Trip Date: August 29, 2018
Haley and Brett had stayed at the Fort Ross Lodge and had raved about it, so we thought we would give it a try. We almost always come to the coast for our anniversary, having rented places in Gualala, Anchor Bay, Jenner, Bodega, etc. over the years. Fort Ross was a good distance away, not too far, but up a bit beyond Jenner where I think most Bay area folks stay below. It also was a good opportunity to really spend some quality time at the Fort, something I haven’t done since I was a child with my folks.
I am pretty sure we came up on a Thursday, and having made the reservations far in advance, got an end unit on the farthest West cluster of rooms. This meant we were the farthest away from the road, closest to the ocean, and had unobstructed views. The place was totally devoid of humans Thursday and Thursday night, making it feel like we had the run of the place. It filled up over the weekend, but because we were out on the end, we didn’t feel anyone except occasionally the folks in the next unit. We had a sweet private hot tub on the patio and great views of the cost and ocean from the bed, living room, and patio.
We had shopped in Santa Rosa on our way out, so we just holed up Thursday night, enjoying the privacy and quiet. The next day we headed down Highway 101 to Ft. Ross, but first took a great hike from the parking lot by the windmill out on the coastal plains to a spot they call Northwest Cape. It was a great hike, great weather, nobody around, beautiful place. Then we walked the trail along the bluff to the Fort. It was cool to imagine people having walked that path for over 200 years.
Fort Ross was a thriving Russian-American Company settlement from 1812 to 1841. This commercial company chartered by Russia’s tsarist government controlled all Russian exploration, trade and settlement in the North Pacific, and established permanent settlements in Alaska and California. Fort Ross was the southernmost settlement in the Russian colonization of the North American continent, and was established as an agricultural base to supply Alaska. It was the site of California’s first windmills and shipbuilding, and Russian scientists were among the first to record California’s cultural and natural history. Fort Ross was a successfully functioning multi-cultural settlement for some thirty years. Settlers included Russians, Native Alaskans and Californians, and Creoles (individuals of mixed Russian and native ancestry.)
We had all day and had traveled all of 2 miles to get here so we really mellowed out and took out time, exploring every nook and cranny and sitting on the benches and hiking up into the second story of the corner gun turrets. I really wish they had some type of food concession there as that would have been the icing on the cake, but that was not our fate today. We enjoyed the minor interactions we had with other visitors and a couple park staff, but mostly just enjoyed lazily roaming around checking out all the exhibits and living history the park had to offer. We even bought a CD of Old Russian music that might have been played at the Fort back in the day.
Back at the Lodge, we ventured across the street to the not so friendly market where we were able to minimally top off our stores of dinner like substances to enjoy in our room. We sat outside and had a great little dinner of great French bread, lunch meat, cheese, berries, and berry pie for desert. But the highlight of the meal was watching the whales literally coming out of the water off the coast. Through the binocs, we could see them breech over and over again and clearly see the huge splashes they made when they returned to the water. I wonder if they got into a huge school of fish, but whatever the reason, they lingered right in front of us for many minutes, leaping over and over again out of the water to splash back down again. It was like we had simply asked them to put on a show for us. Definitely one of the best whale shows I have ever seen.
The next day we really needed to stock up, so we headed North to Stewart’s Point where we finally got a clear look at Bigfoot (I’d better not tell Mike) and we had a marvelous time shopping at the old store. They have done a great job filling the store with baked goods and delectable morsels that are perfect for the travelers and tourists going up and down Highway 1 and the more adventurous coming out to the coast on Stewarts Point-Skaggs Road. I thought for a minute this might be the town that has the Wharf Master’s Inn that Mikey and I stayed at, but that turned out to be in Pt. Arena, some 40 miles North up the coast.
That night we had our fancy dinner out for our anniversary. I had made reservations for the restaurant at the Timber Cove Resort. Timber Cove was always sort of a mythical place for me. I think my folks stayed there before, but it just seemed like a super expensive place only super rich cool Marin people could be at. I had never been there before and only once had stopped in the parking lot to drink beers with Steve on a trip to Salt Point I believe. So this was going to be a crash of cultures and I was a bit unsettled as to the vibe we would find. Foolish fear and loathing.
We arrived early to enjoy a drink and time the sunset. They had a great sitting area on a lovely wooden deck with beautiful furniture and art and plants, but it was in a courtyard, on the opposite side of the building as the coast. We enjoyed a drink there before heading in a little early for dinner. There we saw the huge patio on the bluff overlooking the Pacific. Oh well, we got a great table with fantastic views, just inside the glass wall from the patio. The people were all super nice and the food was great. We had a great dinner and enjoyed a great sunset as we dined. It was an awesome day, and a perfect way to end another great anniversary trip to the coast.
Ft. Ross Anniversary Trip Photo Gallery
