2003 Coastal Trail Expedition

MacKerricher State Park to Point Cabrillo Lighthouse

June 27, 2003

June 27: Mendocino CountyMacKerricher State Park to Point Cabrillo Lighthouse.  14 miles Yesterday, on our layover day, we hit Fort Bragg like the U.S. Navy’s Seventh Fleet hits San Francisco. Except that once free we didn’t head for bars and bordellos but rather to bistros and bookstores, ice cream shops and the laundromat. That all…

Pt. Cabrillo Lighthouse to Buckhorn Cove

June 28, 2003

June 28: Mendocino County Pt. Cabrillo Lighthouse to Buckhorn Cove (US 1 MP 46.3) 12.8 miles Our camp at Van Damme State Park was approximately ¾ mile from the beach, and we awoke to a sunlit morning. But down at the coast itself, we were confronted with the first fog and chilly breezes in several…

Mendocino County: near Buckhorn Cove (MP 46.3) to Elk

June 29, 2003

June 29: Mendocino CountyMendocino County: near Buckhorn Cove (MP 46.3) to Elk. 12.2 miles The day started at Van Damme State Park with very wet fog — anything left out overnight was soaked. Our dinner the night before was made by many members of the Durney Family from SonomaCounty led by head cook Si Durney (who…

Elk to Stoneboro Road

June 30, 2003

June 30: Mendocino CountyElk to Stoneboro Road. 13.6 miles In order for Mel to get the Melmobile back to Fort Bragg, repaired, and back in service to pick us up in the afternoon, we broke camp early and without having breakfast. We were transported back to Elk, arriving at 8, opening time for the Roadhouse…

Mendocino County. Stoneboro Road to Schooner Gulch

July 1, 2003

July 1: Mendocino County Stoneboro Road to Schooner Gulch. 10.4 miles Last night after our feast of abalone cakes, salmon, wonderful flowered green salad, bread, pilaf and ice cream, we were given a tour of the Point Arena lighthouse facility. Our guide was Jeff Gayles, who is managing the effort to properly restore this historical…

Mendocino County. Schooner Gulch to the Sonoma County line

July 2, 2003

July 2: Mendocino CountySchooner Gulch to the Sonoma County line. 12.0 miles Today was another day devoted mostly to road walking. It being the middle of the week, traffic was fairly light. We started a half-hour earlier than normal so that we could finish the day early and be able to start our scheduled layover…

Layover day at Sea Ranch

July 3, 2003

July 3: Menodcino CountyLayover day at Sea Ranch Our rental at Sea Ranch, at the extreme northerly part of Sonoma County, serves two purposes. First, it has allowed us a well-deserved rest. Our two-story, 4-bedroom rental with a hot tub is ideal for chilling out. Second, we have bought ourselves the right to walk all…

Meet the Hikers : Linda and Diana (and we-couldn’t-do- it-without-you Mel)

July 4, 2003

July 4: Sonoma CountyMeet the Hikers : Linda and Diana (and we-couldn’t-do-it-without-you Mel) Linda Hanes is a 63-year old, retired librarian from Sebastopol. Linda has been active in Coastwalk for many years and currently is President. Motivations: “To experience the extent and varied content of this trail, which will someday be regarded as one of…

Gualala Visitor’s Center to Stewart’s Point

July 4, 2003

July 4: Sonoma CountyGualala Visitor’s Center to Stewart’s Point. 13 miles The first task for us on Independence Day was to clean our rental house from one end to the other. We then drove back to the Gualala Visitor’s Center where we began our day, walking first out to the bluff and then, entering Sea…