Mendocino

We returned to the Mendocino coast, camping this time at the Caspar Beach RV park. Getting there from inland involved crossing the coastal mountain range - a strenuous chore under tow. We were constantly accumulating cars behind our bulk, and pulling over in the turnouts to let them pass, but each time caused us to lose momentum or brake hard, so I hope the courtesy was appreciated. The campground was OK, and we might have disliked it a lot if we hadn't gotten one of the best sites, on the end of the row, with a decent "yard". Most of the others were packed in like sardines and had tiny, shared yards.

Across the street from the campground was Caspar Beach, which was really nice.


The kayaking in this area is fantastic, and we went twice, once right from this beach, once from down the road at Van Damme Beach. The water was gin clear, kelp waved in the swells, rocks covered with mussels, barnacles and starfish, perched upon by gulls and oystercatchers. One ledge was home to a dozen or so massive sea lions. We had fun riding the swells as they surged around rocks & reefs, and as they rushed through narrow gaps and tunnels:





Definitely two of the best paddles we've had on our travels.

We also went for a nice hike, and I had a short but fun bike ride, but these pale in comparison with the quality of the paddling. Love the Mendocino coast!