Mendocino, California

When we decided to travel down US Route 101 for a little bit, I had no idea we would wander into a small, beautiful, seaside village called Mendocino, California.

Mendocino immediately felt like a peaceful gem—my first true respite on this trip (from the painful realities I’d been witnessing in the USA).

Mendocino's quiet mist awakened us. Mendocino’s sunshine warmed us as we hiked through wild dry grasses.

We were amazed that we could feel the ground shake when roaring waves crashed into Mendocino’s tall cliff shores, the pelican colonies casually watching it all.

Over and over again.

We could walk everywhere in this quaint seaside village, this clean little hamlet, this small outcropping of a town currently filled with artists, environmentalists, and forward thinkers.

And, incredibly, two local eateries were such exceptional gf vegan food experiences that I’ve written individual posts about them…

• the Fog Eater Cafe

• the Stanford Inn

Their food tasted beyond words. Their ambiance soothed.

I did not want to leave this eclectic little community surrounded by natural beauty—and had Mendocino’s weather remained in perpetual late summer, I’m not sure I could have.