Mini Road Trip to Mendocino, CA
I always complain about Amar not taking the initiative to plan something. Therefore, it was a surprise when he decided to book my Sunday and wanted to "take me somewhere".
Somewhere turned out to be a coastal city in California a few hours away-- Mendocino, California. It's been one of those city on my list to visit but something always end up taking priority. Amar definitely impressed me with his planning skills-- as I am always the one planning everything (reading reviews, making reservations, and getting directions). We ended up taking the long way to Mendocino from Vallejo because of the curvy roads and coastal scenery, which took a total of 2.5 hours (1.5 without the curvy roads). I believe we took Highway 128 all the way, which turned into Highway 1.
We passed the small town of Navarro, which is within Mendocino County, where the Navarro River Redwoods State Park was in. We drove past so many tall redwood trees, it was amazing. It felt like I was transported into a forest. It's definitely nice to be away from the hustle and bustle of the city once in awhile to remind myself of the beauty of Mother Earth. Super pretty!
We began our journey at 11:30AM and arrived around 2PM after driving and stopping along the way to look at the scenery by the coast. By the time we arrived at Mendocino, we were starving! From Amar's research, we wanted to try out this small, outdoors restaurant-- Sea Pal Cove Restaurant. My first impression of Mendocino was that it's a lot like Carmel-by-the-Sea and Big Sur!
Sea Pal Cove Restaurant is one of the most highly rated places to dine while in Mendocino. Famously known for their fish and chips and clam chowder and they do live up to their popularity. The clam chowder was creamy yet flavorful and the beer battered fish and chips were just divine. Sososo good, with fresh skinny fries. My favorite had to be the fries and the clam chowder. Mmmm.
