March 10, 2015
I woke the first morning of my visit along the Northern California coast at a friend’s house in the village of Elk. I was alone, the kitchen toasty warm from the fire Jane had made for me before leaving for a day with her new grandchild. After a slow start, recovering from the previous day’s long drive from the Sierra Foothills, several ideas fell by the wayside and I decided to visit the botanical garden and the lighthouse, both about a 45 minute drive north, between Fort Bragg and Mendocino.
While the Mendocino Coast Botanical Garden didn’t look particularly exciting from the road on this foggy day, it had been highly recommended. I parked in the well-planted lot in front and things started to look up as soon as I entered the shop and ticket office. A well-spoken woman greeted me, sold me a ticket and sent me on my way with a map clearly illustrating the distinct garden areas connected by meandering pathways that lead ultimately to the ocean, half a mile west.
Succulents
Rhododendrons
Beautifully Crafted 7’ Deer Barrier
Pine Forest Trail to the Ocean
Parrish Family Pioneer Cemetery
Vegetable Garden, Serving the Local Food Bank
Conifers
Woodland Garden
Find more ‘Road Trip’ here.
And for all of PortMoresby’s contributions, click here.
For those who want to know what lies ahead, rather than waiting to see where the road leads, just a bit of rooting around will answer the question.
I received another note this morning, in part: “Thank you so much for the lovely blog post about our Gardens. I have posted the link to our Facebook page and added it also to our website, under In the News.” Elizabeth (Liz) Petersen Mendocino Coast Botanical Gardens Click on Liz’s ‘In the News’ link above and see Travel Gumbo at the top. Thank you, too, Liz!
Amazing garden!
It is, DrF. This from Janet at the garden by email this morning: “Thank you for sharing your blog (and beautiful pictures!!!) We appreciate your help in getting word out to folks about our wonderful gardens.” Best,Janet FerraioloMendocino Coast Botanical Gardens
One of our great joys, and I believe I speak for all of us who contribute to TravelGumbo, is to help promote great little travel destinations that might be overlooked by many. This place is worth going out of your way to see.
But I’m curious to where we go next on our road trip. Are we there yet? Huh? Are we there?