I Run Like A Girl

Hi pals! I’m coming out of a 3-day weekend feeling so rejuvenated. It was Veterans Day in the U.S., so Joe and I got an extra day off from work. We decided to head up to Mendocino, CA (3 hours north of San Francisco) for a weekend trip. It was also our 4-year dating anniversary, and the weekend trip was the perfect celebration. Evidently, we became “official” exactly 4 years ago on a trip to Mendocino, so revisting this spot for our anniversary seemed fitting. 🙂

I have a lot to share in this post as we filled our weekend to the brim. Spoiler, we also spent a lot of time in a nearby town called Fort Bragg, as we unexpectedly fell in love with it. Fort Bragg provided new scenery for our second visit to the area.

Friday: Drive to Mendocino + coastal hike

We left SF in the morning on Friday and started driving up to Mendocino. We took our time driving through the windy mountains and made several stops. We finally arrived in Mendocino around lunch time and we ate in town. Upon arriving, we reacquainted ourselves with the familiar scenery. Mendocino is super small, and we noticed all our favorite restaurants and shops from last time.

After lunch, we checked into our Airbnb which was a 3-minute drive from town. Joe and I were exhausted from the drive, so we rested for a little bit. Then, we headed right back out for a coastal hike. We went to Russian Gulch State Park, a nearby park with a large network of trails. On our last visit, we did a forested hike in the park, so we opted for a coastal hike this time. As we pulled up to the coast, the views took my breath away. It was SO beautiful! The coastline was rugged and full of massive blue waves splashing around. The ocean on the West Coast has a certain awe to it- these views never get old. ❤

It was golden hour, which made the views even more epic as the low sun shined through the trees.

On our hike, we saw massive mushrooms the size of my hand! Mendocino is so beautiful this time of year; the cool, wet climate was the perfect recipe for mushrooms. The abundance of mushrooms was very exciting as I’m new to foraging.

After our hike, we spent some time in the hot tub at the Airbnb. The hot tub was a very nice touch and one of the reasons we loved our stay.

In the evening, Joe and I found dinner in Fort Bragg, a town next to Mendocino around 10 minutes away. We saw that there were a lot more food options there, so we decided to venture out. We loved the vibe of Fort Bragg (even in the dark evening!). It was larger and more lively than Mendocino. Since we already did Mendocino last time, we knew we wanted to spend more time exploring Fort Bragg. 🙂

Saturday: Point Cabrillo Lighthouse hike + Fort Bragg + Glass Beach

The next morning started off slow in our Airbnb. Joe picked up coffee and breakfast, and we enjoyed it outside in the garden. We loved exploring our host’s garden as it was Japanese-themed. This blog knows how we are garden lovers, and it’s always a treat to see other people’s landscaping.

After breakfast, we headed out for a hike at Point Cabrillo Lighthouse. It was another coastal hike featuring a historic lighthouse. The hike had some inland portions as well, as we saw different creatures scattering through the tall grass.

Beautiful views of the water just like yesterday. My favorite moments of the trip were all spent on the water. The waves were epic and the bright blue water was just beautiful. We spent time walking through all the different trails, taking pictures, and admiring Mother Nature.

The lighthouse was a neat attraction as it sat right on the edge of the cliff. I always love hikes that have an attraction or viewpoint as the reward. There was a museum inside the lighthouse explaining the history of it.

Next to the lighthouse were the historic living quarters of the lighthouse staff. They opened the houses and filled them with historic artifacts. It was fun walking through the house, imagining living like this over 100 years ago.

We finished up our hike just in time for lunch. We decided to head to Fort Bragg again and spend time exploring it. Fort Bragg in the daytime was even more lively while having a quaint small-town vibe. It reminded me of Stars Hallow (if you know, you know). 😉

We had lunch at a Mexican spot. I have to say, these were the best enchiladas I’ve ever had…I had to go all the way to northern California to find them. 😛

We visited a main attraction of Fort Bragg, the 2000-year-old tree! It was massive. It was amazing to think about all the events in history that happened while the tree was alive.

We also visited the Guest House Museum, a historic estate of a wealthy family that’s famous for being built entirely out of redwood trees. Similar to the lighthouse, they had different rooms with historical artifacts that showed how people lived back in the day.

In one room, there was a weaving machine. I actually used this machine when I took a weaving class in Indonesia last year. It’s funny how this machine is considered outdated when part of the world is still using it.

After the museum, we walked around town a little more, going in and out of shops that caught our eye. After walking through all of it, we decided to hit up one more attraction — Glass Beach. This seemed to be THE place to go in the area, and we didn’t want to miss it. We pulled up to the beach, and indeed, the whole town was there! There were large rocks and seashells on the beach instead of sand, giving it its name, “Glass Beach.”

We found a spot close to the ocean and sat for a little while, enjoying the waves.

After a full day, we rested at the Airbnb for the rest of the afternoon. For dinner, we ventured out again to Fort Bragg for dinner and ice cream. The perfect last meal of the trip.

The next morning, we headed out early as we wanted to have some time at home before the week. This trip was just what I needed to reset. I mentioned in past posts that I’ve been struggling with stress over the last few weeks, and the change in scenery did wonders for my mood. It was also extra special to take this trip and celebrate another milestone for me and Joe. I’m so grateful for 4 happy years together. ❤