11-07-2010 A quiet day in Fort Bragg

It rained hard all night, pounding on the MoHo roof and making me really happy that I wasn’t in a tent!  Someone said that there are two kinds of slides, ones that leak and ones that will.  So far, there are no signs of any leaking anywhere in the MoHo, even in the hardest rains and wind.  I guess the Dynamax reputation for solid coaches is holding up for us.

I took my time cooking breakfast this morning while we watched the Sunday news shows.  Mo and I both love Fareed Zakaria, he brings such a different perspective to the world view. Then Mo balances all that out with a good hit of Fox News while I retreat into the computer.  Ha!  Guess you can tell who is ex-military and who used to be a tree hugger! The rain let up after breakfast and we took Abby for a walk around the park. 

On the way  we met a couple from Victoria, just out on the beginning of a five month journey through the western US.  Wayne and Lynn were very conversational, and we had a great time comparing notes on campgrounds, RV’s, and destinations.  It’s amazing how easy it is to talk with strangers in this RVing world, no such thing as a stranger, really.

I love my new kayak, but there were a couple of little problems with it when it finally arrived.  Somehow the bubble wrap used to protect it caused the paint to discolor on the side exposed to the sunlight and it has a small area of bubble wrap design along one side.  In addition, the rim around the cockpit has a small split that shouldn’t be there.  I called the company as soon as I unwrapped the boat and they called me back to make sure everything is taken care of properly.

 

Bill Swift is the owner of Swift Canoe and Kayak in Ontario, Canada, and I am so impressed with his customer service.  He is building a new boat for me and paying for the shipping to my home in Oregon.  My boat was a sale boat, with a few minor flaws, so he asked if I wanted to pay a bit more to get a new boat, or if I wanted to send this one back for repairs.  Either way he would pay the shipping, so I decided to opt for the new boat and the chance to pick my own colors.  In the mean time, he said I should use the boat I have now as much as I want to until the new one arrives some time next January.  Great customer service, great product, and great company!  I highly recommend them.

We spent the morning walking through the Mendocino Botanical Gardens, senior discount fee was 7.50 each, and well worth it.  The gardens have several areas, with more formal perennial gardens close to the entrance, and then about a half mile of wilder gardens that lead to a great ocean bluff overlook. 

At this time of year, the flowers weren’t that exciting, but the plants and foliage were lovely.  The trails were nice too, and we took our time enjoying them even more than the gardens.

 

After our walk, we drove to the main part of town, but it didn’t seem to have much to offer, not enough to actually get out of the car to explore.  Nothing caught my eye and Mo isn’t a shopper anyway.  I think we got our fill of browsing back in Ferndale, anyway.  At the northern edge of town is Elm Street, leading down to the hidden Glass Beach. 

Once the town dump, it is now covered with beautiful tiny smooth pieces of sea glass.  Somewhere we read that you aren’t supposed to pick up the glass, but once at the beach, it was filled with beachcombers looking for that perfect piece of glass and filling hands and pockets with the tiny treasures.  We took a few as well.  My favorite is the pale light turquoise pieces.  We didn’t find anything particularly fabulous, but had fun looking and enjoying the beach and the surf.

 

We traveled up the Noyo River to check out Liquid Fusion Kayak Company, only to find an open lot with some kayaks and a sign that said to call them if you wanted to rent one.  I had hoped for an actual shop with information, so we later stopped at the dive shop along the highway.  The young man there was really helpful and told us that Big River ten miles south at Mendocino was the best paddle around, with easy access and fewer people.  Big River is listed in the Sea Kayaking Northern California book I bought recently, so after looking it up and reading we decided that for sure this will be tomorrow’s destination.

 

It was just a napping kind of day, so instead of doing anything else we went back to camp, had a late lunch snack and I took a great nap, snuggled back in the comforters watching the trees outside the window as I fell asleep.  I love the chance that we have had on this trip to actually slow down and relax.  An afternoon nap is just about as decadent as I can imagine!   When I woke up a bit later, it was starting to darken and we took Abby for a walk around the nearly empty park before coming back home to make supper.  I’m really looking forward to getting out in the kayaks tomorrow, it should be a sunny day, and again the tides are with us perfectly.

 

We are staying at a park in Fort Bragg that had many reviews: Pomo RV Park and Campground. It seems it is the best place to stay around here, since most others are merely parking lots. Some of the reviews complained about the rules and policies, but we had no problem with anything. It is a cash only park, and doesn't honor anything but Good Sam ten percent discount, so at 40 bucks a night it's not a cheap place to stay. The sites are huge, however, and as private as a good state park. We wonder if maybe at one time it was a state park. I haven't seen a private RV park anywhere laid out with this kind of luxury of space.