A Private, Romantic Escape on the Quiet Side of the Mendocino Peninsula

Mendocino Headlands State Park is located just steps from Mendocino Seaside Cottage

 

On the quiet northern side of the Mendocino peninsula, Mel Lockey leads me on a walk along the trails in Mendocino Headlands State Park, which is located just across the road from his inn. An expanse of blue sea blurs into the wisps of fog drifting toward the shore. Waves churn and crash into the rocky cliffs below the grass-lined foot path. We walk into a thicket of windswept cypress trees which, in turn, opens into a natural amphitheater encircled by the trees. They frame a dramatic view of the headlands and the vast ocean stretching beyond. Fading rose petals are strewn along the ground, vestiges of a recent wedding.

Mendocino Seaside Cottage

Mel and his wife, Lindalee, were married at this spot 35 years ago on Valentine’s Day. For 42 years, they celebrated the anniversary of their first date at the same restaurant every year. “My wife and I were true romantics,” said Mel.

Special Occasion Suite at Mendocino Seaside Cottage

They bought Mendocino Seaside Cottage in the 1980s and created a private, romantic escape for couples. The heart-shaped sign at the entrance to the inn provides a hint of the romance inside. Beneath a canopy of eucalyptus and cypress trees, guests are welcomed by a beautiful, sun-dappled garden. The inn is a contemporary Victorian in its design with bay windows overlooking the headlands and the ocean. Each of the five spacious suites have private entrances, private decks and balconies with sweeping ocean views, king-size beds, and gas fireplaces. All but one of the rooms have Jacuzzi tubs for two; the Penthouse Suite also has a steam shower with dual showerheads. In the Tropical Cottage, the Jacuzzi tub is set in front of a glowing gas fireplace. The only room without a Jacuzzi tub, Vista View, has possibly the best view of the headlands.

Tropical Cottage at Mendocino Seaside Cottage

There are spotting scopes in each of the rooms for whale watching and bird watching. Built-in entertainment centers offer televisions, stereos, and DVD players hidden behind the cabinets. Free wireless internet is also included.

Jacuzzi tub for two beside the fireplace in Tropical Cottage

Unlike the many B&Bs in Mendocino, the Mendocino Seaside Cottage does not serve breakfast (a choice in keeping with the owner’s desire to create a private hideaway) but village cafes and restaurants are a just short stroll away. Plus, all of the rooms are equipped with full kitchens or wet bars with microwaves and refrigerators, and cozy dining spots with ocean views. So there’s always the option of checking in and never leaving the room. The light-filled dining alcove of the Penthouse Suite, for example, is a place I could easily spend hours gazing out of the wrap-around bay windows with their panoramic views of the ocean and Point Cabrillo Lighthouse.

On our hike, Mel leads me along a trail atop a narrow strip of land jutting out into the ocean, where we can look back at the coves filled with swirling turquoise blue water. “It was our dream, working together,” says Mel.

Honeymoon Suite at Mendocino Seaside Cottage

But after 33 years of marriage and decades of owning the inn together, Mel lost his wife to illness. On what would have been their 43rd "first date" anniversary, Mel returned to the restaurant where they had celebrated all of their previous anniversaries alone. He ordered a martini for himself and a Manhattan for his wife. It was the drink she had always ordered. “I drank both,” he tells me.

He gazes out at the beauty of the Mendocino headlands and says, “I feel her here. I would have lived in a trailer park had it not been for her.”

View from one of the private decks

The special romance between Mel and his wife live on in the seaside escape they created together and continue to share with others.

Mendocino Seaside Cottage
10940 Lansing Street
Mendocino, CA 94560
707-485-0239 or 800-944-3278
www.romancebythesea.com

Delicious Vegan BBQ and Other Vegan Cooking Classes at Stanford Inn by the Sea

Stanford Inn by the Sea on the Mendocino Coast

 

I wasn’t entirely sure what to expect when I signed up for a vegan barbeque cooking class at the Stanford Inn by the Sea last spring. This venerable eco-resort on the Mendocino Coast offers a myriad of wellness programs in yoga, Tai Chi, Chinese medicine, meditation, art therapy, gardening, nutrition, and vegan cooking.

Certified-organic vegetable gardens at Stanford Inn by the Sea

I’m keen on learning plant-based preparations because I have a number of family members and friends who have different food allergies and have to adhere to various diets. Plus, “vegan barbeque” sounded like an oxymoron, so I had to check it out.

View from Stanford Inn by the Sea overlooking the ocean

The inn is nestled on a 10-acre hillside overlooking the Pacific Ocean. The driveway leads past a cascade of organic vegetable gardens, flower gardens, and orchards—all of which are farmed using sustainable, bio-intensive methods. The inn’s gardens and greenhouses provide the signature ingredients for the inn’s critically-acclaimed vegan restaurant—Raven’s Restaurant—and for the vegan cooking classes held nearly every week of the year.

Thin swaths of coastal fog drifted toward the tree tops as I followed the drive up to the inn. The inn itself is a handsome collection of wood buildings perched on the hillside. Painted dark brown with bright red trim, the buildings contrast beautifully with the verdant gardens and the trees. Inside the main lodge, the cooking classes are taught in the dining room of Raven’s Restaurant, which offers walls of windows with gorgeous views. Jeff Stanford, who has owned the inn with his wife Joan since 1980, greeted me and introduced me to the class instructor, Sid Garza-Hillman.

Sid Garza-Hillman, Programs Director at the Mendocino Center for Living Well, preparing barbeque sauce

Any trepidation I may have felt about taking my first vegan cooking class completely flew out the window upon meeting Sid. He’s a tall, bald, skinny guy with a cartoonish grin and a disarming sense of humor. Originally from Los Angeles, he had spent his first decade out of college as an actor and musician, fronting an alt-country band called The Sid Hillman Quartet. He’s now a certified nutritionist, health coach, and the Programs Director at the Stanford Inn’s Mendocino Center for Living Well.

Removing the gills from the portobello mushrooms

Over a dozen students had gathered for the class. Some were locals who had taken several of the inn’s cooking classes in the past. Others were guests of the inn who had traveled to Mendocino with their families. Some were vegan, some were not. Most were taking the class to learn preparations that would aid them in preparing foods for their own diets or a family member’s diet.

Basting the portobello  mushrooms with barbeque sauce

With an apparent fondness for an audience and a comic’s touch, Sid opened the class by demonstrating knife skills and how not to cut your fingers off. He chatted about his philosophy favoring whole foods over processed foods. Instead of barbequed tofu, for example, we’d making barbequed portobello mushrooms. (An aside: Raven's Restaurant serves a barbequed "pulled mushroom" that patrons believe is actually pork.) In addition to being vegan, all of the dishes we were making that day—the portobellos, baked beans, creamy tahini cabbage slaw and jalapeño cornbread—were also gluten-free.

Sid demonstrating knife skills with the cabbage

We jumped right in with chopping and sautéing onions for the barbeque sauce. Then we added tomato paste and the spices that would give the sauce depth and a bit of kick. For the balance between tangy, sweet, and salty, we added apple cider vinegar, Worcestershire sauce, orange juice, maple syrup, molasses, tamari, and salt.

Mixing tahini into the cabbage and carrots for the slaw

While the sauce simmered, Sid showed us how to remove the dark gills from the underside of the portobelllo mushrooms by scraping them out with spoons. While there’s nothing wrong with eating the gills, some people find the mushy texture unappealing. Plus, the dark color of the gills can leach into whatever dish you are preparing. Once the barbeque sauce had cooked down, Sid gave it a whirl in a high-speed blender. We then basted the mushrooms with the sauce and popped them into the oven.

The same barbeque sauce was used as a key ingredient for the baked beans. The recipe called for pinto beans, the barbeque sauce, and a little more maple syrup, molasses, tomato juice, apple cider vinegar, smoked paprika, and black pepper. I was thrilled with the results. The beans had a great smoky/slightly sweet/slightly tangy taste that reminded me of my mother’s baked beans.

Preparing gluten-free, vegan jalapeño cornbread

For the slaw, we combined both red and green shaved cabbage, julienned carrots, and tahini. From there, Sid encouraged us to add several other ingredients to our own taste: paprika, marjoram, Ume plum vinegar, and lemon juice. He also suggested thinning it out, if needed, with water. The creaminess from the tahini combined with the other ingredients made for tasty side dish with fresh, crunchy vegetables.

Preparing the vegan (and gluten-free) jalapeño cornbread provided insight on using egg substitutes. Sid’s recipe for egg replacements calls for combining 1 tablespoon of flaxseed with 3 tablespoons of water and whisking to a gel. While most of the other ingredients for the cornbread were standard, a few others surprised me; notably a small amount of apple sauce and apple cider vinegar. When we sampled the cornbread out of the oven, I was impressed. It had a moister texture than I had expected, wasn’t too crumbly, and the scallions and jalapeños balanced the cornbread’s slightly sweet flavor. Sid proclaimed our cornbread to be better than the cornbread the restaurant was serving that night.

When the barbeque-slathered portbello mushrooms came out of the oven, Sid gleefully instructed the class to “cut them on the bias like a steak.” The vegans in the class just blinked a few times. With an exasperated laugh, he proceeded to demonstrate how to slice the mushrooms diagonally into strips. We finished cutting our barbeque portobello “steaks,” served up the baked beans, slaw, and cornbread, and then sat down to enjoy our vegan barbeque just as the sun broke through the fog.

Deck outside of Raven's Restaurant

Stanford Inn-by-the-Sea’s next barbeque cooking class will be held on Saturday, June 4, 2016. Other upcoming group cooking classes include burgers and picnic sides, heirlooms from the garden, gluten-free baking, and vegan cooking intensives. For a full calendar of classes, visit http://livingwellmendocino.com/calendar/. Group classes are $45 per person.

In addition to the group classes, private cooking classes are also available. Topics include creamy vegan soups and cheeses, vegan baking and deserts, vegan sauces, dips and dressings, and more. The private classes are available daily beginning at 1 p.m., but must be reserved in advance. Private classes are $85 per person, $115 per couple, or $65 person for groups of three to six people.

Stanford Inn by the Sea
Highway 1 & Comptche-Ukiah Road
Mendocino, CA 95460
707-937-5615 or 800-331-8884
www.stanfordinn.com

Tranquility and Stunning Oceanfront Views at Elk Cove Inn & Spa

The gazebo at Elk Cove Inn & Spa overlooking Greenwood State Beach

 

The setting sun created silhouettes of the rock outcroppings just offshore as I walked along Greenwood State Beach. Waves crashed into the rocks with bursts of white spray, but softened into ribbons of sea foam as it reached the sand. Driftwood was strewn across the beach, piled here and there into makeshift shelters. And save for a thousand or so Velella Velella that had washed up onto the shore, I had the beach all to myself.

Greenwood State Beach

The solitude and tranquility of this lovely beach, however, belies its past. The beach is located in the tiny hamlet of Elk (population of 200), about 150 miles north of San Francisco and 15 miles south of Mendocino Village. And like so many places along the Mendocino Coast, it was once abuzz as a thriving lumber town to fuel San Francisco’s construction boom in the late 1800s.

Greenwood State Beach

The L.E. White Lumber Company established its lumber mill here in 1883. The company dammed Greenwood Creek to construct mill ponds that spanned the beach and built an unusual wharf that stretched along the rock outcroppings into the ocean. Redwood timber from the hills that rise above the town was milled on-site and then loaded onto schooners bound for San Francisco.

By 1890, mill production had reached 100,000 board feet a day. Elk’s population swelled to over 1,000 people sustained by 14 saloons, four dance halls, a barber, butcher shop, creamery, and a number of brothels. The mill remained in operation until 1930.

Remnants from the mill and wharf were dismantled long ago, and few vestiges of the town’s lumber heyday remain. But one notable exception is the small Victorian home built by the lumber company to house visiting buyers in 1883. Nestled among native cypress trees on a bluff above the beach, the Victorian still overlooks the lovely cove and former mill site. In 1968, the home became one of Mendocino’s first bed and breakfast inns: Elk Cove Inn & Spa.

Elk Cove Inn & Spa

A petite Southern spirit, Elaine Bryant bought the Elk Cove Inn from the original owner in 1994. In the years since, she has been welcoming guests to the inn with her charming hospitality, inviting rooms, and extraordinary breakfasts. She pampers guests with a long list of extras starting with welcome baskets filled with chocolate chip cookies, fruit, and wine from the nearby Andersen Valley.

From 4 to 6 p.m., the inn serves up its “Happy Two Hours” in the oceanfront dining room with a complimentary assortment of liquors and mixers for crafting your own cocktails. The happy hour event also includes complimentary wine, cheese, and crackers. On busy nights, it can become such a lively, crowded affair that one of the innkeepers told me she sometimes has to go out one door and in through another just to reach the stairs.

Elk Cove Inn's Oceanfront Junior Suites and gazebo

In the morning, guests are treated to a sumptuous breakfast feast that includes champagne for make-your-own mimosas and a seemingly endless array of egg entrees, breakfast sides, fresh fruit, and pastries. The buffet also showcases several of Elaine’s signature Southern dishes: to-die-for biscuits and gravy that conjured memories of my mother’s cooking, a delicious bread pudding with a whiskey black walnut sauce, and a surprisingly light “morning pie,” which Elaine likens to a “guiltless cheesecake.” Breakfast at the inn is only rivaled by the view of the ocean and the rock outcroppings below.

L.E. White Suite

After a long drive up the coast, I started my stay at the inn with a massage at the inn’s day spa. The spa is a private, meditative space housed inside the historic mansion and warmed by the glow of a fireplace. The room is furnished with antiques, two massage tables, and a beautifully wallpapered ceiling with an intricate, replica of a design from the early 1900s. The warm oils and expert hands of the massage therapist left me completely relaxed. Guests have the option of adding an aromatherapy shower and sauna to any spa treatment.

L.E. White Suite

In addition to the day spa and the oceanfront dining room, the Victorian mansion houses six guest rooms with ocean or garden views, all beautifully appointed and all with gas or electric fireplaces. Clinging to the side of a cliff, four cozy, oceanfront cottages have a more rustic appeal with commanding ocean views. Two of the cottages have wood burning stoves while the other two have gas or electric fireplaces.

The former carriage house for the mansion houses the inn’s two newest rooms: the oceanfront Wave Watcher and the Hideaway. The Wave Watcher features a spacious, uber modern bath, a hefty wood-burning fireplace built from brick, and great views. The Hideaway offers accessibility features and cozy charm. Both carriage house rooms and two of the cliff-side cottages are pet-friendly.

A contemporary building next door to the carriage house houses four luxury oceanfront suites. I stayed in the L.E. White Suite, which is fit for a lumber baron. The spacious suite features vaulted ceilings with exposed redwood beams, handsome Art and Crafts furnishings, a jetted spa tub with a separate shower, an electric fireplace, and a bank of windows overlooking the ocean which open onto a private balcony. I poured myself a glass of wine walked out onto the balcony to take in the view.

Greenwood State Beach from the bluff trail

A private trail winds its way down to the beach below, where several birds were flitting around the mouth of the creek. As the sun began to drop lower in the sky, I made my way down the trail to explore the beach and marvel at the quiet amid what at once had been a buzzing lumber operation.

Another trail leads up from the beach along the bluff to the California State Parks Greenwood/Elk Visitor Center and the center of town. The visitor center and their knowledgeable staff provide a glimpse of life in this lumber town over a century ago. A large mural depicting the mill and the wharf spans one entire wall. The visitor center’s rooms are filled with photographs of the early settlers and relics from their lives.

Elk Store

Across the street, the Elk Artist’s Collective is a two-story gallery featuring the work of local artists. Just down from the gallery, the Elk Store is a charming road side general store that’s been serving the community of Elk since 1927. They sell an assortment of locally-made soaps, jams, retro kitchen towels, and other gifts. Their deli features an impressive selection of charcuterie, cheeses, and salads. They also make great paninis and wraps. I ordered a roasted turkey panini with smoked gouda and pesto aioli and brought it back to my room for a quiet dinner curled up in the chair by the fire.

Complimentary port with a view

Afterwards, I poured myself a bit of complimentary port from the in-room decanter and stepped back out onto the balcony to gaze at the blaze of stars above. Later, I would slip between the luxurious sheets and fall asleep listening to the sound of the surf.


Elk Cove Inn & Spa
6300 S. Highway One
Elk, CA 95432
707-877-3321 or 800-275-2967
www.elkcoveinn.com

A Comfortable, Victorian-Era Saltbox in the Heart of Mendocino Village

The Bessie Strauss Suite at the Headlands Inn Bed & Breakfast in Mendocino Village

 

The Headlands Inn Bed & Breakfast stands at the heart of Mendocino Village, within a stone’s throw of the town’s esteemed galleries, shops, and restaurants. Built in 1868, the New England-style saltbox is among the oldest buildings in the village.

Headlands Inn Bed & Breakfast

The house was originally built as a barbershop on Main Street. The second and third stories were added in 1873 to provide living quarters for the barber and his family. The building later became a restaurant, and the owner at the time used the upstairs as an annex to his hotel.

In 1893, a businessman purchased the house and moved it to its present location on the corner of Howard and Albion Streets. Horses pulled the house over a series of logs, which were used as rollers.

John and Bessie Strauss owned and lived in the house for the longest stretch of time: 55 years beginning in 1924. In 1979, the house was transformed into a bed and breakfast inn.

When current owner and innkeeper Denise McNicol was looking to embark on a new life in 2003, she had initially assumed bed and breakfast inns were only handed down through families. “I didn’t think people sold B&Bs,” said Denise. “I thought they were inherited from grandmothers.”

But former co-owner of an auto body shop in Sacramento had a hunch she might enjoy the work of an innkeeper. After a bit of research, Denise learned not only that there were B&Bs for sale, but that she could find one in a beautiful part of the state.

The front yard garden at the Headlands Inn

She looked at 14 different inns in a month’s time before she found the Headlands Inn in Mendocino. By 2003, it had already been an inn for decades and was very much showing its age. “It needed a new roof, new paint, new everything,” says Denise. “It was a fixer-upper, but buying it meant moving to Mendocino.”

She laughs to herself. “Now I don’t know where to go on vacation anymore.”

Bessie Strauss Suite at the Headlands Inn

She and her fiancé Mitch closed escrow in February of 2003. They were married a week later, on Valentine’s Day, in the front yard of their new inn. She said they then “jumped in with all four feet” to set about making the inn their own.

George Switzer Room

Touring the inn with Denise, it’s easy to see she’s found her calling. The rooms look like pages borrowed from a Victorian home magazine: lofty feather beds piled high with pillows, beautiful antique armoires, lace curtains, wood-burning fireplaces, and fresh flowers in every room. It’s a style that Denise describes as “not over-the-top Victorian,” but is nevertheless in keeping with the era of the house. Her choices emphasize comfort and simplicity with a keen eye for layering color, patterns, and textures.

On the second floor, the spacious Bessie Strauss Suite elegantly blends florals and stripes in rich hues of burgundy and gold. The suite features a large bay window with handsome woodwork and ocean views, a lace-draped table with two antique chairs looking out over the sea, and a sitting area with a deep-cushioned couch near the fireplace.

John Barry Room

On the top floor, the George Switzer Room features two cozy reading benches built into the dormer windows on either side of the bed. The sunny room is decorated in pale yellow and cream with brighter colored accents and a beautiful quilt draped over the bed. There’s also an antique writing desk and a fireplace in opposite corners of the room.

When I ask Denise if she has a background in interior design, she quickly demurs.

Mitch and Denise

Her husband Mitch enters the room to tell Denise that guests downstairs have a question. She scurries off, and Mitch picks up where she left off. I ask him if he’s responsible for the design of the rooms and he laughs. “Oh no, this is all her,” he says, beaming with pride, “I’m just her laborer.”

The inn houses seven guest rooms in total, all named for previous owners. Each morning, breakfast is served on antique English china and delivered to the privacy of the guests’ rooms with fresh flowers and a copy of the morning’s newspaper. The menu varies each day, but consists of a choice of coffee or tea, juices, home-baked pastries, fresh fruit, and a hot entrée. Guest favorites include a Southwestern soufflé, a savory artichoke frittata, and Denise’s signature peach-stuffed French toast. Vegetarian, vegan, and special diet breakfasts are available upon request.

Outside, Mitch leads me through the gardens where he and Denise were married 12 years ago. The gardens are a profusion of blooms with Adirondack chairs nestled here and there. Glass hummingbird feeders hang from the trees. The yard is lined by a white picket fence. It’s a lovely spot to exchange vows. Along the side of the house, Mitch shows me a vegetable garden he built off the kitchen for his wife’s herbs and vegetables, which is whimsically bordered with antique brass bed frames.

Gardens at the Headlands Inn

Mitch leads me back through the kitchen, where Denise rejoins us. We chat for a while longer, and I notice a sign near the kitchen that reads, “Enter as strangers, leave as friends.” She smiles and tells me the sign sums up their experience as innkeepers for the Headlands Inn.
“We’ve been making friends for over 12 years now,” says Denise.

Headlands Inn Bed & Breakfast
10453 Howard Street
Mendocino, CA 95460
707-937-4431 or 800-354-4431
www.headlandsinn.com

Natural Beauty Blends with Vestiges from Past at an Isolated Ranch on the Mendocino Coast

Built in 1871, the farmhouse at Howard Creek Ranch sits on 60 acres along a remote stretch of the Mendocino coast.

 

Sally Grigg first arrived at Howard Creek Ranch in the summer of 1973. The 60-acre ranch, which is nestled on a remote stretch of Mendocino coastline north of Westport, had originally been settled by pioneers in 1867. But hundred years later, the farm had evolved into a haven for hippies wanting to live off the land.

Sunny and Sally Grigg in 1975

Sally had previously spent six months backpacking through South America and then returned stateside to San Francisco in early 1973 to be with a friend who was having a baby. But after months exploring Amazon jungles and the Andean wilderness, being back in the city was too much of a shock. Sally had grown up on a dairy farm in upstate New York and yearned to return to her roots, but not to the snow that would remain on the ground there through May. A farm in a better climate seemed like the answer.

After her friend’s baby was born, Sally made a list of everyone she knew in rural California. At the top of her list was a friend who was living on a commune on the Mendocino coast. Being young and foolish, she hitchhiked her way from San Francisco to the northern-most stretch of coastal Highway One with her Great Dane. “I did not know exactly where I was going, but I had directions of sorts,” said Sally. “What an incredible ride. The scenery was spectacular. I arrived late in the afternoon on July 21, 1973. The farm overlooked the ocean and was covered with blackberries and tall grasses. There was an old farmhouse, an enormous barn falling in on itself, and many small cabins and tepees. All were occupied.”

The beach, located a short walk from Howard Creek Ranch

Sally’s friend was nowhere to be found. But she did meet a young man named Sunny. Within five minutes of first meeting, she mistook a remark he made as sexist, and the two of them erupted into a heated argument. But shortly afterwards, Sally would fall head-over-heels in love. Later, down on the beach, Sunny brought his guitar and played for hours sitting on a piece of driftwood. “I was awestruck over both him and the scenery,” recalled Sally.

For the rest of the summer, Sally and Sunny were inseparable. “We hiked up into the mountains, investigating everything. We walked up the creek, sunning ourselves on sand spits, sitting on rocks in the wilderness, finally making it all the way to the headwaters of Howard Creek. It was an idyllic time. No responsibilities and no worries, just young love in the summer time, just us in the wilderness,” said Sally.

Grazing sheep at Howard Creek Ranch

At the end of that summer, Sally returned to San Francisco, where she had work waiting. Sunny promised to follow her down a few weeks later. After two weeks and no word from him, she decided that he was a flake, and that she was well to be rid of him. But in the third week, Sunny arrived in San Francisco to convince Sally to come back to the ranch with him. She immediately gave notice, packed up her belongings, and went with him.

Sally's flower garden at Howard Creek Ranch

The Walden Room at Howard Creek Ranch

They returned to find the commune was falling apart. There had been no underlying philosophy or goal. The core group had decided to go back to school and get on with their lives. But Sunny and Sally wanted to stay and make their life on the ranch. They bought the first twenty acres with all of the old buildings in 1974. Sally got a job while Sunny worked on the place. They let anyone from the commune stay for $25 a month. But when friends of the renters started to come and stay, Sunny and Sally looked at each other one day with the same thought: they could open a bed and breakfast and charge people who were now coming for free. They worked to get the property re-zoned and opened their bed and breakfast in 1978.

The bath for the Walden Room

When I visited Howard Creek Ranch last summer, I saw it in much the same light Sally must have seen it for the first time, 42 years ago. It’s remote and rugged, overlooking a beautiful stretch of coastline. Following the gravel drive from Highway One down to the farm, I encountered and a couple of chickens and a herd of sheep blocking the drive as they meandered across, munching on the tall grasses lining either side. Eucalyptus trees rustled in the breeze close to the ocean, while redwoods climbed the steep hills rising above the ranch. Winding my way down into a little valley, the historic farmhouse and barn came into view.

Sally greeted me on the farmhouse’s wide, wrap-around veranda wearing her long, formerly-blonde hair pulled back in bun. As she graciously toured me around, I was struck by how time seems to have stood still. It’s as if Sunny and Sally shipwrecked on a deserted beach with a boat load of antiques and built their life here from the ground up.

Solar Room at Howard Creek Ranch

The main house was built 1871 of virgin redwood timbers that were logged from the property. Sally showed me the vintage wood stove she uses to cook breakfast each morning and the big, wooden communal table that has undoubtedly served generations of guests. A stuffed moose head hangs above piano in the dining room framed on either side by a Victrola and an antique radio. Fringed Victorian shade lamps and Tiffany-style glass lamps illuminate the rooms, which are brimming with an eclectic assortment of antiques and handmade quilts.

The beach lies just beyond the bridge for Highway One

The two guest rooms in main house are located on the upper floor. Both have private baths and private balconies on the upper level veranda. The Sun Room has skylights and a balcony overlooking Sally’s beautiful flower gardens. Lucy’s Room has a window pane where, over 100 years ago, the original owner’s daughter etched her name in the wave of the glass with her diamond engagement ring to test its authenticity.

Howard Creek flows between the farmhouse and the carriage barn, but the two are connected by a 75-foot swinging bridge. The enormous barn has the ramshackle look of a half-finished project, and in some ways it is, but step inside the myriad of guest rooms housed within, and you’ll discover the imaginative flair and extraordinary craftsmanship of Sally’s husband Sunny.

Sunny was busy cutting wood with a table saw just outside the barn as Sally and I crossed the bridge. He has been continually building and renovating the 60-acre ranch for over 40 years. The easy smile and twinkle in his eyes suggested that he’d likely be at this for another 40 years.

The labyrinth of rooms inside the barn feature inlaid redwood and Douglas fir floors, intricate tile work, handcrafted redwood trim and wall paneling, handcrafted bed frames, and whimsical panels of stained glass to complement the walls of windows and large skylights. The rooms are eclectically furnished with handmade quilts, vintage lamps, antique armoires, and other curiosities. Some of the rooms also have wood burning stoves and kitchenettes with microwaves, refrigerators, and coffeepots. From the barn, the beach is just a short walk across a grassy meadow and beneath the bridge for Highway One.

Sea View Cabin

Scattered elsewhere on the property are a handful of rustic cabins with a bohemian vibe, most of which have private hot tubs. My favorite was the Sea View cabin, which is a small, secluded cabin nestled in the forest high above the ranch, overlooking the ocean. The handcrafted redwood interior has a king size bed with French doors that open onto a large deck. The cabin also features an outdoor kitchen, a private hot tub, and a hammock strung beneath the trees—all with ocean views. It’s a chance to play Robinson Crusoe and spend time in a beautiful place, isolated from the rest of the world.

Howard Creek Ranch
40501 North Highway One
PO. Box 121
Westport, CA 95488
707-964-6725
www.howardcreekranch.com

Exploring the Newest Addition to the California Coastal National Monument from an Historic Inn

View of Arena Cove from the balcony of the original wharf master's home.

Point Arena-Stornetta Public Lands

 

I was a little skeptical when the innkeeper told me about the trail leading behind the Wharf Master’s Inn to the new Point Arena-Stornetta unit of the California Coastal National Monument. The photos I had seen of Point Arena-Stornetta showed wide-open swaths of coastal prairie edged by steep, rocky cliffs that plummeted into crashing waves below. We were standing on the inn’s sundeck, overlooking the wharf and the placid waters of Arena Cove. “Just back there?” I asked, pointing to a dense cluster of cypress trees on the hillside behind the inn.

The sundeck at the Wharf Master's Inn

“Yes, just up past the trees. You can walk all the way to the lighthouse,” said Deborah Housen, referring to the 115-foot Point Arena Lighthouse, which is the tallest on the West Coast.

“How far is it to the lighthouse?” I asked.

“A little less than five miles.”

Guest room at the Wharf Master's Inn

Guest room at the Wharf Master's Inn

Most visitors to the Wharf Master’s Inn and this sleepy enclave on the Mendocino Coast would be content soaking up the views of Arena Cove and its working wharf. From the inn’s high perch on a bluff above the sea, you can lounge on the sundeck or one of the guest room balconies and watch the ebb and flow of the waves. Most afternoons, you’ll find fishermen selling their morning catches in the wharf parking lot below. When the waves are good, you might see a few local surfers paddle out. A trio of cafes near the wharf attract a small crowd at different points throughout the day. Cove Coffee & Tackle is a locals’ hangout serving breakfast and lunch. Pizzas & Cream is the place to go for ice cream. The Pier Chowder House & Tap Room serves 31 beers on tap along with a collection of local Anderson Valley wines.

Despite their proximity to Highway One, historic Arena Cove and the Wharf Master’s Inn are far from the beaten tourist track. About 130 miles north of San Francisco, many travelers passing through Point Arena (population 473) are on their way to somewhere else. Most would never notice the turn-off for the mile-long road leading down a canyon to the wharf, but it’s a turn worth taking.

The inn itself is centered around the historic home of the town’s original wharf master. Built in 1865, the ornate Victorian is the oldest home in Point Arena and houses two of the inn’s suites: the East Lake suite and the Wharf Master’s House. The other guest rooms and suites are located in one of four buildings surrounding the historic home, many with the same stunning views. Nearly all of the rooms feature gas fireplaces, Jacuzzi tubs, and four-poster beds with cozy featherbeds and white matelassé coverlets.

Courtyard fountain

A garden courtyard with trickling fountains and wood sculptures backs up to the cypress-cloaked hillside. And just beyond the top of the hill lies the California Coastal National Monument’s latest addition: the Point Arena-Stornetta Public Lands.

Point Arena-Stornetta made national headlines in March 2014 when President Obama designated the 1,665 acre coastal tract the first land-based portion of the California Coastal National Monument. The national monument protects some 20,000 rocks, reefs, and islands along the 1,100 mile California coastline. The president’s designation expands the monument to include Point Arena-Stornetta’s dramatic shores, tide pools, coastal prairies, and Garcia River estuary. This protected stretch of coastline is home to a variety of shorebirds and animals, as well as the endangered Behren's silverspot butterfly. Through the winter months, you can catch sight of whales migrating just off shore.

From the inn’s courtyard, I climbed up past the trees and quickly found the main trail leading from Point Arena City Hall. I headed west along the grassy cliffs that had been a privately-owned ranch just a few years prior. I was treated to an incredible view looking back at the wharf and Arena Cove. A little further along, I found enchanting sea arches and hidden coves, rocky shelves jutting up from the sea at surprising angles, and frothy waves crashing and cascading over the rocks. Off in the distance, the gleaming white tower of the Point Arena Lighthouse rose above water and the cliffs.

Point Arena Lighthouse

You could easily drive to the lighthouse from the inn. But walking the rugged bluffs along this newest stretch of the California Coastal National Monument is far more awe-inspiring.

Wharf Master’s Inn
785 Port Rd
Point Arena, CA 95468
707-882-3171 or 800-932-4031
www.wharfmasters.com

The second and seventh photos courtesy of the BLM. Fifth photo courtesy of the Wharf Master's Inn.  All others by Ranee Ruble-Dotts for CABBI.