Landscape Shines on Untouchable Redwood Coast

By Marta Yamamoto

birds and mammals.

On a recent visit I spent four days exploring Highway 1 between Gualala and Manchester. I drifted back and forth between beaches, stopping at roadside pullouts with coastal access. I strolled salt- tanged villages savoring pastries that celebrated the fruits of summer, freshly caught fish cooked to perfection, salads fresh from the field, tangy BBQ that tingled my taste buds, and more pastries. Every walk and coastal trail sharpened my senses and appetite and the choices for sustenance were never depleted.

Gualala

Gualala receives “big-town” status along this lonely coast, offering businesses and services for both locals and visitors. The Gualala Supermarket can stock your vacation pantry with no problem. Quality produce and meats are on hand for those who enjoy cooking; a separate Mexican food takeout satisfies the nacho-deprived; and a bakery, featuring cranberry biscotti and chocolate eclairs, makes choices a challenge.

A good read seems a match for this landscape, and the Four Eyed Frog, an independent bookstore, has the latest titles and cozy nooks to peruse them.

For Texas BBQ, brews and blues, Bones Roadhouse is the spot to try. Amid an eclectic decor that combines Harley Davidson memorabilia, multistate license plates and Marilyn Monroe, join locals for live music and melt-in-your-mouth ribs, brisket and pulled pork.

Trinks requires repeat visits for breakfast or lunch to do it justice. Espresso, pastries, bagels, sandwiches and soups are offered daily. The fresh berry pies, BBLTs and basil parmesan sandwiches can be enjoyed at tables inside and outdoors.

Point Arena

With 501 residents, Point Arena is celebrating its 100th year of incorporation this year. Bordered by a working pier and landmark lighthouse, though small, it is browse worthy and even sports its own Arena Theater.

Breakfast at Carlini’s is hard to beat. This homey cafe of creamy yellow with red accents, and tropical decor, specializes in extra- large egg dishes and plate-size pancakes. The Point Arena Record occupies an old frame house, filling it with organic groceries and a farm-fresh cafe. There’s cozy seating inside and an outdoor deck where hearty sandwiches, homemade soups and field lettuce salads can be savored.

Franny’s Cup and Saucer should be cloned; it’s a jewel too good for only one location. Imagination and skill produce two-story apricot muffins, ollalieberry sticky buns, pizzettas and savory slippers. There are cookies galore and iced cupcakes almost too pretty to eat.

At the Arena Cove Pier, fishing boats unload their catch, some finding its way onto the menu at the Arena Cove Bar & Grill. Other choices include popular steaks and Latin-fusion entrees. Cosmic Pizza and Cove Coffee also tempt the palette. The bronze monument at the foot of the pier commemorates a group of 15 Japanese would-be immigrants who sailed across the Pacific in 1913, landing near Point Arena.

Beaches and landmarks

Gualala Point Regional Park is a great location to enjoy both the Gualala River and the coast. The Sea Ranch-style visitor center uses interpretive displays to describe Gualala’s past and illustrate natural communities in the present. Several trails traverse the 195 acres, including a half-mile paved path that leads down to the beach with side trails striking off to the river and bluffs.

The protected cove at Schooner Gulch State Beach, reached along a trail bordered by riots of wild sweet peas, offers a driftwood- strewn beach ideal for beachcombing, wading and tide-pooling. At extreme low tides, a walk northward reveals Bowling Ball Beach where dozens of large, round sandstone boulders litter the sand.

The Stornetta Public Lands, recently acquired, have added 1,100 acres and two miles of coastline for public use. A stroll along bluff-top trails is an immediate transport to an English coastal landscape of striated rock formations and freestanding land masses, cleaved from the mainland by water and wind. Broad expanses of grassland are often shared with grazing cows.

The Point Arena Lighthouse, at the tip of a narrow peninsula, combines history with a fantastic coastal photo-op. The postcard- perfect views from the top of the 115-foot light tower have changed little in more than 100 years. Inside the Fog Signal Building, a maritime museum displays exhibits and photographs bringing past stories to life. If this remote area appeals, the three original keepers’ cottages are available for rent.

Manchester State Park offers a broader, sandier beach experience. Access to the beach is across undulant sand dunes festooned with narrow grasses in shades of yellow and green, violet lupine and hidden nests of the snowy plover. If you go– GETTING THERE: From the East Bay, take Highway 580 west and merge onto Highway 101 north. Take the East Washington St. exit toward Central Petaluma. East Washington St. becomes Bodega Avenue, Valley Ford Road and Highway 1. Follow Highway 1 to Gualala. Point Arena is 14 miles north of Gualala.– WHAT TO VISIT:

GUALALA

Gualala Supermarket, 39225 S. Highway 1, 707-884-1205.

The Four Eyed Frog, Cypress Village, 39138 Ocean Drive, 707-884- 1333.

Bones Roadhouse, 38920 S. Highway 1, 707-884-1180.

Trinks, Sea Cliff Center, 39140 S. Highway 1, 707-884-1713.

POINT ARENA

Carlini’s Cafe, 206 Main St., 707-882-2942.

Point Arena Record, 265 Main St., 707-882-3663.

Franny’s Cup & Saucer, 213 Main St., 707-882-3770.

Arena Cove Bar & Grill, 790 Port Road, 707-822-2100.– BEACHES AND LANDMARKS

Gualala Point Regional Park, 42401 Highway 1, one mile south of Gualala. Fee $5/car.

Schooner Gulch State Beach, on Highway 1, 11.4 miles north of Gualala (mile marker 11.41).

Stornetta Public Lands, 17 miles north of Gualala. Turn left on Lighthouse Road. The trail head is one mile down, on the left side.

Point Arena Lighthouse, 45500 Lighthouse Road, 877-725-4448. The lighthouse is undergoing restoration but will reopen in September.

Manchester State Park, 21 miles north of Gualala, 707-882-2463. Fee $4/car.

Originally published by Marta Yamamoto, Special to the Times.

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