California Coast Mini-Holiday

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Rob and I took a mini-holiday, to celebrate his birthday, by driving up the California Coast. We did a lot of driving, saw many sights and decided to call it our reconnaissance mission to discover what areas were worth a more leisurely return trip. My personal mission was to make it to Mendocino, CA and we had four days to get there and back. For some reason, I had decided that Mendocino would be a beautiful spot, where ocean meets the Redwoods, although I had never been or even seen photos. The land was different than I expected, more dry meadow than super lush and foresty, yet the area was absolutely picturesque and we were not disappointed. The town itself sat close to one of the breathtaking ocean ledges, practically every building had it's own view. Mendocino also happens to be the town featured in the TV show, Murder She Wrote, in case that rings a bell. And, as I imagined, only a few minutes inland and we were enveloped by a gorgeous Redwood forest. The end destination was, however, a much, much longer journey than I expected as we were determined to drive up Hwy 1 and it was s-l-o-w drivin' in quite a few areas; lots of tight turns and dramatic drop-offs into the ocean. Sometimes, the view ahead of us, with the sensational cliffs and endless ocean, made me feel likeit was the edge of the earth. The movie, Gods Must Be Crazy, kept popping into my mind. I kept thinking, "I found it! The edge of the world!" If you haven't seen this movie, it is a must, add it to your queue!

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One of the main highlights was our sunset approach into Carmel. I had no idea there was the most idyllic white sand beach at the end of the road through the unbelievably cute and quaint, fairytale town sweetly named, Carmel-by-the Sea. Luckily, it's not too far from us, with Big Sur, beautiful camp spots and gorgeous looking hikes in-between, we'll be back!
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I also need to mention this road trip had a couple more challenges beyond the distant Mendocino destination, including a gluten-intolerant little lady, two foodies and a Pug. Admittedly, we set ourselves up for all of this, but we have strong preferences and we did our best to be prepared. We packed a large cooler in case we didn't come across an abundance of healthy, gluten-free food options along the way. Shaw...as if. SOOooo glad we thought ahead. We had lots of lovely picnics resulting in yummy food and views we couldn't easily have found in a restaurant. Most of the time, it worked out for us.  
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Our night in San Francisco was less than ideal, being that we hadn't planned ahead, got in late and needed affordable pet-friendly accommodations. We managed to find a nondescript room for the night and were able to get up early the next morning to make it up to ourselves with breakfast at the cute, pet-welcoming Duboce Park Cafe, across from a dog park in the middle of the city. It felt a little like Cheers for dogs, everyone seemed to know each other and their dogs. We then proceeded on a morning driving tour through the Castro, Buena Vista Park (Nice!) and Haight-Ashbury neighborhoods before we drove across the Golden Gate Bridge for a viewpoint photo op. 
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As we meandered along the coast and deeper into the fields behind Point Reyes National Seashore, we stopped at the town, Point Reyes Station. So quaint, adorable, friendly and the home of Yoga Toes Studio a popular yoga studio often featured in Yoga Journal and also the home of MC Yogi, who's music we've been diggin' as of late. We had a moment of yoga celeb awe. Sadly, it was closed and no sign or sounds of MC Yogi himself. Very cool locale with an outdoor enthusiast vibe, worth a return visit.

After more long and windy road, we made it to Mendocino and discovered heaven on earth for a gluten-free, preferably vegetarian couple and their little dog. We found The Stanford Inn, where the river meets the ocean.
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Not only does this place cater to vegan/vegetarian outdoor enthusiasts who like a little cush, but they absolutely love dogs. Humphrey was welcomed into the on-site restaurant called Ravens' Restaurant, where we thoroughly enjoyed a gluten-free, vegan gourmet meal and Humphrey got to meet a little puglet named Gilda. We felt as though we'd finally found another Sutra (our favorite dinner spot in Seattle)! The property also boasts it's own organic farm, llamas, horses, a pool, hot tub, massage and canoe facilities, mountain bikes and an organic gourmet breakfast included! Whew! I wish I could put this place in my pocket and carry it around with me anytime I need a place to stay!  Not only were our meals mouthwatering, we also shared the friendly dining room with two Pugs, a Golden Retriever, Springer Spaniel, Chow, Maltese and an Irish Wolfhound!  Key dishes to mention, the grilled peach salad, eggplant cannelloni stuffed with herb ricotta cheese topped with a roasted tomato sauce, orange infused cheesecake and for breakfast I had the citrus polenta covered with braised greens and topped with a cashew cream sauce. WOW! I also must mention my disbelief when I realized the items on the menu were starred if the dish CONTAINED gluten. Which, were few and far between. A-Mazing. I forgot to take pictures of the finely plated gems as I was kind of in a happy-food-daze. We returned to our room with a view to a prepared fire, chocolates, wine and a sweet potato doggie treat. All of us slept on a cloud of happiness and vowed to return someday soon.  
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After a beautiful drive through the Redwoods we found the cutest organic apple stand, Philo Apple Farm. We picked up a snack, a cup of fresh apple cider and a bottle of the hard stuff for our hosts of the evening - all on the honor system. I love the honor system - to me it promotes a sense of peace, love and trust. Ahhh.... We were able to meander through their garden and had to tiptoe past a class of some-sort sitting around a table shaded from the warm afternoon sun under a pergola of vines, the table filled with dishes and wine glasses...perfection. Turns out the farm offers cooking classes and overnight stays...we had no idea. What a find! 
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We then stopped in Ukiah. Where? Yeah, Ukiah, in what felt like the middle of nowhere. However, not only did the town have a Norgard St., which we had to take a photo of, but it also happens to offer one of the most ideal brew pubs we've ever entered, Ukiah Brewing Company.  And, folks, we've entered our fair share of these fine establishments. Not only was the beer good, so Rob says, but it is the first brewpub and second restaurant in the States, that is entirely certified organic. All the way down to the peanuts. The menu was a dream and even offered raw food options! We were overjoyed! Again, another stash for the pocket.

We stayed with our dear friends Asha and Jim in Sacramento that night. Thoughtfully, they took us to a fabulous new vegan restaurant called Sugar Plum.  Asha and I both had a fantastic BLT made with the yummiest bacon-like tempeh on gluten-free millet bread. I immediately went to the store when I got home and picked myself up a loaf. It felt like the first real sandwich, where the bread didn't fall apart on me, that I had had in months!  And the tempeh bacon - yum!  Thanks you two!

We tried to find a camp ground in the Carmel Valley for our last night, but that adventure only took us deep into what felt like uninhabited back country and I'm sure it's friendly, beautiful country, but it was getting dark and lonely and we needed a place to stay...we needed civilization.  Thankfully, we made it to quaint Paso Robles and found a local Italian restaurant, Lombardi's Pasta Familia, that offered gluten-free pasta and sadly, at one time, pizza.  Shoot, really wanted that pizza.  Turns out the owner is gluten-intolerant herself.  She's still working on the gluten-free pizza. We left her with encouraging words as Pizza Guru in Santa Barbara seems to be managing quite well. And, honestly, the more the merrier!
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What a fantastic whirlwind! Our mini-holiday was a challenging yet empowering way to start learning how to travel gluten-free.  I'm recognizing that my health is more important than being concerned with someone else's "perceived" feelings. It was probably the first time I actually walked out of a restaurant after having sat down and scoured the menu and not felt the least bit guilty. I could have sat there and placed my bet that I would find something on the menu (a plate of steamed veggies anyone?) that wouldn't make me sick or unhappy or trust that this place cared enough about cross-contamination to keep me safe. OR, as we proceeded to do many times, set up a picnic in a casual, happy and relaxing environment. Each other's company, health and happiness were way more important than saving face in a restaurant. Strangely odd to even have to note, but this would have kept me sitting miserably through a meal in the past. So, although not always super convenient, the end result was much appreciated. Mostly and thankfully though, we weren't driving frantically in search of the next rest stop, rather we were casually pulling over at as many viewpoints as we wanted to take in our beautiful surroundings.