Central California Coast - October 15-29, 2006

Our next stop was a unique RV park south of Willits, California on the site of the Ridgewood Ranch, home of the legendary race horse Seabiscuit. The location was gorgeous – acres of rolling hills and huge oaks and maples covered with magnificent fall foliage. But we were surprised to see a herd of small white deer feeding in the distance. We learned that the former owner of the ranch was a friend of William Randolph Hearst who made a gift of several European white fallow deer. Today dozens of their descendents roam the area along with wild turkey and California quail. Look closely to see one in the photo – it’s hard to get close to these shy, skittish creatures.

That evening we went outside to admire the beautiful night skies. We heard a low growling sound and walked into the dark to investigate. Could it be a wild boar, or maybe a mountain lion? (They’d been seen in the area. . ) Then we heard a loud snort that was too close for comfort and beat feet back to the coach! We learned later these deep groaning belches are made by the male fallow deer during the mating season, but it sure made for a moment of excitement!

We spent one afternoon hiking over the ranch’s hilly terrain. During our walk we scouted the elusive white deer, sampled some wild grapes (that's Ez eating the grapes) and spied our first Pileated Woodpecker! This bird is spectacular and as big as a crow!

Another day we took a drive over to the coast and traveled through Fort Bragg and the charming Victorian seaside town of Mendocino. We’ve enjoyed many days driving this beautiful, rugged coastline, making stops along the way to check out the seals and sea lions lounging on the rocky outcroppings.

We also made our first wine tasting excursion through the vineyards of Mendocino County. Many of the tasting rooms here belong to small, family-owned vineyards and so they’re much more casual than those in the Napa Valley. The tasting rooms aren’t fancy, there aren’t any tasting fees, and the hosts don’t hesitate to offer an extra sample. We picked up a case of a particular favorite and a few other bottles as well. We should be well stocked for the holidays. The folks in the picture had taken a limo for their day of wine tasting. After a few samples, they found the picnic tables outside too much to resist!


The liquor cabinet-stocking tour continued as we traveled to Vacaville,
just a hop and a skip from San Francisco, the Napa Valley and Sonoma. Our daughter Jennifer is working on her doctorate at UCSF and came out to join us for a couple of days. We spent a great day with Jennifer and a friend driving through the quaint towns in the Sonoma Valley, stopping at some of the small tasting rooms along the way. Sonoma was a step up from the wine tasting experience in Mendocino – a little more upscale, but still low or no cost. A few days later we headed out for Napa – another glorious sunny day driving through the vine-covered countryside. Napa is the Saks Fifth Avenue of wine tasting however so we paid for our tasting privileges (sigh.. ).

Another day we drove into San Francisco to spend some time with Jennifer in the big city. We checked out the old masters at the Legion of Honor Museum and Ez honed his driving skills chauffeuring me up and down the hills of San Francisco. While most people head to Fisherman’s Wharf or Alcatraz, we spent an hour or so watching the surfers just a few blocks from downtown. (And of course, one of the highlights of our visit to the Bay Area was getting to know Jennifer’s friend Eric who we’ve heard about for so long!)

We’ve been on the road for about six months now and we’re still having fun. Living in 400 square feet does present some challenges, but they’re easy to overlook when we think about all the amazing things we’ve seen. Check back soon for the next installment!