Shirley, Shanna, James and Bob Visit Gualala April 10 - 14, 2025
Shanna and James flew from Missouri to Denver where they visited friends for a couple of days then flew to Oakland, CA, drove to Kenwood, visited Shirley and Bob then drove to Gualala.
Thursday, April 10
Friday, April 11 - The Trip Begins
Bob and Shirley leave at 10 AM and very soon the car warns that there is low tire pressure. So we stop in Sebastapol at a gas station with an air pump and find that yes, indeed, one tire is slightly low in pressure. We fill the tire and start driving, after a bit the warning light goes off, and there is no more air pressure problem the rest of the trip.
We drive through Guerneville to Jenner, where we stop at a pull off to watch the seals where the Russian River flows into the Pacific. Then we start the drive north on Highway 1, which is winding along a cliffside for many miles. We drive slowly and occasionally pull over to let other cars get by. Lots of flowers are in bloom.
When we get to the Sea Ranch Chapel, which is less than a mile north of Shell Beach, we stop and visit. Then we drive to Gualala, arriving too early to check into our airbnb, so we stop at the Surf Market to get sandwiches then visited and toured the Gualala Arts Center - which had picnic tables! We also visited another art gallery then walked along the bluff above the ocean.
At 4 PM we were back at the airbnb and approximately one minute after our arrival, Shanna and James drove in and parked next to our car. After a bit of settling in, we all walk to a nearby beach. It is quite windy.
Saturday, April 12
We all had a long, leisurely breakfast, then drove to Point Arena, stopping along the way at one lookout. It was super windy. At the Point Arena lighthouse James, Shanna and Bob climb 145 stairs to the top. Shirley stays down and takes a picture of the other three near the top.
After the lighthouse we all eat lunch at Pier Cove in the harbor area: shrimp, fish and chips fried in heavy batter with calamari for appetizer. Then we go to a tile store where Shanna buys 3 tiles and Shirley 1 tile. The artist has a very interesting studio.
Next we drive to Bowling Ball Beach entrance. We walked along the pathway to the beach, but the end of the path was way to steep to get down to the ocean beach. We did take some photos from there.
Final stop for the day was Four-Eyed Frog Books in Gualala, then back to the airbnb, took naps, ate dinner and had story time.
Sunday, April 13
We had an easy, slow morning then drove to Gualala Regional Park. There we followed a beautiful coastal walk that gave us access to the beach. Lots of driftwood on the beach. The weather was perfect - warm, sunny, no wind.
Then we got sandwiches at the Surf market and took them to picnic benches at Gualala Art Center. We viewed the art work there. Next: nap time back at airbnb, followed by a walk along the Bonham Trail to Cooks Beach.
We had dinner at St. Orres restaurant: Shirley had clam chowder, Bob had salmon and greens. Getting back to airbnb, Bob finishes off the remaining ice cream (which Shanna had brought) because tomorrow we would leave.
Monday, April 14
Today was the end of our vacation together. Shirley and Bob left first, driving along highway 1 all the way to Bodega Bay. We had to go to Bodega Bay so Bob could get his crab sandwiches at the Spud Point Crab Company. Since we arrived too early to actually eat such sandwiches, we left them in their brown paper bag, put them in the car, along with Shirley's clam chowder, and drove back to Santa Rosa.
Shanna and James had a much longer trip to their hotel near the San Francisco airport. However, they did call Shirley and Bob to inform them that Shanna and James also went to the Spud Point Crab Company. In fact, they called from there. By then, Bob and Shirley had already arrived home. A wonderful end to an absolutely wonderful vacation.
