Being Sprayed at the Devil's Punchbowl in Mendocino, California
Water, displayed in various forms, is the main feature at Russian Gulch State Park. There is the Devil's Punchbowl—a display of bubbling brothy ocean water funneled through a blowhole just a hundred feet away from the sea cliff with water access to the Pacific Ocean. The park also features a sandy beach, sheltered in a cove from the rough swells of the open water, perfectly situated underneath the span of a buttressed bridge. Those who venture into the canyon gulch on its forested trail will find a majestic waterfall—a perfect destination for a midnight stroll.
If you could take just one photo:
Mendocino Russian Gulch Campgrounds
Getting to Mendocino, California is a journey within a journey. To get to the "Lost Coast" you must take Highway 101 and then wind your way through giant redwoods and rivers, past quaint homes and windswept villages until you finally drive the sliver of Highway 1into town. It'll take you up to two hours to take the local roads which claim to be about 60 miles but take longer from the many switchbacks and steep curves and narrow path like roads. It's not a drive to rush but to release yourself to and accept the escape awaiting you.
It is a place of reality that looks surreal with it's original wooden and wide windowed coffee houses and ice cream parlors over looking some of the most pristine coast views anywhere in the west. There are walking paths and Victorian homes all sitting sweetly on the cliffs above the Pacific Ocean as it moves in and out of small inlets where birds and fish are worth watching as they do the dance of predator and prey in a musical play of water, light and sound.
The best spot for understanding this mysterious, natural place is the North Coast Artists Gallery. It features the unique photography of Jon Klein who has spent his life in the many woods and tide pools of Mendocino documenting the fragile treasures of dragonflies and spotted owls.
As for cost--fear not. A short drive down the highway can take you to the welcoming arms of Fort Bragg which offers rooms for as low as seventy dollars per night.
Go and get lost. The escape will stay with you.
After checking into a cozy room in the weather-beaten "barn" at MacCallum House Inn, we set out to stroll the pedestrian-friendly streets of Mendocino on a cool November day. We explore Little Lake, Ukiah and Main Streets before finding ourselves at the end of Heeser Drive. There a trail winds through beach grass to views overlooking driftwood-littered Portuguese Beach and the cavernous mouth of Blow Hole. The charcoal sky is a perfect backdrop for the pastel buildings in town viewed from the point. Canary yellow, gunmetal blue and chalk white restaurants and store fronts line up atop the cliff overlooking the churning Pacific Ocean. Gazing at the city with the roar of the surf filling our ears, we wonder how soon we can return.
Water, displayed in various forms, is the main feature at Russian Gulch State Park. There is the Devil's Punchbowl—a display of bubbling brothy ocean water funneled through a blowhole just a hundred feet away from the sea cliff with water access to the Pacific Ocean. The park also features a sandy beach, sheltered in a cove from the rough swells of the open water, perfectly situated underneath the span of a buttressed bridge. Those who venture into the canyon gulch on its forested trail will find a majestic waterfall—a perfect destination for a midnight stroll.
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