Visit to Fort Bragg, Ca-Mendocino CoastThe temperature in Redding on Labor Day weekend was predicted to rise well over 110 degrees so we thought it would be a good excuse to visit Trevor's parents in their new home town along the coast. They moved to Fort Bragg, Ca just two and a half weeks before and were just thrilled to be in cooler temperatures. Not only was Redding predicted to have record high temperatures but the wildfires in the area kept the air thick with smoke so the ocean air sounded heavenly. We drove for 4 and a half hours; traveled through Williams, Clear Lake and Willits. Hwy 20 is one of the windiest roads I've ever driven. The plan for the day was to take it easy, maybe check out some of the local shops and we were able to catch part of the ugly dog contest that was happening as part of the Paul Bunyan festival. The weather was unusually hot there too (High 80s-90s) and the parking was terrible because of the festival. We explored a little - after all Mom and Dad had to show us all the cool local spots. Mom insisted we had to have a cookie from The Mendocino Cookie Company's coffee shop and cookies, bakery, located in the historic Union Lumber Company Store in the center of Fort Bragg. We rested for a bit and ate some dinner and then afterwards we decided we'd check out Glass beach since we'd had that on our list of "must see" attractions. The parking lot was overcrowded so we drove past it and parked along the nature trail and decided to walk towards MacKerricher State Park – Laguna Point to let the dogs get some exercise. We did eventually see Glass Beach, on Sunday, but I was pleased that we skipped it the first night especially after the images I was able to capture I could see the sun was going down quickly and the fires near and far caused the sun to be somewhat of a hazy, deep orange- almost red color. I captured a couple of images along the path with the reflection of the sun on the water. Click on any image to Order... it was this view that welcomed me to the Pacific Ocean.... i could see the distant water of the ocean but no waves just yet. just on the other side of these weeds is a beautiful site! Once we got to where we could see the waves and rocks along the coast line I was in awe. I was absolutely impressed with the light show mother nature was giving us. I pretty much planted myself and took picture after picture composing each carefully to try and capture as much of the beauty we were witnessing as I possibly could without using a tripod (I left it in the car). mother nature can sure put on a light show in Fort Bragg! what a sight to see! I would love to photograph a stunning bride and and groom from here... maybe a quaint wedding at the peak here... permitting of course... I was impressed with the changing colors of the sky reflecting off the ocean and the way that the rays shined through the clouds... and just when I thought the show was over... the sun glowing red as it could be... peaked out from the clouds I wish I would've recorded as a time lapse.
We were literally surrounded by beauty. I hope you enjoy what I captured and if you ever have the chance to visit the Mendocino Coast line I highly recommend staying for a sunset or two. I also recommend stopping in at the Headlands coffee House afterward; have a beer or a coffee and listen to some live music. I encourage you stop to view some pretty amazing photographs of the area at the THE MENDOCINO COAST PHOTOGRAPHY GALLERY you're likely to meet at least one of the artists. Their work is impressive and inspirational to me. They've captured hundreds of these beautiful sunsets and everything is tastefully displayed and available for purchase. The cookies from The Mendocino Cookie Company ARE pretty amazing! I am looking forward to our next visit (but not the drive). See full Gallary here! Click to Order...
Keywords:
Adventure,
Beach,
california,
coast,
fort bragg,
Mendocino coast,
ocean,
photographers,
sky,
sun,
sunset
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