Visiting Mendocino County in California is a sensory tickling experience. Driving through the redwood forests, the smell of pines, foliage and sea air combine in the cool morning air and create a delightful atmosphere in which to drive a convertible along the winding roads. The scenery is stunning and our lodgings are situated right on the seafront, with a wild pacific ocean on our doorstep. We are welcomed by the hotel (www.thebeachcombermotel.com) and by the county tourism board as if we were dear friends returning after a long absence. This is the way here it seems.
We had come here to photograph Glass Beach. Having done a bit a research on the internet before our arrival, I was still unsure as to whether our trip was going to be worth it. But the environmental angle to the story made us make the drive north from San Francisco and we were not disappointed. The beach in Fort Bragg used to be the city rubbish dump. Locals and collection vehicles would simply reverse up to the edge of the cliff and dump all the cities waste over the edge and down onto the beach. Out of sight - Out of mind. Appliances, cars, you name it - it was dumped here. And this is not that long ago really. It just shows how much we have all changed. In the 1960s the local authorities decided that this could no longer be tolerated and a clean up was underway. The large items were removed first, and then the rest of the trash was taken away, all but the broken glass, that was left scattered along the shoreline. It seems incredible now that this ever happened and with California being one of the most environmentally friendly places on earth - it is even harder to image this happening here! But now, nature has done the rest and made a spectacular site from what remained.
The glass has spent decades being broken up and washed against the rocks and along the beach, to create smooth glass pebbles of all colours. The relentless wave action of the Pacific Ocean has transformed this whole area.
We had come here to photograph Glass Beach. Having done a bit a research on the internet before our arrival, I was still unsure as to whether our trip was going to be worth it. But the environmental angle to the story made us make the drive north from San Francisco and we were not disappointed. The beach in Fort Bragg used to be the city rubbish dump. Locals and collection vehicles would simply reverse up to the edge of the cliff and dump all the cities waste over the edge and down onto the beach. Out of sight - Out of mind. Appliances, cars, you name it - it was dumped here. And this is not that long ago really. It just shows how much we have all changed. In the 1960s the local authorities decided that this could no longer be tolerated and a clean up was underway. The large items were removed first, and then the rest of the trash was taken away, all but the broken glass, that was left scattered along the shoreline. It seems incredible now that this ever happened and with California being one of the most environmentally friendly places on earth - it is even harder to image this happening here! But now, nature has done the rest and made a spectacular site from what remained.
The glass has spent decades being broken up and washed against the rocks and along the beach, to create smooth glass pebbles of all colours. The relentless wave action of the Pacific Ocean has transformed this whole area.
Glass beach is a place you can spend hours, we certainly did, taking in a picnic (that to be honest was mostly stolen by a squirrel as we took photos), running the cool glass beads through your hands, paddling in the shallows and enjoying the special atmosphere of this place. We stayed until sunset, certain this would provide some great photos.
We had also hoped to snorkel to take some underwater images of the glass pebbles, perhaps finding some shallow fish or anemones to show the beach below the waterline, but we were a little unlucky with the weather, with large swells hampering our efforts. We did wade in though and try to get some shots to show the wave action on the glass.
Just as we were leaving we spotted a Pigeon Guillemot sitting on the glass at the end of the day. Nature really can heal itself, but we have to give it a helping hand when we can. They seem to have got it right in this case.
The region also offers great local food and drinks. Mendocino County is a great wine region, has local micro breweries that make some stupendous beers and local food produce that the residents are proud to shout about. For an evening out, after a day at the beach, we visited Piaci's (www.piacipizza.com) which has a huge array of beers, pizzas (like you have never tried before) and locally sourced ingredients.
There is something to please all your senses here in Fort Bragg, Mendocino County.
