Mendocino looks like a New England fishing village that was picked up and dropped on a California headland, and that is more or less what happened. Lumbermen from Maine built the town in the 1850s, shipping redwood from the forests along the coast, and the wooden houses with their water towers and picket fences still stand on the bluff above the Pacific. It was so convincing that television used it as the setting for a fictional Maine town in a long-running detective series. Today it is a haven for artists and weekend visitors from the Bay Area.
The Pacific Coast Highway here is Highway 1, and the stretch from San Francisco takes most of a day. It leaves the Golden Gate behind and runs north along the coast, with long ocean views, tight cliff-hugging curves and sudden dips into redwood valleys. North of Jenner, the road climbs and falls with the cliffs, and fog is frequent, especially in summer, when it rolls in from the sea and cools the air by ten degrees in minutes. The corners are tight, the surface is variable, and the traffic is heavy in holiday seasons.
The headland at Mendocino is a state park, with grassy bluffs, sea stacks and coves that hold tide pools and, between December and April, a good view of migrating grey whales. A few kilometres inland, the redwood forests of the Big River valley are a quiet contrast, with towering trees and ferns and the smell of damp earth. The town has a handful of good restaurants, bakeries and galleries, and a gentle, slightly eccentric air.
Fuel is not available in Mendocino village itself, so fill up in Fort Bragg, about fifteen kilometres north, where there are several stations and supermarkets. Fort Bragg also has a historic railway, the Skunk Train, which runs into the redwoods. Book lodging early for weekends, as Mendocino is popular and fills quickly. Pack layers, because the coast is cool and foggy even in summer, and be careful on the narrow bends. A bowl of clam chowder by the water makes a good finish.