Linda B. Mullally, Travels with the Mullallys: The nostalgic, iconic and bucolic along the Northern California coast

My idea to drive to the Mendocino Coast Botanical Gardens turned a lark into a getaway of discovery for the Mullally pack. The heart of the journey, 120 miles of twists and spirals along Highway 1 between Bodega Bay and Fort Bragg treated my husband David and I to the pristine landscape’s mesmerizing beauty laced with fascinating nuggets of California and pop culture history while rewarding Kulu, our young Siberian husky, with a boon of stroll and sniff stops. Bodega is famous for Hitchcock’s thrilling scenes in the 1963 film, “The Birds.” The Doran Beach Trail in Bodega Bay is a lovely spot for a leg stretch and never fails to stir David’s fascination with geology knowing that we are walking atop the San Andreas Fault, the largest earthquake fault in North America.

Continuing north, the road snaked around to tiny Jenner across the Russian River’s estuary before the sweeping climb from the Sonoma Coast’s seal-strewn beachhead and sea stacks to the cliff top. Less than 30 minutes beyond Jenner, Fort Ross State Historic Park’s chapel’s belfry, the architectural jewel of Russia’s southernmost settlement in the Americas of the early 1800s, appeared on the west side of Highway 1. This National Historic Landmark reveals more of its cultural significance with every visit. A couple of curves ahead, sculptor Benny Bufano’s 93-foot-tall totem Peace, dominates the knoll at Timber Cove Lodge. The dog-friendly historic lodge is a convenient stop for a meal, an overnight or a photo op for Bufano fans.

The iconic Sea Ranch community marked the halfway point on our coastal pilgrimage. The cozy dog-friendly Sea Ranch Lodge is an inviting rest stop for famished travelers or an overnight in one of its 17 oceanfront guest rooms. There are five public beaches with designated parking areas off Highway 1 within the private development. A walk along the beach access trails is an opportunity to admire the variations in the sleek geometric design of the homes, organically integrating into the natural environment with weathered redwood exteriors disappearing into the fog mist.  Sixty years later, the community remains true to the developers’ vision for a planned development dominated by nature. On the east side of Highway 1, just 4 miles short of the Gualala River Bridge into Mendocino County, we always make a point of stopping at the unusual and whimsical snail shell-shaped building nestled at the edge of the forest. Sea Ranch’s nondenominational chapel marries nature and art with exquisite craftsmanship highlighted by wood, stone and sunlight-filtering stained glass.

The small bluff top village of Gualala may be short on glam, but its two small well-stocked supermarkets, Trink’s Café’s fresh menu and the Seafood Shack’s tasty deep fried staples satisfy all appetites. Our curiosity piqued by a bustle of activity on the roadside led us to the Pay ‘n’ Take. Gualala’s version of a flea market was a real “happening!” David walked out with a $200 Swiss Diamond frying pan for $5!  Four-Eyed Frog bookstore and photographer Paul Kozal’s Studio 391 gallery at the north end of town were unexpected treasures.

Continuing north we took a few minutes to admire St. Orre’s Inn’s stunning architecture honoring the area’s Russian heritage and the skill of local artists and artisans. Highway 1 is a blend of dramatic and bucolic, punctuated by pocket beaches, secluded coves, coastal plains and undulating forested hills inland between Point Arena and Fort Bragg. Point Arena Lighthouse stands guard at the south end of the route while Point Cabrillo Light Station is the northern sentinel, both operational with on-site vacation rentals.  As we approached Little River, the Heritage House Inn, now marketed as a resort & spa, is a must stop for the romance and nostalgia associated with the 1978 movie, “Same Time Next Year” starring Alan Alda and Ellen Burstyn. A short stroll across the lovely grounds leads to the discreet twin cabins, Same Time and Next Year perched above the Pacific.

We soaked up Mendocino’s funky charm with its sprinkle of iconic wooden water towers, some repurposed into cozy accommodations or retail spaces. The back streets lead us down memory lane with classic film and popular television series locations. Fans of Angela Lansbury in the TV series “Murder She Wrote” love to overnight in the lovely Victorian Blair House Inn B&B even though it was only the exterior that was used as the home of the amateur detective in the fictional Maine town of Cabot Cove. The Mendocino Art Center now occupies the lot where the Denslow mansion was destroyed in a fire a year after it appeared as the brothel in the 1955 Academy Award-nominated film adaptation from John Steinbeck’s epic novel, “East of Eden.” Although Steinbeck’s classic was set in early 20th-century Salinas Valley, Mendocino was the primary filming location for visual period authenticity.

Finally, we arrived at the Mendocino Coast Botanical Gardens. In this instance, our pot of gold at the end of the rainbow was a plethora of rhododendrons in bloom. This unique dog-friendly year-round botanical garden boasts 4 miles of paths that meander in an enchantingly natural setting along a creek and woodlands before emerging on the coast. We gorged on the bouquet of colors, variety of plants and the sprinkle of sculpted art.

Intrigued by a paragraph on a visitor website, we made a side trip to Fort Bragg’s Guest House Museum. I stood overwhelmed and humbled next to a colossal section of an almost 1,800-year-old redwood tree considered the largest tree to have grown in Mendocino County before it was felled. The coastal adventure had boosted our appetite, so we capped our wanderings with fish and chips on the deck of the Sea Pal Cove in the nostalgically scruffy Noyo Harbor where Goldie Hawn took a plunge in the 1987 rom-com, “Overboard.”  As we munched on our crispy cod bites, the parade of fishing boats returning to their berths reminded us that it was also time for us to set our sights toward home.

Carmel’s Linda and David Mullally share their passion for travel, outdoor recreation and dogs through articles, hiking books and photography at Falcon.com