Fort Bragg

We all have our favorite places in the world.  Home is number one.  Whenever Rick and I travel, we love seeing new places and meeting new people.  But within two to three weeks, we’re hankering for home, missing our own bed, living room, kitchen – and, of course, family.  Then, within a few weeks, we’re dreaming about the next place we’d like to explore. 

One place draws me back time after time:  Fort Bragg, California.  The Mendocino coastline of California is spectacular and draws people from all over the world.  Most tourists are familiar with Mendocino, a quaint Victorian lumbering town with its tall New England style steeple and rugged coast.  Ten miles north is my favorite northern California seacoast town, Fort Bragg.  (My character, Dynah from The Atonement Child, spends significant time there.) Rick and I have stayed numerous times at the Harbor Lite on the Noyo River.  Every room has a view of the wharf.  We love to watch the fisherman and boats coming in each evening and falling to sleep at the sound of sea lions barking.

A dear friend and missionary from Chile, Colleen Phillips, came for a recent visit, and I wanted to show her one of my favorite towns.  So we drove the scenic Highway 128 through Boonville to the coast and headed north to Fort Bragg.  Over the next two days, we drove around town (love the Victorians and American bungalows), went north to MacKerricher State Park to stroll the boardwalk past rocky bluffs and stretches of tidal pools, and drove south to the Botannical Gardens – 27 acres of gorgeous gardens, not to mention critter sightings.

We spent two days talking, exploring natural vistas (and shops) before it was time to head back.  On the way out of town, I was already thinking about the next time Rick and I will visit.   

Where is your ‘great escape’?