California Part 2: Mendocino and Fort Bragg’s Glass Beach

For me, the appeal was yet another visit to Mendocino, probably my 15th or 20th over at least 30 years. (I was there twice last year alone!) For Lisa, the appeal was an opportunity to visit Glass Beach in nearby Fort Bragg.

Lisa’s verdict, as a first-time visitor: Being in Mendocino is wonderful. Getting to Mendocino, not so wonderful. I probably erred in choosing the coastal route, which is … long. And windy. (Note to self: Use the somewhat gentler Route 128 next time!)

We arrived on a cloudy evening and went for a walk along the coastal trails.

For all my times here, I had never been down on the beach below Mendocino. How did I let that happen?

An ocean coast with rocky cliffs and trees in fog. · Mendocino Headlands State Park, Mendocino, California

A sandy beach with a fort made of driftwood on a cloudy day. · Mendocino Headlands State Park, Mendocino, California

Saturday brought blue skies, which inspired more exploring …

A church spire with a statue on top against a blue sky. · Mendocino, California

Mendocino, California · by Lisa Rozmyn

… and lazing around and reading. I finished and quite enjoyed The Hunter, the latest novel from Tana French, shown here.

Mendocino, California

We arranged to go to Glass Beach, a short drive north from Mendocino, when there was a low tide on Saturday afternoon. Didn’t see a lot of sizable glass, but we did see the remains of industrial waste. Until the mid-1960s, the people of Fort Bragg dumped all manner of household and industrial waste over the cliff into the ocean. The ocean responded by assimilating some of the items into what now appears to be molten iron or some kind of rock, resulting in some rather fascinating “sculptures” embedded into otherwise natural rockscapes.

Glass Beach, Fort Bragg, California · by Lisa Rozmyn

Glass Beach, Fort Bragg, California

Glass Beach, Fort Bragg, California · by Lisa Rozmyn

I enjoyed the ebb and flow of waves in the tidal basins.

We did a brief exploration of Noyo Bay on our way out of Fort Bragg.

Noyo Bay, Fort Bragg, California

And then a bit of walking about on the coast when we got back into Mendocino.

A rocky ocean coast with a blue sky and some clouds on the horizon. · Mendocino Headlands State Park, Mendocino, California

A hiking trail along a rocky ocean coast. · Mendocino Headlands State Park, Mendocino, California