Mendocino Virtual Office

Trip date: October 2022

The last time I went to Mendocino with my friend Aaron, it was during a pandemic, I had to drive 818 miles, and we ate outside on the deck at Michelin-starred Harbor House.

This time I flew down to Santa Rosa, had a house rental with friends Aaron and Albert, and ate inside at the Harbor House... twice!

I started off in the Alaska Lounge, which is so great for breakfast and a mimosa before flying out of SeaTac. I had checked my bag because I was bringing some cocktail makings so I didn't even realize until I was onboard that this wasn't the small prop plane I was used to for the flight to STS. This time I was on on new Max 737-800 and was even upgraded to Premium! 

STS airport is going through some major renovations and at the time I was there baggage claim was outside under a tent! Aaron and Albert met me to wait for my bag to come off a small truck and then we headed to Unti Vineyard for a tasting.

I've been a big fan of Unti for years but I hadn't visited in a long time. They have a lovely new-to-me tasting room; no more sipping in the warehouse! We grabbed a picnic table outside, as the guys had picked up sandwiches from Loveski Deli for our lunch, and had a delicious time eating, drinking, and catching up.  

It was a 2-hour drive from Sonoma to our Airbnb in tiny town of Manchester. But most of it is through gorgeous redwoods! Once the redwoods end, the road twists and turns along the stunning Mendocino County coastline. It's truly such a beautiful drive!

We had a big 3 bedroom, 2 bathroom house, right on the cliffs overlooking the sea, with a full length deck and a hot tub. The house had a real 70s vibe (think paneling and bronze fixtures) but the views made up for the lack of modern decor. 

Dinner that night was in the small town of Arena at Izakaya Gama, which is owned by some friend's of Aarons. Albert's and Aaron's friends from LA, Amy and Lena, met us and we basically ordered the entire menu. The food here is fantastic! If you are in the area, I'd say it is a do-not-miss. Trout sashimi, chawanmushi with the sweetest uni, karaage, and this amazing strawberry "shaved ice" dessert were highlights for me. But really, everything was awesome!

Back out the house we tried out the hot tub and took in the incredible sky full of stars. It had been a great first day!

The next morning was Monday and as this was a working trip we were all on our laptops for a while. Just before lunch, Aaron, Amy, Lena, and I went for a great walk on Irish Beach. It's a beautiful stretch of sand and no one else was there, except for a sea lion!

We all then had lunch at Harbor House! Except for Aaron and me it was everyone's first time and it was so fun to see their reactions to the beautiful location. 

It was a very good 4+ course lunch with my favorite dish being the black cod with fermented cucumber. It was so simple looking but the flavors were just perfect, relying on the quality of the fish which was exceptional. 

After lunch we had our garden infusion (tea) on the deck and went for a nice walk around the grounds and down to the beach. It was a super fun and beautiful lunch!

That evening I made us all cocktails for happy hour which we had outside on our deck. Aaron grilled up sausages for dinner and we had a big salad to go with. And the cherry on top was the most dramatic sunset! Such a fun day with everyone!

Amy and Lena were leaving the next day so I got up early (for me), took Aaron's car (with permission of course) and met them for a morning beach hike. This time we went to check out Bowling Ball Beach which I had seen lots of photos of. Unfortunately I hadn't read that you can only see these rocks at low tide. And it wasn't!

We climbed down the hill and had a nice walk on Schooner Gulch State Beach instead. I wouldn't go out of my way to walk here, as it's pretty short, but it was great to see the girls again before they took off. 

Before I headed back to my office, aka the Airbnb, I stopped at the Point Arena Lighthouse. There's a small entry fee and luckily they took tap-to-pay as I only had my phone on me!

While waiting for my tour to start I went through the very interesting museum. I learned that this lighthouse was powered by a first order Fresnel Lens; the largest of its kind at over six feet in diameter and more than six tons in weight. It's not used anymore but it's still there to see.

The museum has lots of info on shipwrecks in the area as well as destruction caused by earthquakes. If you aren't doing the tour you can still go through the museum and gift shop.

It's 145 steps up to the top of the lighthouse; the tallest on the west coast. The views from up here are gorgeous and the gentleman who was working at the top pointed out the site of the last shipwreck as well as the erosion of the ground that the lighthouse is on. 

The rest of the week went pretty much the same; morning coffee in the hottub followed by work and then afternoon hikes and outings. We cooked at home in the evenings and enjoyed the views.

One afternoon Albert, Aaron, and I did a short hike out to Manchester Beach. The trail starts at the campground there and leads straight out on a dirt trail that turns into a sand trail. It was late in the day when we went and we were the only ones there! Stunning!

One afternoon we headed to the town of Mendocino; my first time! It was about a 45 minute drive up the gorgeous coast. 

We started with delicious smash burgers in the garden of The Brickery This is such a pretty spot! I hear good things about their dinner options too. Highly recommend a stop here.

We wandered around town a bit and then did a short hike on the Headlands. It was such a gorgeous day and the views were awesome!

We made it a loop by walking back through town and past the "Angela Lansbury" house. Just as we were heading back to the car thick fog started rolling in. Within an hour there was zero visibility! 

Before heading home we drove out to visit our friend and talented potter, Cliff Glover. We had a lovely visit over some tea in his garden and then did a bit of shopping!  

The next day we woke up to complete, white-out foggy conditions so after our morning work we visited Sanny Ceramics and met Jason who is another very talented potter. No one's wallet was safe!!

We stopped at the Elk Store for sandwiches and while eating outside in the chilly foggy weather we decided to head inland and go for a hike in the redwoods at Big Hendy Grove in Anderson Valley. This ended up being a wonderful plan as there was no fog and it was sunny and warm!

Hiking amongst towering trees is one of my very favorite things. The smell of the forest, the way the tops sway, the silent majesty... I absolutely love it! 

Afterwards, we stopped in for a wine tasting at Navarro Winery which has been producing wine since 1974. It was a lovely setting and there was no tasting fee!

Finally, the reason for the trip! Dinner at Michelin 2-star Harbor House! Unfortunately the fog was still laying low on the coast completely hiding the lovely view. Fortunately dinner was so very good that we almost forgot about it. We were seated in the gorgeous wood paneled dining room, right in front of the fireplace. Absolutely perfect for the cool evening.

The tasting menu was 9 or so courses and Aaron and I did the alcohol pairings (wine, beer, saki) while Albert did the non-alcoholic pairing (juice and tea). 

Service and dishes here are both wonderful. Most courses were assembled tableside which was a great touch, and we saw some Cliff Glover pottery in use!

It had been a fantastic week on the coast, even if we couldn't see it for the last two days, and this was a great way to end it. 

The next morning we packed up the car and checked out. As Albert was putting out the garbage he found a (live) racoon in the bin! YIKES! We left the lid open and called the property owners to make sure they would send someone over to release it!

The guys were driving me back to the airport before heading to LA. We stopped in Healdsburg and did a little shopping around before having lunch at Little Saint. The setting is super cute (it's in the old Shed space) but I wasn't overly excited for lunch as the resto is vegan. 

But I have to say everything was very good! 

After we shared some ice cream from Noble Folk and then I did a quick wine tasting at Lioco. 

And then the lovely week was over; time to say goodbye to Aaron, Albert, and CA. While I was doing a bit of work at the airport I was notified that I had been upgraded to First Class! A perfect ending.

All photos from this trip here. 

Palm Springs Virtual Office

Trip date: September 2021

I had just returned from Palm Springs when the pandemic hit in March 2020.  By the fall of 2021 I had only flown one other time and was missing my annual sun-cation. I was also missing tan lines as the pandemic had really put a damper on beach vacations! So I booked my 2nd flight during COVID, packed my bikini and my laptop, and headed south to work remote for a week. 

I actually didn't realize until I was headed to the airport that it was September 11th, and the 20th anniversary of 9/11. There was absolutely no one in the Clear/Precheck TSA area which was quite eerie. And a lot of folks on the flight were visibly anxious with the anniversary and the pandemic. So a relaxing flight it was not!

It was crazy hot when we landed and I was very happy to get into my rental car and blast the A/C. The townhouse I had rented was just 1 mile from downtown, in a gated community, and had a private enclosed courtyard with pool & hot tub. I would not have to be around anyone I didn't want to be around.

Inside was a big kitchen/dining room, comfy sectional, big screen tv complete with Roku and a gorgeous fireplace. And upstairs was a bedroom loft and a covered balcony area that looked down on the pool. As I wasn't planning on going out much, this space was absolutely perfect!

I headed to Jensen's grocery and did a big shop to stock up my place for the week. Then back to the townhouse for some rosé in the pool with a floatie. It was 108F so no need to pay for the pool to be heated!! When I finally got out of the pool I had a lovely night in the A/C and a delicious roast chicken dinner thanks to the grocery store deli.

Originally I had planned on heading out each morning for a walk through the various neighborhoods like I normally do. I had even bookmarked a couple of new-to-me hikes. But it was just way too hot to be out during the day with the temps above 100F every day (& one day 110F!). So every single day I got in the pool with my morning coffee and read on my kindle. Then I spent the afternoon working, while taking pool and book breaks. When it cooled off in the evenings I had a quick hot tub before making dinner and watching movies. It was heaven and my tan lines were back!

I did go out a few times to places requiring proof of vaccination. My friend Nathan, who lives there, and I headed to local fave Bootlegger Tiki one evening for pre dinner drinks. When it is hot, nothing cools like a tiki drink (or two)! It had been a few years since I had been and it was still just as good. 

That evening we had dinner at Sandfish Sushi which I had wanted to go to for quite awhile. It was absolutely fantastic! We ordered way to much food, and I had a few now-rare Japanese whiskeys, which are my faves! Service was fantastic and the restaurant is gorg. I'd highly recommend!

Another night Nathan and I had drinks at PSAir, a little cocktail bar hidden in the back of a local wine/liquor shop. My brother had sent me a few photos the last time he had been in town so I was looking forward to checking it out.

As the name hints, this speakeasy is all airline themed. You sit in what looks to be a plane's fuselage complete with first class leather airline seats. A screen shows aircraft taking off and landing while servers bring you "First Class Nuts" and "Paper Plane" cocktails. 

It's cheeky and silly and absolutely fun. We even ran into one of Nathan's friends there who is a flight attendant! Very meta!

For dinner we headed to the bar at Mr. Lyons for big prime rib steaks. An excellent evening!

Another evening a friend who also happened to be in town invited me to dinner and drinks at Workshop Kitchen. It had been years since I'd been and it was still great! We chose to sit outside on their large patio which was lovely albeit a bit warm!

And one afternoon a couple of friends and I braved the heat and had a lovely lunch at El Patio, which I hadn't been to before. The restaurant has a big outside patio, shaded by a huge tree and complete with misters. Our lunch was soooo good! I highly recommend the mezcalita and the shrimp ceviche! Delicious!!

I was just absolutely loving my little condo and was very sad when I had to think about packing up to head home. I had a morning flight on my last day which made sense as my checkout was in the morning too. But I was so bummed thinking about it the day before so I sent the host a note asking if there was any way I could stay all day and take a later flight home. Bingo! 5pm check out for an additional $40 and $98 for the evening flight on Alaska into Seattle. 

I spent the entire day in the pool with my book, going inside to do some work in the A/C from time to time. At 4pm I got cleaned up and packed up and left my sweet little private townhouse. Quite a different PS trip than in years past, but exactly what I needed!

All Palm Springs photos here. 

Lake Tahoe in the Spring

Trip date: May 2021

Day 8. Yosemite to Lake Tahoe- 231 miles

What should have been a 5 hour drive from Yosemite to Lake Tahoe took me 6. It was a Wednesday before the first big weekend of the season and there was a lot road construction in the park to get ready. Also I started on a road that ended up being closed and had to backtrack a bit. 

It was a long drive through little towns that had been established during the California Gold Rush. I drove past Groveland, Angels Camp, Jackson; small town Americana. I didn't have time to stop though, my brother was already in Tahoe and I was excited to meet up with him. 

The entire drive was pretty windy but the last part around Emerald Bay on South Lake Tahoe was total white knuckle! I was tired, the road is narrow, has sheer drops on both sides with no guardrails and hairpin turns. It's such a tough drive that the speed limit is 5 MPH!

I finally made it to Sunnyside Resort in Tahoe City;  I had booked the Crystal Bay Suite with a balcony overlooking the lake. My brother was waiting for me at the bar (this was the first time I had sat at a bar because of Covid since March 2020!) with Mai Tais. Seemed odd that we each got 2-free Mai Tai vouchers when we checked in. Even more odd when I saw Hula Pie on the dessert menu. Turns out the resort is part of the TS Restaurants chain that owns Duke's and Kimo's in Hawaii. The mai tais were great! We decided to stay in for the night and had dinner in the restaurant and night caps in my room.

The next morning, after coffee on the deck, Mark and I took off to explore the area since I had never been before. The first thing we did was a bit of shopping in Tahoe City as the temperature was dropping rapidly and it was starting to snow! Coming from high 80s and mid 90s I wasn't packed for snow! Welcome to spring at Tahoe.

Mark was kind enough to drive for the day and it felt nice to be a passenger again! We continued up to the North Shore/ Carnelian Bay area and had lunch at Gar Woods. Both the food and the view were excellent!

After lunch we continued around the lake on the Nevada side down to South Lake Tahoe. This area is definitely more built up and touristy than small Tahoe City on the west. I preferred the quieter area. 

This time when we drove around the 5 mph hairpin turns of Emerald Bay I was able to take in the views. It was still stressful, especially as it was full on snowing, and I was glad to not be driving!

We had originally planned on doing some hiking, but it was an enjoyable day driving around and getting views from all side. We made it back to the lodge and enjoyed 2 more complimentary mai tais in front of a big roaring fire!

That evening we had a really excellent dinner at Christy Hill Bistro. Our starter was the Yukon Gold Potato Hash, with pork loin, pearl onions, buttermilk dressing, and poached egg. YUM! My brother had a lovely steak dish and I had a pasta with rabbit. I'd highly recommend this restaurant, reservations are a must!

The next morning, after breakfast in front of the fire, I drove us to nearby Truckee. The tiny town is super cute and is steeped in history. It's here that the Emigrant Trail acted as a gateway for thousands of people headed west in hopes of opportunity, success, and adventure. 

The town gets crazy amounts of snowfall during the winter, averaging 168" of snow per year. Compare that to the national average of 28" of snow per year!! Truckee is just east of Donner Pass, known for the tragic fate of the Donner Party who tried to cross it in the winter of 1846. 

And because I have a fascination with odd things, I had told my brother that I really wanted to drive over the pass and then explore some of the abandoned train tunnels. And because he is the best, he said ok!

We got off of I 80 and took Donner Summit Road to McGlashan Point. This incredible viewpoint sits at about 6,500 feet elevation. It's dramatic to say the least!! There is a marker commemorating Charles Fayette McGlashan (1847-1931) which counts him as "Truckee’s patriarch, historian, author, editor, attorney, legislator, inventor, entomologist and astronomer." Nearby are also markers to the Donner Pass, Transcontinental Railroad, and others. 

We drove over the Donner Summit Bridge and continued following my map to the Donner Tunnels. Unfortunately my map took me to the wrong spot and we hiked in ankle deep snow for a bit until we decided to head back.

Undeterred, we finally made it to our destination. The connected tunnels are a total of 5-miles, now-abandoned, they were originally built for the transcontinental railroad in 1867 and used for 125 years! Construction was done by Chinese laborers on the route where the first wagon train entered California and stopped being used in 1993. Fascinating!!

The tunnel was creepy! Water drips from the ceiling and there is just a spot of light at each end.  There is graffiti everywhere and empty cans and bottles from past parties litter the ground where tracks once laid. 

We didn't do much of it as we were ready for lunch, but if you plan to do a full tunnel walk or all 5-miles be sure to bring a headlamp or flashlight. And a friend! 

Juxtaposition alert! From here we drove to the Ritz Carlton at the Northstar Ski Resort. The hotel is gorgeous, with a huge 3-story stone chimney and fireplaces on each floor. We had a great lunch and Mark kindly ordered a cocktail so that I could try it :)

If you are visiting the Ritz, it's good to know that the valet parking is $25. 

It had snowed the entire day! At the end of May! That evening we had dinner at Jake's on the Lake, which use to be part of the Hawaiian restaurant chain like our resort, so we experienced some more "mountain aloha" along with our steaks. Well Mark had a steak, I had Main lobster tails just to be transcontinental!

Dinner was very good, and the restaurant also sits looking out over the lake, so it would be a great lunch destination also. 

The next morning it continued to snow so we checked the roads before checking out. I decided to take a little different route to my next destination of southern Oregon. It had been a quick 3-nights catching up with my brother and I loved having him around to explore with!

All photos from Lake Tahoe here:

Also on this trip:
Three National Parks, One Road Trip
Sequoia National Park
Kings Canyon National Park
Majestic Yosemite National Park
Rogue River Valley Wine Country

Majestic Yosemite National Park

Trip date: May 2021

Day 6. Kings Canyon to Yosemite- 203 miles

It was a tough drive from Kings Canyon to Yosemite. The massive altitude change had made me a bit dizzy, and the windy road up and down the canyon had made me a bit car sick. It was worth it, for sure, but dealing with that for 5 hours while driving across very barren and boring central California wasn't the highlight of my trip! However I was still ridiculously excited for my first visit to Yosemite!

I took CA 180 back out to Fresno and then CA 41 into the park's south entrance, stopping before to gas up as there are no gas stations in the Yosemite Valley. And with my National Park pass they just handed me a map and waved me through at the station.

I had been given excellent advice and information from various friends of friends who are regulars at this 1,200 square mile national park. I'd read books, blogs, you name it. But nothing can prepare you for the absolute spectacular Tunnel View. It was amazing to say the least.

El Capitan dominates the view, its sheer cliff a seemingly unconquerable feat. On the other side the imposing granite Half Dome looms while Bridalveil Falls show off its 150-drop of gushing spring water. The sight is jaw dropping and photos, even Ansel Adams', don't do it justice.

I was super excited to get to the Ahwahnee Lodge where I'd be staying for the next two nights, but the incredible views on the drive in had me stopping to take in the sight of Yosemite Falls from the lush green meadow by Swinging Bridge. 

It's very easy to pull over on the road, there are wide shoulders where you can park and everyone is driving pretty slow because of the amazing scenery. 

At the Ahwahnee the valet explained that because of Covid they were not able to park my car but they would unload it and have everything taken up to my room. As in Sequoia every single thing had to be removed from my car and trunk because of extreme bear activity in the area. 

I parked the car and walked down the red carpeted entrance to the historic hotel which first opened in 1927. I have wanted to stay at this hotel for as long as I can remember. Well since I watched The Shining for the first time. The Ahwahnee lobby was one of the inspirations for Kubrick's Overlook Hotel in the movie. I mean these elevators are iconic!!

But the entire hotel is grand and steeped in history. Great halls, fireplaces that dwarf an average person, walls covered in photos of past eras. It's all the stuff that makes me happy. And I was even happier when I checked into room #339 and saw my view of Yosemite Falls right outside my window! Ahhhhh!!!

I had dinner that night in the massive timbered dining room. The tables were draped in white linens and there was a piano player. It was lovely, except for the food which had to be delivered in take out containers because of Covid protocol at the time. The food was good even if the plating wasn't.

After dinner I enjoyed a nightcap outside under about one billion stars. With hardly any light pollution the sky was the most beautiful sight. The entire setting was magical. 

The next morning I was back in the dining room for breakfast, on-the-house as my room hadn't been ready when I arrived at check-in the day before. It was a stunning morning, warm and not a cloud in the sky. I packed my backpack and cooler and set out for the drive to Glacier Point; the road had just opened for the season 3 days before my trip!

The Ahwahnee Hotel sits right in the middle of the valley on the 1-way loop road that runs both sides of the Merced River. On the way in there is Tunnel View and on the way out you can stop at Yosemite Valley View for a lovely scene across the river.

I had planned on doing a hike on the way to Glacier Point, but when I drove past Sentinel Dome trail head the parking lot was full and there were cars parked along both sides of the road for a long way in each direction. So I continued on and made Washburn Point my first stop, which has fantastic views of Nevada & Vernal Falls as well as Half Dome. 

Once at Glacier Point the view is the almost unbelievable. You are at an elevation of 7,214 feet, looking 3,200 feet down to the park's floor! I could just spot the Ahwahnee looking like a tiny dot!

It's such a cool visual perspective being up so high and looking across at these massive granite mountains! If the road is open when you visit, I'd say this is a do-not-miss.

Driving back down, I was able to find a place to park by the trail head and set off for Sentinel Dome. The trail is rated as moderate and is only 2+ miles, out and back. The scamper up to the top of the dome at the end of the hike is really the only elevation gain. But at 8,000+ feet altitude and with the heat, it was tough for me! 

But holy hell was the view worth it!! You've got a 360-view of the entire park including the High Sierras. I enjoyed my lunch seated on top of this huge dome within sight of the Jeffrey Pine (now dead) that Ansel Adams made famous in 1940. It was all pretty spectacular and the grin remained on my face for the rest of the day.

On the drive back down towards Tunnel View I stopped on the side of the road to take in the enormity of recent forest fires. Entire hillsides were just charred trunks, absolutely heartbreaking. I think this section was from the 2018 Ferguson Fire but I'm not positive.

As I drove back past Tunnel View and then along the loop road, passing in front of El Capitan, Yosemite Falls, Bridalveil Falls, etc. I told myself "you saw all of this yesterday, no stopping, let's get back to the lodge and get a beer!". Who was I kidding... I stopped at every single spot again! The light changes throughout the park so much that I felt like I was looking at things for the very first time!

Back at the Ahwahnee I grabbed a beer from the bar and went outside to the gorgeous patio to enjoy it. As I was relaxing a helicopter came in really close and I watched them perform a rescue on a climber who was stranded on the cliffs above. It was a pretty awesome thing to witness!

I had a lovely dinner in the restaurant again that evening. It had been such an absolutely wonderful day. I was very disappointed that I had only booked 2 nights and not 3. I just loved this lodge and the park so much. The bartender even made excellent Manhattans. 

The next morning after breakfast, I checked out and had the bellhop collect my luggage from my room and store it (couldn't leave it in the car because of bears!) while I went on one last hike. Crossing the hotel's back lawn I found my way to the Mirror Lake trail. 

It's a beautiful and easy trail, over and along the Tenaya Creek, to the base of Half Dome. Since I was short on time I only went as far as Lower Mirror Lake but it was still really gorgeous. And as I passed Washington Column, a couple of guys pointed out the climbers scaling the face to me. So very cool to get to see some climbers!!

On my drive out I made a quick stop at the Ansel Adams Gallery in the village. And then even though I told myself I didn't need to stop and look up at El Capitan or take in the Yosemite Valley View, you know I had to do both. Just one last look!

All photos from Yosemite National Park are here. 

Also on this trip:

Three National Parks, One Road Trip
Sequoia National Park
Kings Canyon National Park
Lake Tahoe in Spring

Rogue River Valley Wine Country