Last updated on January 19, 2022
Our old friends the Mayhews, from pre- kids residency days in Philadelphia, now live in CA and showed us around The Sea Ranch for our first week of traveling. Our first full day here was cold, overcast, and wet. A cold that feels like England to me where the temperature is not that low but the cold gets into your bones. You need more clothes than you think and a hot drink to warm up. Sy and Griffin hopefully, but not likely, learned this lesson after declining a sweatshirt or a coat for the morning.
We hiked a short trail to the beach and found these gorgeous star fish in the tidal pools. Lots of rock climbing, waterfall exploring, soccer on the beach, followed by a walk through a woodsy trail with trees that seem like they should be in a spooky fairy tale like Hansel and Gretel.
Our interestingly structured rental is on a cul de sac which makes for great games of impromptu soccer, football, capture the flag and tag. We found an architectural oddity in the center of the house…a four-walled, open air (no roof) “room” with floor to ceiling shades that made for a contemplative spot for a cup of coffee for Phil. The real function…nude sunbathing, a plant oasis in better weather, other ideas?
The next day was warmer and sunnier, more typical of the area at this time of year. We hiked down to Black Point Beach from The Sea Ranch Lodge under blue, sunny skies. Playing in the surf and the waterfalls coming off the cliffs led to many soaked kids.
The Sea Ranch has had its own flock of sheep since 2002 to provide prescriptive grazing on the grounds. They even have their own website so that you can track where they are at any given time. We found the flock of 320 ewes and newborn babies on the way back to our house. Poor Sy didn’t realize that they were penned in with an electrified fence and he got a nasty shock!
Kelli and I took a late afternoon stroll down the cliffs near our house and saw a bobcat only about 20 feet away.
We drove north on US 1 to the super cute town of Medocino and had a lovely day exploring Mendicino Headlands State Park, a fantastic bookstore, a few upscale shops and Portuguese Beach.
We took the Skunk Train in Fort Bragg into a previously logged redwood forest and we highly recommend this for families with kids. The Skunk has made its way through old-growth redwood groves, over scenic trestle bridges, through spectacular tunnels, and into the heart of the Noyo River canyon since 1885. Tips…If the weather is reasonable, get a spot in the middle of the open air car on the left side for the best views and fresh air. Also, take the earlier train ride if you want to get off to hike for an hour or two in the redwoods. You can just take the later train back. The $1 refills of the popcorn bucket were a highlight and Griffin learned how to ask and pay for a refill by himself.
The California Redwood (Sequoia sempervirens) is an monoecious tree that lives between 1,200–2,200 years or more making it among the oldest living things on Earth. This species includes the tallest living trees on Earth reaching up to 375ft in height and up to 29ft in diameter at breast height (dbh). Apparently this is an important measurement for foresters so they can avoid bending over or climbing a ladder to measure a tree. Standard DBH is 4.5 feet above the surface of the forest floor.
We learned if you cut a redwood down it will sprout new trees around the stump from the adjacent roots. They also have very thick bark, up to a foot thick, that is fire retardant.
Next stop was Glass Beach in Fort Bragg. Much was made about this beach in the tourist information for this area. We were very underwhelmed. After a very quick trip to the Sea Glass Museum to get directions from a crotchety old man, we found a very small beach with some sea glass. After a bit of research, we found out that the glass beaches are the result of overly full old trash dumps along the coast spilling trash into the ocean. Yikes! I suppose it is an impressive marketing plan to turn a trash dump into a tourist attraction, but still. Large storm water pipes dripping water from above rounded out the experience and we left fairly quickly. The highlight of this adventure was the overly tame squirrel that came running up to people, sitting near their feet, and looking up expectantly for food.
These photos are all from Gualala Point Regional Park. We could have spent all day here! Highly recommend! We walked down from the parking lot about a mile to the beach and found a village of impressive driftwood forts made by previous beach goers. We modified, added and started some of our own. Hunger and some adults getting chilly drove us on to lunch or we could have stayed until dark. See Marin’s post for her perspective on this beach.
Next we took a quick trip to Point Arena Lighthouse where we learned why lighthouses exist, saw photos of the families that lived in this one over the past two hundred years, examined photos of shipwrecks and marveled at a model of the giant megalodon tooth which was very interesting to Griffin who has a giant book about sharks at home.
Sy was slobbered on by this giraffe’s 20 inch tongue. 
Loaded up in the back of the Land Rover 
Hartmann’s Mountain Zebra
We finished our day at B. Bryan Preserve in Point Arena, CA. This is a privately owned preserve committed to the breeding and preservation of African hoof Stock. They house various species of zebra, giraffe, and antelope that range from critically endangered to endangered. We had a great time here! We arrived early and watched a video about researchers using dart guns to sedate wild giraffes for transport, blood draws, measuring, etc.. We rode in open air Land Rovers around the property and spent about 1 1/2 hours learning about the types of zebras, antelopes, and giraffes. By the end we could tell the difference between the Plains, Grevy’s and Mountain Zebras. It was surprising to all of us that giraffes are not listed as an endangered species despite having only about 1/3 of the population of elephants who ARE listed as endangered. The state of California recognizes giraffes as endangered, but the United States does not. The guide was very knowledgeable and interesting. We all learned a lot and had plenty of opportunity to ask questions. Tip: Bundle up!
We ended our time at The Sea Ranch with a raucous New Years Eve dinner celebration! The crackers had rather loud noise makers. We drove back to Davis through Point Reyes National Seashore and had an impromptu picnic lunch in a small square in Point Reyes Station. We followed lunch with a 3 mile hike on the Tomales Bay Trail in the Giacomini Wetlands Restoration Project where we had several falls in the muck and multiple thorns/splinters that Reece, the splinter expert, was able to remove. We ended the day swimming in the hot tub and having contests to see who could stay the longest in the super cold unheated pool.
A huge thank you to the Mayhew Family for a fantastic week of fun! Next stop: Palisades Tahoe!
Gorgeous pictures! So happy to see you are having a great trip!
Thanks Sandy!! Miss you!