California's Best Trips 2 - Full PDF eBook

stretch far and wide or

are connected by vista-

studded coastal hiking

trails that wind along

the bluffs. At the tip of

a peninsula, the windy

crown jewel of Bodega

Head rises 265ft above

sea level, with dreamy

views out onto the open

ocean and excellent

whale watching and kite

flying.

The Drive » Return to Hwy 1

and trace the coastline 12 miles

north to Goat Rock Rd in Jenner.

5 Jenner

In the small village of

Jenner, the Russian River

merges with the ocean

and the confluence turns

brackish. At the end of

Goat Rock Rd, bear left

for Blind Beach, where

the mass of Goat Rock

looms above and splendid

Arched Rock seems to

hover offshore. Then

double back to Goat Rock

Beach, where a harbor

seal colony sits at the

river’s mouth and pups

are born from March to

August. The best way to

see the seals is by kayak,

and most of the year

you can rent them at the

river’s edge.

54 p105

The Drive » After crossing

the last bridge over the Russian

River before it joins the sea,

go east on Hwy 116/River Rd,

a well-paved country road

sandwiched between the river

and abrupt hills speckled with

weather-beaten wooden barns.

In Guerneville, turn left at the

sign for Armstrong Woods.

6 Armstrong

Redwoods State

Reserve

Soaring redwood trees

and carpeted forest floor

create a profound silence

that spreads for 805 acres

at Armstrong Redwoods

State Reserve (%707-869-

2015; http://www.parks.ca.gov; 17000

Armstrong Woods Rd; day

use per vehicle $8; hday use

8am-1hr after sunset; c#).

The Return of the Jedi

Ewok-village chase scene

was filmed here; speed-

pods zoomed between

TRIP HIGHLIGHT

Start: 4 Bodega Bay

Bodega Bay has the enduring claim to fame as the setting for Alfred Hitchcock’s

The Birds. Although special effects radically altered the actual layout of the town,

you still get a good feel for the supposed site of the farm owned by Mitch Brenner

(played by Rod Taylor). The once-cozy Tides Restaurant, where much avian-caused

havoc occurs in the movie, is still there, but since 1962 it has been transformed into

a vast restaurant complex. Venture 5 miles inland (south on Hwy 1) to the tiny town

of Bodega and you’ll find two icons from the film: the schoolhouse and the church.

Both stand just as they did in the movie – a crow overhead may make the hairs rise

on your neck.

BLOODTHIRSTY BIRDS OF BODEGA

DETOUR:

JUDY BELLAH / GETTY IMAGES ©

NORTHERN.CALIFORNIA

7

(^) RUSSIAN RIVER & THE BOHEMIAN HIGHWAY