It was a sunny, warm morning at our meeting point by Stow Lake Boat House in San Francisco. Jim H. was a surprise addition to the group headed north, and he graciously supplied the sustenance we needed: donuts! With 5 Miatas, we began the run.
The view as we passed over the Golden Gate Bridge was superb, as were those along the Hwy-1. Jim came to the rescue when my gpslost connection, getting us back on the correct trail. Thanks, buddy!
At our stop by Point Reyes, Jim said his goodbyes as he only wanted to go for a short run with the Club, heading back to San Francisco. We then met up with two more BAMA cars just north of Point Reyes, andcontinued in wonder at the ocean and cliff scenes.
At the Dog House in Bodega we met up with one more car. Now, we had a caravan. The stripmall restaurant had a great view to the ocean, and some birds that came with the territory.
With “Grad-Night” being a big event in Fort Bragg, we decided to dine early and avoid the crowds. D’Aurelio’s Italian Restaurant supplied our needs with pizza and such. We had travelled 179 really windy, hilly, intense miles, getting to Glass Beach Inn B&B just in time to wind down for the evening. Our last car arrived (had a late start due to a family emergency; all’s well now) and we settled in for the evening. Seven Miatas and one "other" vehicle!
The B&B more than met our expectations. The owners were greathosts, providing for our every need. Breakfast was a happy time.
During the day we visited the Mendocino Botanical Gardens (need a day or two to do it justice) with its many floral displays and gardens, then toured parts of Noyo Harbor, dining at the water’s edge, partaking of locally caught fish.
Most of us took a break at the B&B while others explored Glass Beachin search of little treasures that wash ashore. Seems there are fewer nowadays. We traveled south about 20 miles to dine at the Albion Restaurant (casual to semi-formal) for the evening meal, enjoying specialties of the house made by Chef Steven and Sous-chef Torri. The sunset on this cliff-side was stellar. Some of us gathered for a chat session and some California wine. Good way to end the day.
We had another great breakfast on Sunday. Sure looks like this was a culinary discovery trip. Maybe. After 10am we began our homeward route, this time going inland to enjoy the coastal Redwoods along HWY-128.
Our final stop as a group was at Hamburger Ranch BBQ. Great BBQand really good Root Beer!
My thanks to those that participated, especially our youngest at 14: Graham L.
'Til next time.
By Rollo