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getting there..."the drive" from Cloverdale on Highway #128
and back. It's a twisting, narrow road for the most part. My
rental Pontiac compact car had race-car quick steering, so
negotiating the mountain roads wasn't a problem. Anticipating
other drivers' cars moves was of concern.
Once we got through the windy mountain roads, we entered
secluded Anderson Valley...once so secluded that the area
developed its own language, "Boontling", spoken around the
main town of Boonville. It's a mixture of the original
settler's Welsh and colloquial jargon. For example, tele-
phones are called "Bucky Walters", in honor of the first
person to have a telephone in Boonville.
We had to stop at Gowan's Oak Tree in Philo, a fruit
and vegetable stand like no other. Just the selection of
apples was dazzling and yet down to earth. See pics,
After a drive through the redwood forest to the coast, we
stopped at the Heritage House, where I experienced many
encounters with movie and TV stars as it was the location
of many movies. I have an especially interesting story
to tell about my encounter with Susan Hayward regarding
room service. More, later.
Two miles north on the coast was my restaurant, The Prince
Or Whales, which is now an excellent California/French
restaurant. Much of the design is the same, only they
somehow managed to re-do the kitchen design to make it
more workable. I hadn't the money to do that when I was
working on a limited budget. Kudos to the new owners!!
Another couple of miles north on a serpetine-like road,
we came upon the breathtaking vista of the town of
Mendocino. Keen attention to the driver's wheel is
needed here to avoid veering off the road or into the
path of an oncoming logging truck.
Negotiating the streets of Mendocino, we located the
SeaGull Inn. It's a lovely, small B & B on a small
street near the heart of town...which is only about
10 blocks square, packed with bookstores, curio shops
and museums...a wonderland for strolling about town
and taking snapshots.
In the center of town is an imposing building (I think
it was the Masonic Hall) with a wooden sculpture of
Father Time and the Maiden. There is some discussion
about whether Father Time is cutting the Maiden's
hair or braiding it...a discussion never resolved.
We visited the Mendocino Headlands, a picturesque
setting of the blend, sometimes conflict, between
land and sea. I recall walking along the headlands
with driftwood artist Byrd Baker in the 70's. Byrd
specialized in sculpting whales from driftwood. He
claimed that viewing the whales cured him from his
alcholism and gave him a new insight to life. He
contributed much to the Mendocino Art Center and
community.
Leaving for Oregon from Mendocino without a final
visit to the late Val Pawek's ranch, given our
schedule to somehow get to Ashland, Oregon, seemed
impossible, but we did it anyway, as previously
photographed. What made this mad dash to the ranch
so meaningful was what happened when we were there.
One of the duties that Val gave me was to make sure
the horses that he kept for other people got their
daily excercise. I was the only tenant on the ranch
who knew how to ride a horse. I only paid $25 a
month rent to Val, so I figured that bareback
horseback riding was a fair tradeoff, plus cooking
Austrian food once a week. $25 a month...even if I
had to shoot some rabbits now and then. What a deal.
Winding through some unpaved, gravel and limestone
backroads through the "Pygmy Forest" (trees hundreds
of years old, yet no bigger than a large bush...
nature's own version of the Japanese 'Bonsai' tree),
we finally came upon Val's ranch. I had a feeling
of elation, yet a bit of nostalgia & sadness. As
we were preparing to set about on our drive to Oregon,
a black colt came running across the meadow, perhaps
to know who we were, perhaps to wish us well on our
journey. It stopped and nodded its head...perhaps it
was Val's spirit. I wonder.
