Mendocino County

June 19 – July 2, 2021

Our next destination was Mendocino County. From Verdi, Nevada we took I-80 south to Sacramento and then I-5 north to State Highway 20. There was a fire somewhere near Clear Lake where a helicopter was transporting buckets of water over the ridge to the fire area.

Highway 20 joined US 101 and took us directly in to our “home” while in Mendocino County.

Willits

Willits is the ideal central location from which to enjoy the exceptional beauty of Mendocino County. To the north are the majestic redwoods and the Eel River, to the south award-winning wineries, and to the west is the rugged Mendocino Coast. We invite you to stay, play and enjoy Willits – the “Gateway to the Redwoods” and the “Heart of Mendocino County”!

Visit Willits

Mendocino Redwoods RV Resort

As our home base in Willits we chose the Mendocino Redwoods RV Resort (formerly a KOA). This resort offered a lot of amenities including a pool, hot tub (for use by appointment only), splash pad area, frisbee golf, and fishing pond. They also have a variety of site types including deluxe pull thru with private hot tubs, full hook-up pull thru, water and electric pull thru, back-in sites, and tent sites. Unfortunately at the time we reserved, the water/electric only sites were all that were available. Luckily they had a “honey wagon” for pump outs. All of the pull-thru sites except the end sites were designed as buddy sites with adjacent living space which felt very cramped. Although wedged between a tree at the back and another at the front, we had no shade and the sun was brutal. Sitting outside in the afternoon was not an option.

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We did have some wonderful neighbors on our off-door side – Pat and Denice from Ohio. We enjoyed visiting with them and their dog Stella and parrot Oscar.

We had envisioned this park as a quiet, laid-back campground. Instead, it seemed more like a destination park, always full, with constant arrivals and departures. Despite the dry conditions, campfires were permitted and firewood was delivered when requested. One evening we discovered that our door-side neighbor had started a campfire directly under one of our awnings. Luckily there was no damage.

Mendocino

For our first outing, we headed east for the coast and the town of Mendocino. Bill has a knack for finding challenging drives and Highway 20 did not disappoint – lots of twists and turns.

The weather on the coast was almost 30 degrees cooler than in Willits especially with the coastal fog. Fortunately we had dressed accordingly in jeans and jackets.

We stopped first at the parking lot for the Point Cabrillo Light Station where we took the 1/2 mile path down to the light station.

Although Point Cabrillo was surveyed by the U. S. Lighthouse Service in 1873, construction of the Light Station didn’t begin until 1908. The demand for lumber meant that maritime commerce on the north coast was at an all time high and a lighthouse was critical to the safety of the ships and their valuable cargo. The lens was illuminated for the first time on June 10,1909, under head keeper Wilhelm Baumgartner.

Built and managed by the US. Lighthouse Service under the Department of Commerce the original Point Cabrillo Light Station consisted of most of the buildings still standing today: the three keepers’ residences, the storage buildings (two of which are rental cottages, the third houses bathrooms), the Blacksmith & Carpentry Shop (now home to the Marine Science Exhibit), and the Oil House.

Light Station History

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Next we drove a bit further south to the Mendocino Headlands State Park and followed the coastal trail for some great views. The fog was just beginning to burn off at this point.

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Wine Tasting

One just can’t come to Mendocino County and not visit the wineries!

Testa Vineyards

For our first independent winery visit, we arranged a wine tasting at Testa Ranch.

We are located in the heart of Mendocino County, just 6 miles north of Ukiah in Calpella! Here at Testa Vineyards we are surround by over 100 years of history and wonderful memories. Our Italian family has been farming the land since 1912 and we established the winery in 2010, which is currently ran by 4th 5th and 6th generations. We take great pride in our historical small family vineyard and winery and the way we farm our land and vines. It shows in the fruit we harvest and the wines we make.

Testa Ranch

Aside from a gentleman picking up some wine, we were the only ones there. This provided a great opportunity to learn about the wine and property from one of the family members as we sipped from their red selection and munched on cheese and bread.

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Jordan Winery

Having been introduced to Jordan Cabernet Sauvignon on a cruise, we jumped at the chance to visit the winery near Healdsburg, California (a bit over an hour south on US 101).

In a world where successful wineries and wine brands are increasingly owned by corporations, Jordan Winery is proud to be owned and operated by John Jordan, whose parents founded the winery in 1972.

We focus on just three things: chardonnay, cabernet sauvignon and hospitality. This allows us to maintain our extremely high standards of wine quality and value, while still exploring ways to improve our wines, our guest experiences and our culture year after year. Every detail is attended to with a passion guided by John Jordan’s philosophy that every vintage, every meal and every tasting should be better than the last.

We are blessed to be the caretakers for nearly 1,200 acres that surround the Jordan Winery Chateau. More than three-quarters of the land remains wild with open spaces that myriad animals and plants call home. Preserving natural habitat and conserving resources are two tenets in our sustainability efforts. The winery runs almost entirely on solar energy, and our vineyards and winery are certified sustainable.

Jordan Winery

We elected to join their newest food and wine pairing (Paris on the Terrace) in the shade of old oak trees on the terrace with the Jordan Winery Chateau as a backdrop.

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The weather was perfect, the food fresh, delicious, and beautifully presented, and the wine wonderful. We really enjoyed getting to try special vintages that are not available in stores. It was a fantastic experience.

Full Day Wine Tour

Prior to our arrival in Willits, we had arranged a full day wine tour with Jill Leone Wine Tours. We found her somewhat by accident as I had contacted Raymond Rolander of Wine Cube Tours only to find out that he had retired. He suggested that I contact Jill. She immediately started researching wineries in the Hopland area (since this was somewhat out of her normal tour area) and kept us informed. On the day of our tour, she picked us up at the campground at 10 a.m. and we were off.

Cesar Toxqui Cellars

Our first stop was Cesar Toxqui Cellars (not far from the Testa Winery) where we were met by Cesar.

CESAR TOXQUI moved to Mendocino County from Mexico when he was just sixteen years old. His first job (in the wine industry) was tying down grapevines at the famous Fetzer Vineyards. Little did he know that it was the beginning of a very exciting journey eventually leading him to create his own wine label. Under the tutelage of distinguished winemaker Jesse Tidwell, Cesar gained a deep love for winemaking.

Continuing as Cellar’s Master for Brutocao Cellars, Cesar began to study the art of grape growing. Working full-time and attending school on evenings and weekends he completed his senior thesis on organically grown grapes.

Cesar strongly believes that fine wine begins with fine grapes. Individually selected grapes combined with Cesar’s love and passion for winemaking produce a new hue of fine wines for all to enjoy.

toxqui.com

We enjoyed chatting with Cesar while sitting in the shade of an old oak and sipping on Rose, Heirloom 7 Blend, and Grand Reserve Zinfandel.

Saracina Vineyards

Next we went to Saracina Vineyards for lunch, tasting, and a tour.

Saracina, a 250-acre ranch which includes a winery and sustainably farmed vineyards, is also home to 140-year-old olive trees, vegetable gardens, bee hives, and all manner of bird and wild animal life. The handcrafted, limited production Saracina wines reflect a conscious sense of this beautiful estate in Mendocino County.

Originally founded by husband and wife team John Fetzer and Patty Rock in 2001, Saracina has always been defined by a strong sense of family. In 2018, Marc Taub took on stewardship of Saracina, upholding the spirit of family ownership that has defined this iconic Mendocino County winery since inception.

Saracina

Lunch started with a great charcuterie plate and three white wines (Roussanne, Unoaked Chardonnay 2019, Lolonis Sauvignon Blanc 2019). Our hostess then poured a glass of red wine (Old Soul 2018) for us to taste as she guided us on a tour of their huge wine cave which was amazing and quite refreshing on a 90+ degree day. Then we hopped on a quad off-road vehicle for a tour of the ranch with a glass of the second red wine (Malbec 2018). Back at the tasting room, we moved inside to finish our lunch and taste the final red (Cabernet Sauvignon 2017).

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Campovida

Our final stop was Campovida another small family farm and winery. where we tasted 6 different wines.

Gary and Anna never planned to be in business together…they had planned on making a life together.  A life that they could be proud of, that their children would be proud of and that would leave a legacy of beauty and kindness.  That is what they are up to at Campovida.

Gary and Anna never expected to be making wines at Campovida. And although the property was once a hub for the Fetzer family heritage and beautiful organic vineyards, the winemaking was done elsewhere.  Gary knew that in order for the property to really thrive, Campovida would need to focus on crafting world class wines of Mendocino County from our small village of Hopland.  Therefore they got busy, making world class wines.

Campovida

This tasting was a little bit different in that they provided a picnic basket with 6 beakers of wine that we could take along as we strolled through their garden. Unfortunately it was just too hot to venture out of the building so we found some comfortable seats and tried the wines there (Rose, Pinot Gris, Campo Di Blanca, Pinot Noir, Sangiovese, Malbec).

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Our tour was supposed to include one more stop but we all agreed that given the heat it might be prudent to just head back to the campground. It was a fun day and we added a few bottles of wine to our collection. Thank you Jill.

Ft. Bragg

For our final outing we decided to return to the coast (via Highway 20 again) and visit Ft. Bragg. Once there we followed the Coastal Trail to Soldier Point enjoying more great views of the coast. Then we drove on to Glass Beach.

Glass Beach gets its name from the smooth colorful glass pieces that you can find mixed into the pebbly beach.

This site was once a trash dump so broken bottles from the garbage cans of local residents have been transformed into little treasures to be found and photographed (and left behind). It is illegal to remove any glass from Glass Beach, but this hasn’t stopped people from taking what seems like a harmless amount. Over the years thousands of these pocketfuls have depleted the beach of its namesake glass. It still has a lot, but nothing like it used to.

california beaches

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Following our walk, we drove down to the Noyo River Basin for lunch at Noyo River Grill before braving Hwy 20 back to Willits.

Farewell Mendocino County

We loved visiting Mendocino County but sadly it was time to move on. Our next stop is in the land of the giants where maybe we can find Bigfoot! Stay tuned!