this picture was taken in a bathroom mirror but I completely forgot to get a picture of this finished bolero in normal clothes. This was a very simple pattern (chain, single crochet and double crochet only) in a cool recycled denim yarn which, whilst it was comfy and gave me impressive looking shoulders, ultimately was a bit bigger on me than ideal and with all that denim yarn, a bit heavy to keep in our wee carry on bags. It got stashed away in Calistoga and will make its way back with us next year!

And now onwards, and upwards (and in a little bit). Next stop Burney!