over the rivers and through the woods.
deep into the redwood forest. shafts of sunlight making their way down through the dark nest of trees.
i was supposed to leave on saturday morn, but i left moss cottage and the cat posse on friday night instead. i wanted to be on the road, getting a 4-5 hour headstart on the long journey to northern california.
out the door i hurried, climbed into my chariot, and began the drive. every cell in my body was humming with delicious excitement.
oh to be going somewhere in the dark of night. hours of driving ahead. my perfect adventure and one i had been waiting for.
it’s been so long since i left on a road trip without making hotel reservations or even knowing where my final stop would be. i decided to drive until 10 pm and then find a hotel. easier said than done. the 5 is a desolate interstate where there can be 30-40 miles between service outposts, but at last i found something in los banos way up in merced county.
i wanted to spend a little time in santa rosa, about an hour north of san francisco, driving around, looking at houses on my redfin app. i’m unfamiliar with santa rosa, but it had a great vibe and plenty of housing options.
lately i’ve developed an obsession with finding my future retirement community. northern california and southern oregon are at the very top of the list. i need to be within an hour or so of the ocean, dark skies, less population density, more rain, a cooler climate, affordable housing, and plenty of quirky, arty, liberal-minded peeps around. i’m headed to the eureka area in the spring to explore, and maybe brookings, oregon this summer. naturally i’ll count on hearing from you about santa rosa and anywhere else you want to tell me about that’s on the west coast.
after an hour or 2 in santa rosa i headed further north, then started westwards towards the coast on hwy 128 straight through the gorgeous anderson valley and boonville. sublimely beautiful.
now i am here in caspar. my little cottage is dreamy and as i type this i am sitting in front of an open window from which i can see the white caps of the pacific through a meadow, picket fence, and coastal pine.
yesterday upon arriving, i quickly unpacked and hurried out across the street onto the headlands.
nothing but the sounds of blowing grass and the great heartbeat of the ocean.
i have settled in for lots of blogging, sketching, reading, walking, and dreaming. my days will be punctuated by strolls along the headlands and rambles into mendocino and fort bragg. breathing deep. happy to be alive. right here.
let me know what you’re getting up to in your worlds. you know i’m always curious.
see you soon.
Mary Ann – maybe check out Sebastopol and/or Graton (Sonoma County)? Gualala also comes to mind.
I too would love to relocate in Northern California but, the cost of living is soooo high!
Last year my husband and I decided to “age in place” because we have owned our house for thirty years and it is in a nice enough area and close to SF, but I still dream of places where I would want to live (the problem for me is that there is no access to Kaiser Health Centers which after having it for forty-five years I am reluctant to give up for something else.) My two favorite choices would be Morro Bay (even though I grew up in Pasadena, my parents had a small cabin in Cayucos where we spent all vacations and I went to college in SLO. It always feels like a second home. Luckily in Jan. I get a week’s stay there.) My other place is Healdsburg…would love a town with a central plaza in it and little Victorian cottages. Have lovely treks making your decision!
so many things to consider when relocating. where are you again lois? i’ve been in healdsburg and agree it’s lovely! i gotta get somewhere quieter with darker skies.
In Orinda, first town through the tunnels behind Berkeley. It is pretty rural but if we hadn’t come here so many years ago we wouldn’t be doing it now. Probably the story over and over in California except for tech titans!😄
You def have to let me know when you’ll be in Humboldt County!!
March!
Cool. Keep me posted.
Keep us updated on the hunt for the retirement community. May join you…. so far I have my island retreat in the gulf (not quite ocean), less population density (only so many folks fit on an island), affordable (so far) and plenty of quirky, arty, liberal-minded peeps around. Missing the cooler temps and dark skies and west coast proximity. Enjoy your retreat! .. Sharon aka ArtL8dy
my friend pam and i have said for years we need a retirement village on the coast with little paths joining our cottages. we can enjoy solitude and people when we want. a tiny community of perhaps 20. sounds good right?
Happy to be alive. That is itself is SO GOOD. Enjoy.
Florence Oregon
I hope you find your Shangri-la. Southern Oregon might just be the place. No income tax! Just saying. Have a nice trip.
I’m daydreaming of your trip, some of it so familiar from our vacation years ago. And what a cute cottage you’ve rented. I’m sure you’ll mosey into Gallery Books in Mendocino – I love that shop. Here, we’re preparing for a big snowstorm, expecting 8-14″ of snow the next few days followed the end the week by a Canadian cold front, dropping high temps to around 7 degrees and lows below zero. Might need to get more bird seed. Relax and enjoy, MAM! P.S. Your perfect retirement town sounds like a place I’d love, too. Hope you find it. San Juan Island is sunny and lovely, but probably “spendy” as the locals here say.
snowed in! so cozy and white and wonderful…
i don’t understand how the little birds can survive such cold temps!
Oh my ~ such memories! I grew up in Merced, so Los Banos was a fairly close neighbor. “Cotton is King” territory…
Have fun along the “Lost Coast”!
Wonderful, perfect even! ♥
I love Sonoma County but am so glad I bought my property 41 years ago when it was affordable. Not so anymore. But maybe coming from Los Angeles it would seem affordable? I know these things can be relative. Have a great time in Caspar!
not many places i want to live in california (outside of dense urban areas) are affordable. i’ll do a sonoma county search and see what comes up…
Have fun-Mendocino is incredible! If you go to the corner of Little Lake St. and Carlson St., you will see a spacious corner with a green house-my great-grandfather built that house in 1881, and my mother was born there in 1913. The two families lived there and grew vegetables and sold them. There is a “miracle story” to the house-a friend had been attending my monthly SoulCollage workshops for ten years—last November when I showed a picture of the house to the ladies, she told me that she knew the house and had once lived in it, working for the family that has owned it for a long time. I was dumbfounded-then, another friend was up there on vacation, saw people going into the house and asked if she could see it. She was able to go inside and take a few pictures to send me! It was the first I had ever seen inside.
Yep, Mendocino is a special place!!!!! You have fun and say hello to the village for me!
oh that is a lovely story sandy! i will drive by the green house and tip my hat to your GG and mom.
Oh, that is exciting. Have you taken a look at Fort Bragg? I loved it there……
Mary Ann–First, I must ask: Were those giant pine cones real? Holy moly!
Your comment about the distance between stops reminds me of all those signs in movies. You know, “50 miles until next gas station.” I don’t think I’ve ever driven anywhere like that.
What am I up to? Working the last Sunday before Christmas break starts. Addressing my cards. Trying to finish a Blurb book of my trip to London. Rewatching some of the Stitchbookery videos, trying to decide on what style of journal for my next trip.
Preparing for Christmas here in Stockton with family coming from Santa Rosa, San Francisco and Novato THEN I get to go to my little cabin in Cazadero (just west of Guerneville and about 5 Miles East of Jenner)…heaven. I live here, taking care of my mom, but plan to retire to Caz someday. The redwoods, the cool climate (San Francisco weather), short jaunt to the ocean, river fun in the summer and lots of great people. Have a GREAT time here in Northern California!
sally, when i was on the sonoma coast in timber cove a few years ago i remember you were also at your little cabin filled with books and very cozy as i recall…
Mary Ann! You just described the retirement community known as greater Seattle (or Portland). It fits all your requirements, as long as you don’t try to live right in Seattle. Arty, liberal, close to mountains, water all around, seasonal, rain, perfect summers, within an hour easily of culture and much to do. Give us a chance!
oh i have considered it and still am! i’m not sure how i would deal with all the grey days or lack of sandy beaches to walk on (in washington). don’t think there are many in the entire puget sound area…? i crave crashing waves and a long stretch of sand. but maybe just being close to the water would satisfy. hmmmm…