If you have never gone on one of these events, add it to your bucket list…read more You start off on this little beach hidden off of Hwy 1 just as you are heading into Gualala. As you drive up, the smell of bbq is wafting through the summer air. On the evening that we went, we had the choice between Steak or Lobster. We had the lobster...yummy. Afterwards, we loaded into our kayaks and slowly made our way down the Gualala River (I think that's the river), until we ended up at the ocean...all under a huge bright full moon.

One of NorCals best kept secrets is the quaint town of Point Arena, home of Arena Cove! The…read moreabsolute most picturesque, gentle, calm and natural water views you'll ever see! Arena Cove is home to a pizza parlor and coffee shop as well as a fishing pier and if you come at low tide, the most amazing tide pools with fish, sea urchin, sea star fish, crab and countless water plants. Beautiful hiking on the shoreline and the best sunsets! I love visiting when I need a time out from the hustle and bustle of life; a quick trip is always humbling and helps me to refocus on the finer things in life... like nature!!!

I hate it when people Yelp landmarks instead of businesses. Just a personal pet peeve of mine…read more There's an exception to every rule, and I happen to be exceptional, so based on three exceptions to the rule I believe a review of Point Arena Cove is worthy of Yelp. First, this is an obscure little town and it needs Yelp reviews to encourage people to stop and experience all it has to offer. Second, this cove is not visible from Hwy 1 so you might drive right past it. Third, there are hours associated with the pier (open for boat launches from 7am to 4pm), so it's like a business. I'm not an expert on coves, but I've seen quite a few in my day. I think I'm a pretty good judge of cove character. La Jolla Cove, in San Diego was my favorite. Until I visited Point Arena Cove. There is so much going on here. I visited on a Saturday morning and ended up having great conversations with the very warm locals. A few showed me the abalone they had just hauled in (the Fish Police were right there to make sure every one was legal) and another showed me pictures of an albatross that visits the cove (very rare!) surfing with surfers. There are dogs galore (please leash them on the pier) and nice owners to go with them. This is a working cove, but people also go to talk and drink coffee. The cove is the best place to capture the local flavor of Point Arena. You absolutely must visit it.

TTHE BEST small town fair! Not to be missed! Complete with parade on Sunday, and the Sheep Dog…read moretrails, plus local vendors and 4H judging. Lots of rides for the kids.

I was in the area, totally by accident, at the time of the Fair. With my favorite short person in…read moretow, getting conned into going was a forgone conclusion. Let me qualify by saying that I don't really care for rides, crowds or paying twice as much for ho-hum food eaten standing. So I was not expecting to enjoy myself. Boy, was I wrong! Some highlights: -Science tent for kids -Very gentle shaded petting zoo tent (I think I enjoyed it more than the kid.) -Very good live music in a wooded glen area with plenty of seating -Sweet local parade -Extra long slide -Pony rides -Extensive agricultural display (the sheep and goats were particularly fun) -Anderson Valley Beer We packed a picnic to enjoy by the river later, but I almost regretted that. The food smelled quite good. I still wasn't crazy for the rides or games. But, hey, it's a fair.

What a community treasure. First off, the grounds are gorgeous, totally lush with native plants and…read morewildflowers, and I went in July so it was pollinator heaven, you couldn't look anywhere without seeing blossoms just oozing pollen. I felt like I had stepped back in time to visit the original Secret Garden. The woman who met us near the apple orchard was charming and seemed to have an encyclopedic understanding of the life of insects and their relationships to plants. The grounds are old, which is a part of the magic- butterflies painted on old barns, rambling wild roses, passage ways flanked by goldenrod and seemingly ancient bay trees. I have never seen so many quails, hummingbirds and bees! Best of all, my daughter and I wanted to wander, we aren't necessarily tour types, and the docent seemed to get this right away. She just let us go do our thing. We are signing up for one of the Moth Nights, now that we know about it. I read other reviews about folks feeling disappointment in not seeing butterflies, and as a naturalist, I have to laugh. One, butterflies are like all of us, they have times that they are around and other times they are not. Some live locally, some just pass through. Depending on the time of day, where you are standing, etc, you may see a ton or none. Welcome to nature. As for people wanting posters- no thank you! So tacky. Buy a guide book, observe, schedule a tour. Personally I don't want this garden to have the feel of a museum, I want to wander, wonder, observe, and hopefully, leave with a feeling of curiosity that I can continue to explore.

I love Hallberg Butterfly Gardens (see previous review). But while they get five stars for concept…read moreand purpose - butterfly conservation and education - they get one star in execution. In all the times I've been here - and it's many over the years - I have never seen a single employee on the property. There is no one available to answer questions, tell you about butterflies, or even discuss events. We signed up for an event today, and there was not a single person on the property. We wandered around for an hour and found NO ONE. Oddly enough, you can't get in touch with them via phone, either, because no one ever answers. Try for yourself and see. There's no outgoing info when you call, and you cannot leave a message. Amazingly, there aren't even posters displaying the different types of butterflies you might see, or how to identify them. Given that this place focuses on butterfly education, you would think they would offer some education...? Moreover, the place is falling apart - it's run down with poor signage. There's also a massive amount of disorganization: we signed up for one event on 7/2, and got confirmation for an event that already happened weeks ago. There was no info contained in the email beyond the gate code and the time to show up. We didn't know if someone would be leading the event or if we would be meeting people there. (Answer: no and no.) Hiring a part-time assistant to organize public events that attract people here would be a worthwhile investment, one would think...? I am ALL about natural spaces and supporting science education, and have always supposed the Gardens -- but if this place wants to make money and keep fans, they need to prioritize, even minimally, the people and events that support their existence.

"Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world."…read more I don't trust PG&E, the world's largest utility. Ever since that neighborhood in San Bruno imploded in 2010 I've been leery. Thankfully, I'm not the first person who's felt this way. Back in the late '50s/early '60s PG&E began erecting a nuclear power plant right beside the ocean on Bodega Head in the town of Bodega Bay. The site sat directly atop the San Andreas fault (that worked so well in Fukushima...) near environmentally sensitive dairy farms and ranches. PG&E got as far as drilling a hole in Bodega Head; a hole 142 feet across and 120 feet in depth. A hole sizable enough to drop a 10-story building into if one desired though the actual plans for that hole were to contain the biggest boiling water nuclear reactor ever. And then the opposition began. A small group of thoughtful, committed citizens banded together to fight it. Their opposition ran on for five+ years and represented an early step in the environmental movement. After years of loud and ongoing opposition as PG&E pressed on for their "Atomic Park" (sic), the PUC in 1963 rejected PG&E's request. The hole was left to fill naturally and has now become a freshwater "pond" for birds and wildlife. PG&E eventually sold the entire 225-acre site to the state park district for $1 and abandoned their scary plans for the site. Hole in the Head is, today, most easily viewed from the parking lot at Campbell Cove. There you'll see a little walkway and signage which will take you to a viewing area looking out on the large water feature. Signage on the Bodega Head trail will also alert you to Hole in the Head which can be seen far below that trail. Without historical knowledge there's nothing either interesting or exciting about this body of water. Only when you know its history however, and realize that California's Environmental Quality Act and California's Coastal Commission were borne out of the fight against PG&E's plans do you begin to respect it as you should. * That opening quote is attributable to cultural anthropologist Margaret Mead. * Read more about the hole here: http://sonomacountyhomesforsaleonline.com/bodega-bay/hole-in-the-head-bodega-bay-ca/ and http://www.pressdemocrat.com/news/2296499-181/battle-over-bodega-head-nuclear * Truth be told, I've not been a fan of PG&E since far before the San Bruno incident. * Oh no she didn't... oh yes she did. I just reviewed a hole in the ground.

I'm impressed someone bothered to make a Yelp page for this room at Castello Di Amorosa... then…read morenever bothered to check in or write a review for the place. Well, I don't like wasting a perfectly good page, so allow me to put some life into it. The Castle Torture Chamber is an underground room inside the winery castle known as Castello Di Amorosa in Calistoga. It cannot be accessed with general admission - you must take a tour of the castle to gain access. With good reason... can you imagine if some of the kids tried playing hide and seek in the Iron Maiden? Tours are $20 for wine club members, otherwise $40 for adults. Minors are also allowed to go on the tour, but I believe there is a minimum age. So why is there a torture chamber in the winery castle? Because back then, all castles had one. Dario Sattui wasn't going for a Disneyland castle... nope, he wanted it to be authentic as it could be (w/ indoor plumbing and electricity). In fact, he spent decades sneaking into castles in Europe to investigate their inner walls. Thus, we have the torture chamber with all the tools used for interrogating and punishing misbehaved men, treacherous wives, traitors, etc. While he went for authenticity, most of the torture chamber props are high quality replicas - Sattui had them hand crafted in Europe. While not as sharp, they're still likely to cause pain. The only authentic piece is the Iron Maiden, a coffin like piece that has spikes inside. The spikes were strategically placed not to kill anyone but still cause an immense amount of pain. I guess there's no point in torture if the person you torture dies quickly? I also wonder how one manages to purchase an authentic Iron Maiden from the medieval times, but I shouldn't question a man who had the money to build a castle in Napa. ;) Again, pretty neat space to be in, albeit a little creepy. Props to Mr. Sattui for getting his castle down to the nitty gritty.

I'm impressed someone created a Yelp page for it, and that they advertise it in the actual Chamber…read more Now just to get cell service to check in while I'm in the actual castle. It was both neat and odd to be in this room, which was included in the Wine Train tour we booked. All in all, which I will go into more detail in the actual winery review, I wasn't the biggest fan of this tour. I found it too long and while the air quality was better than expected, the torture chamber added an extra squick factor to the fact we were underground (this is California) and many of these items are high quality replicas of items that were actually built back in the middle ages. Which, why build a room of replicas? I honestly didn't get it and don't think I was the target audience for the tour. The chamber could have been much better utilized or sold, especially since a few minutes after we left the chamber we were then "locked" into small cells for the wine tasting. They could have built a bar into the iron maiden and had 'blood wine.' or used the room to sell a specific brand of the wine 'Torture Red.' Instead all the attempts to make it authentic just rang hollow. Either the space could be a fantastic museum where art, history, and literature of the age could be shown because it's attempting to replicate the time period, or it can be what it is, a highway attraction that hosts a winery and puts a lot of effort into making it "authentic." It just came off poorly and I don't think I would come back for another tour.

Not a big place, but a good jumping off spot to explore this part of the coast. Two grocery stores,…read moreample places to eat and sleep. Most of the motels have ocean view, and there is a short walking path along the bluff looking out across the river to the ocean. The regional park, a short drive, was a great beach walk. This is off the beaten path for Bay Area crowds, just north of Sea Ranch Plantation, with a reasonable range of places to stay and eat. Most of your exploring from here will be by car, but that was fine with us.

Every visit here is magical. The walk there is quite…read morepleasant and at the end of the trail is the spectacular & symbolic Bell Tower. This tower is so well done and a beautiful tribute to the children. Also special and magical are the creative wind chimes in the trees near by. When the wind picks up you can hear the chimes make lovely and unique sounds.

Fun, relatively quick stop. My kids were intrigued by the sad and inspiring story of the little boy…read moreand the bell tower. Our visit timed perfectly with the Farmers Market (Sundays 10-2) - parking is the same for the tower and the market. The tower is a short easy 1 or 2 minutes walk from the parking. There was a little band at the farmers market playing retro tunes, adding to the pleasant ambiance. There are a couple of trees with windchimes and other decorations hanging - if you wanted to remember someone special, you could bring something to add in their honor. Right next to the tower, there's a fun, short path through a thick woods that makes a loop - my kids greatly enjoyed the "enchanted forest" (despite their usual intolerance for hiking). Only thing to watch out for if you have littles - there was a downed fence with barbed wire on the ground in one place.

In my experience, people checking city reviews are potential tourists or residents, so I have a…read morereview for each. As a tourist destination, it's a sleepy little getaway ideal for families. Couples and groups of friends not expecting a roaring nightlife will like it as well. Of the natural popular points of interest, I wasn't too excited about the botanical gardens (Plants!), Fort Bragg Coastal Trail (Water!), Pomo Bluffs Park (Cliffs!), Jackson State Park (Trees!), Noyo Beach (Driftwood!), Belinda Point Trail (Mud!), Otis Johnson Park (Stairs!), Noyo Headlands Park (Rocks!), MacKerricher State Park (Sand!), Seaside Beach (Rocks AND Sand!), but Pudding Creek Beach, which is directly under a tall picturesque bridge is cool. Russian Gulch State Park (nine miles south) features the Sinking Hole and another beach under a bridge that is even taller and picturesquer. The biggest draw, of course, was Glass Beach (see separate review), which brought us four hours from San Jose. However, I suspect that people unwilling to hike down some small but precarious cliffs to less-travelled coves will likely be unimpressed by the treasure hunting. Fort Bragg has a main strip/downtown area with some cool things to see, buy, and eat. FOOD: Fair amount of independent options. We enjoyed Cowlick's (separate review), which has lines of people waiting for nationally recognized homemade ice cream. Egghead's and Laurel's Deli (with a huge locomotive) are popular for breakfast, though we ate with the locals at David's Deli (separate review) down the road where 1 and 20 meet. The Bakery has "special" baked goods that will get you baked. DRINK: We grabbed a drink at Welcome Inn (separate review), next to Golden West Saloon, both of which are unpretentious bars with pool and shuffleboard. Stop by Golden West for the Fort Bragg postcard photo op. Elsewhere, Pacific Star Winery and North Coast Brewing are well-reviewed. MUSEUMS: the Sea Glass Museum (separate review) has the largest display of sea glass in the world. Triangle Tattoo Museum, Mendocino Coast Model Railroad Museum, and the Guest House Museum (displaying a historically-dated cross-section of redwood outside) are downtown as well. Elsewhere, Noyo Center for Marine Science has an orca skeleton and interactive topographic sandbox. ACTIVITIES: Skunk Train looks fun, offering rides by rail bike or train, but it was too overpriced for me (I think the prices for Skunk stink). The kids might enjoy Wiggly Giggly Playground outside the Ft. Bragg Library. Elsewhere, you can ride a horse at Ricochet Ridge, kayak past seals and sea otters (like Liquid Fusion is one vendor) or catch an early movie at the independent Coast Cinema. SHOPPING: Lots of shops. We enjoyed Lost Surf Shop (separate review), where Shasta will give you a high five if you rub her belly. Just make sure her husband doesn't see. (Just kidding, Shasta is a dog). As a resident, it doesn't appear to be overcrowded or disruptive despite being a tourist destination. The city's history is linked to military, fishing, lumber and the displaced Pomo tribe. Mild weather and uniquely cool summers. Not incredibly diverse (75% white) and most people vote blue. Property theft rates are double state average, violent crime is 33% higher. Thanks, Obama. (I kid). The seclusion can be good or bad. The 101 at Willits is 35 miles of elevated, winding roads that can take you to Santa Rosa (2.2 hr) or San Francisco (3.3 hr). The I-5 at Williams (2.7 hr) can get you to Sacramento (3.7 hr). Seems like a nice place to live, especially along the rocky coast, which reminds me of the black-and-white emo version of Big Sur.

Lovely city on the Northern Coastline of California. We've found ourselves staying here a few…read moretimes over the years during our travels. There is no nightlife that I know of, but we are not here for that. We are here to enjoy nature, and there is plenty of beautiful Mother Nature in and around the city of Fort Bragg. Some of the Mama Nature sights are the following: Glass Beach MacKerricher State Park Fort Bragg Coastal Trail Noyo Headlands Park Russian Gulch State Park Those are the ones that come to mind, but I'm sure there are others around the area. Regarding the city itself, It is a nice place to visit. Good hotel options to stay at. Most of the local restaurants close by 9pm so eat early unless you want McDonalds or Dennys. Highly recommend Cowlick's Ice Cream shop for some awesome homemade ice cream!! Enjoy your time at Fort Bragg!

**DEPOT UPDATE**…read more --The underlayment for the entire roof is laid --There were 12 pickup trucks [ heating, plumbing, etc] and 2 freight trucks on site, and a few diggers & front loaders. I went by at 11am, and I'm assuming [hoping] they were all busy inside the structure, because there was no visible activity outside. Still no mention in our local paper about the progress of this project. BUT the other things I noted before around town have had some recent press... the Kohl's did open on Wed Sept 30th and was announced in the paper. The old Rite Aid building is -- alas-- being torn down, not repurposed, and the site is a rubble pile now. It's a huge corner, so maybe something great will eventually go in there.