Pacific Coast Highway - The Most Scenic Drives in America: 120 Spectacular Road Trips - page 158

The East Coast charm of Mendocino was imported by New England settlers, lured west by the logging boom.
12. Mendocino
Gracious, picturesque, and charming in every way, this hamlet of 1,100 residents seems to
have been imported from the coast of Maine. Saltbox houses, Victorian gingerbread man-
sions, and weathered picket fences embroidered with roses grace its tidy streets
The East Coast ambience is no accident: The town's settlers, lured west by the logging
boom, were homesick New Englanders. Hollywood has used this Cape Cod look-alike as
a stand-in for numerous movie and television locales. Fans of the television show Murder
She Wrote , set in fictional Cabot Cove, Maine, are sure to recognize Jessica Fletcher's cot-
tage when they pass by the Elisha Blair House, built in 1888.
13. Russian Gulch State Park
The next headland to the north marks the starting point for this small but diverse natural
reserve, among the coast's most picturesque and remarkable. The park's main attraction
is Devil's Punch Bowl, a 200-foot-long sea-cut tunnel that has collapsed at its inland end,
forming a blowhole that becomes active during winter storms. The route crosses an arched
bridge over Russian Gulch and shadows the creek through woodlands of maple, alder,
laurel, and pine.
14. Jug Handle State Reserve
Atthisunusualoceansidepark,itispossibletoclimbthestairsofhistory,oneeonatatime.
Thanks to coastal erosion and shifting landmasses, five discrete terraces stairstep from the
sea, each about 100 feet higher and 100,000 years older than the one below it. With each
steptheecologymatures,ascendingfromtidalpoolsatthefirstleveltopygmyforestatthe
top. A well-marked tour explains the flora and fauna at each level, as well as the mighty
forces that built this living time machine.
15. Fort Bragg
Flower fans will rejoice at the dazzling displays at the Mendocino Coast Botanical Gar-
dens, two miles south of Fort Bragg. Not an inch of this 47-acre preserve is wasted, and
each season brings a new riot ofcolor,from dahlias, foxgloves, and roses to blazing Japan-
ese maples.