Page 194 - WINE DINE AND TRAVEL SPRING 2025 GRAND VOYAGE

COASTAL GEM BECKONS

WITH REDWOODS, FERN CANYONS AND HISTORY PRESERVED

BY PRISCILLA LISTER
undreds of miles of hiking trails through giant redwood
forests, verdant green fern canyons among towering cypress
H and pines, and rocky coastal bluffs rising above the blue Pa-
cific beckoned me. A storied coastal gem, Mendocino County
promised 24 state and national parks where nature lovers find
“recreation paradise steeped in seclusion.”
Indeed, I hardly saw another soul in my forays into the forests
that wind along rushing rivers where an occasional waterfall marks
a destination.
And those ocean bluffs were literally breathtaking as the
winds buffeted me and the trees while the waves crashed below the
rocky shores. Tiny hidden beaches, some with black sand, lie within
the craggy folds that protect them.
Ron and Mary James’ splendid coverage of Mendocino in the
Summer 2021 issue of Wine, Dine and Travel spurred me to travel
here. “Mendocino surprised and delighted us with its rugged beauty
as only few other destinations have,” they wrote. “The rugged indi-
vidualism of hard-working fishermen, farmers, lumbermen, sailors
and ranchers built the Mendocino of today that welcomes tourists
from around the world with luxe accommodations, great restaurants
and adventures in a landscape second to none.” Sold.

194 WINE DINE & TRAVEL MAGAZINE SPRING 2025