The Ship of Fools sails again but all is not lost ~ Oct 1-7, 2013

October 1st ~ Avast, what nonsense is this? We turned on the news in Mariposa, after five days off the grid, to find out the Government has shut down. Once again the Ship of Fools has followed their Train of Thought over a cliff!

October 2nd ~ Well that nixes any idea of heading to Lassen because the National Parks are being closed. Hmmm, what to do? Consensus ~ Head home to do laundry and see if we can find a place on the north coast to unwind for a few days. We headed back to Jackson for an overnight and emailed our neighbor Carol to let her know we were on our way back and see if she had any suggestions.

 

October 3rd ~ Once home we find a message that we can use a friend's cabin in Fort Bragg for as long as we like. Sweet!

October 4th-7th  ~ Laundry done, we do a little grocery shopping and head north. This whole trip has had perfect weather and Fort Bragg was no different, 75 degrees during the day and cool enough at night to build a fire and curl up on a couch to read. 

First full day there we head up to MacKerricher State Beach for a long walk and then return to Fort Bragg to check out the museum, some shops and drop by the Skunk Train Depot in case we decide on a train trip Monday. 

 

 

The sea, once it casts is spell,

holds one in its net of wonder forever.

Jacques Yves Cousteau 

Sunday we spent the day in Mendocino: walking the headlands, visiting shops, galleries, and the Mendocino Art Center. After a late lunch at the venerable Mendocino Café we head back to the cabin for the evening.

 

 

The stay at Fort Bragg was the perfect ending to our adventure and it's only a couple hours from home. Instead of heading back the way we came on Hwy 128 out of Cloverdale we head back on Hwy 20 into Ukiah. The road is a little straighter, shaded and uncrowded, always a plus in our book. Ta-ta for now.