We woke up to another beautiful day in San Francisco. We
slept in a little bit, which was good because we needed the rest. The Hotel
California we were staying at had a really nice continental breakfast in the
hotel restaurant complete with waffles, meats, cheeses, fruit, and other usuals
for hotel breakfasts.
We left early, expecting to just catch a glimpse of
Chinatown before we headed out. When we got down there, Grant Street was
already bustling with activity. If you have ever been to Chinatown, you know
how the little stores there are. Most of what they have is cheap and very
touristy. Every few stops there is an electronics store boasting great deals,
but mostly they just sell junk. We stopped in one shop to look at new lenses
for the Canon camera we borrowed from my parents to use on the trip. We found a
75/300mm lens that was amazing, came in the original packaging, had a warranty
and was selling for $400 less than what we could find on Amazon. It was too
good to pass up, so we went for it and it has by far been the best investment
thus far on the trip. The lens gets us so close to sights off the coast that we
wouldn’t be able to see because of the distance. I’m seriously so pumped about
it.
As we were walking through Chinatown, we stumbled on the North
Beach street fair taking place in Little Italy. It was like this little corner
of the city had been transformed into an art show. Unfortunately, we had to get
back to the hotel to check out on time. I wish we had had more time to spend
there.
After we checked out, we started the trip to Mendocino. It
was listed on Google Maps as a 3 hour and 7 minute drive. 5 hours later, we
rolled into our hotel. We think it must have been the nice weather, but the
traffic getting out of San Francisco was absolutely ridiculous. We soon learned
there are two really nice beaches just north of the city where it seemed like
everyone in Northern California was headed. It took us nearly 40 minutes just
to get passed Sausolito on the other side of the Golden Gate Bridge.
Arriving at the Andiron Inn & Cabins was well worth the
wait. This little collection of themed cabins is a diamond in the rough. There
are a total of 12 cabins here each with a different theme. The entire property
is set to a 1950s décor, and when we walked in our cabin for the first time,
the owners had left us a few surprises. First, there was a radio playing 1950’s
big band music from the likes of Sinatra and Crosby. Second, there were two
handwritten notes for us congratulating us on our marriage and welcoming us to
the Andiron. They also left us a bottle of wine, which Jason enjoyed before
bed.
After getting settled in our cabin, we headed up the main
house where the owners of the Inn were serving a little happy hour sangria and
tapas. I had an ice cold ginger ale (how 50s of me!) and Jason enjoyed a glass
of their house made beverage.
After happy hour, we drove two miles south to the town of
Albion to have dinner at what the owner of our cabin called the most beautiful
view on the coast of the U.S. It did not disappoint, and I think this meal was
the best piece of salmon I have ever tasted in my life. The raw oysters were
also from a spot less than a mile away, which made them fresh and delicious.
When we returned back to our cabin, we headed over to the
hot tub which was secluded and tucked away behind the trees. The water was
perfect and we enjoyed the serenity of this perfect natural setting, including
the HUGE bugs!
After the hot tub, we joined the other hotel guests under
the stars for a late night showing of Dirty
Dancing. The owners also brought us all little bags of popcorn, which they
made from scratch on a stove in the main house.
Finally, we returned back to our cabin to do a little
stargazing. The sky is unlike anything I have ever seen before because we are
so far away from the lights of any major city. It’s like there isn’t a dark
patch to be found. Our cabin came with star maps, two telescopes and a pair of
binoculars, which we used to look towards the night’s sky.
Tomorrow, we will head into the Redwood forest for our one
and only night camping during this trip. It’ll be strange but nice to go off
the grid for a day or so. We’re looking forward to some great experiences in
this amazing natural part of the country. I probably won't be able to blog until Monday sometime. I doubt the Avenue of Giants has a wifi. :)
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