A supply run and a walk in the park

The very nice Harvest Market at Mendoza’s here in Mendocino didn’t have a couple of things I wanted, so after I had some perfect biscuits & gravy at GoodLife Cafe & Bakery I drove ten miles to the Safeway in Fort Bragg. 

The first time I was ever in Fort Bragg was, oh, 1983. My then-girlfriend and I were in Mendocino for a romantic weekend and decided to ride the historic Skunk Train that runs from Fort Bragg to Willits and back. It was not a great experience for us. The novelty of riding an old train through the forest wore off after a few minutes into the hours long round trip. Also, we picked a lunch spot at random in Willits that served the absolute worst Chinese food I’ve ever tried to eat.

Anyway, the Safeway was just like any Safeway. They had what I wanted and I was on my way back to Mendocino in no time. Early Sunday mornings are not only a good time to skirt large metro areas, but also a good time for grocery shopping.

There are a couple of state parks between Fort Bragg and Mendocino. The first one is the small Jug Handle State Reserve. It’s free, and it was a sunny morning with the fog way off shore, so I pulled in and went for a walk. There’s the ocean, of course, but also a small patch of creepy forest. 

There is also a path down to a sand bar beach. But by the time I came out of the woods I was feeling last night’s lack of sleep. I woke up at 2:23 and, ergh, stayed up. So I napped in the Rolling Steel Tent for, oh my, a couple of hours. The parking lot was busy, and a lot of slamming car doors — and a yapping dog — woke me up.

I was still weary as I got back on the highway, so I skipped hiking in Russian Gulch State Park, found a good parking spot in Mendocino, and slept for another couple of hours. You can do stuff like that when you’re an retired old fart.