Memorial Day Weekend in Mendocino & Manchester

We started off by meeting in Alameda, CA, loading up our car, and saying 'see you soon' to our two sweet cats.

Our first stop was bagels at our favorite local bagel shop and some road trip snacks from TJs.

We drove up Highway one and stopped at the Sea Ranch Lodge for our late brunch reservation. We unknowingly stumbled upon a craft market at Sea Ranch with live music and an outdoor taco stand. Pre-lunch, we walked around the market and took a long walk along the bluffs. We made it for our 1:30 brunch reservation where we were seated at the window by the water. The views were gorgeous and the meal was unique and delicious.

For our evening stroll, we enjoyed walking along the bluffs and spotting seals in the distance. We also drove to the private beach for a long walk and good laughs.

We started our morning at GoodLife Cafe & Bakery where the line was flowing out the door and there was a 45 minute wait for a table. We decided to order coffee, pastries, and chia seed pudding to-go and take them on a walk. It was clear why the wait was so long once we got our coffees and food; it was delicious and way exceeded our expectations. We found out that there was a film festival going on in Mendocino and it was a long holiday weekend, which could definitely account for the long line. Even so, it was absolutely worth it and we highly recommend getting a pastry when you go!

We took our snacks and coffee and went for a long walk along the water. The views were spectacular and even though we knew there were a lot of people around, we never felt crowded.

Up next, we made our way to the Mendocino Coast Botanical Gardens where we aimed to begin exploring the many acres of ocean-front beauty featuring rhododendrons, dahlias, and coastal forest trails.

We stopped here for a delicious post-walk lunch! we got the BBQ chicken pizza and pesto pizza and sat out in the beautiful garden to enjoy :) Would recommend!

For our evening walk, we made our way to Point Cabrillo Lighthouse. We parked our car and took the scenic walk to the lighthouse and once inside, we took a small self-guided tour through the history. We continued our walk around the area where we spotted MORE seals and birds flying around!

For our last breakfast we made our way down highway one and stopped in Gualala at Trinks Cafe. The food was unique and tasty and the housemade vanilla syrup our latte was fantastic!

Before leaving Gualala, we did a quick stop at Four-Eyed Frog Books. This bookstore is one of our favorites along the coast. "Though she be but little, she is fierce!" I always enjoy seeing the Spanish books section, the kid's section, and whatever unique offering they have going on! This time they had a date with a book section!

Continuing down the one, we of course, needed to stop for another long beach walk and a short hike! The beach area had so many friendly dogs running around and the hike was short and mildly steep, but the views were well worth it!

Last, but certainly not least, we stopped for a late lunch at this institution. The whole time we were there, there was a line of happy people waiting; a testament to how beloved this spot is. We highly recommend the stop!

At last, we are home and reunited with our sweet cats!