Doug visits magical Mendocino

The north coast of California is still spectacular—but climate change is taking a serious toll

I just got back from a beautiful trip up the north coast to Mendocino, one of my favorite regions in California. 

It was drop-dead beautiful. Warm with shimmering light on the water in the day, cold and clear at night and brilliant in the glow of the Milky Way.

Whales by the dozens passed the shore on their annual migrations, and people in twos and threes wandered the bluffs beside the historic village of Mendocino soaking up the sun, the sights and the scenery. Picture perfect, except for two things we need to do something about.

The first is a big one, global warming. We are in the grasp now of a potentially devastating drought.  These hot days, like the ones I experienced in Mendocino, are lovely but dangerous. Is this the result of climate change? It's impossible to say if this specific weather pattern is or isn't, but we do know that warming is real and progressing fast and that what we're experiencing is a harbinger of things to come. Individually and collectively, we must make changes in the ways we use and abuse the atmosphere. We're creating a nightmare for future generations. Maybe even our own. 

The second thing we need to do something about is much smaller and easier to tackle than the world's climate. But it's important, too. The bluffs above the sea where I saw people enjoying the Mendocino coast is known as Mendocino Headlands State Park, and it's being loved to death. We are inadvertently trampling and eroding it, harming native vegetation and spreading invasive exotics. 

State Parks would like to improve the situation, but has no money in this economy to do it. That's where we can help. The inn keepers in Mendocino are organizing to raise money for restoration of the Headlands and the historic Ford House (pictured), built in 1854, which serves as the visitors center for the Park and the village. The next time you stay overnight in Mendocino, you can choose to contribute a percentage of your room cost to the restoration efforts.  It'll make you feel good, and you can come back to see the results of your investment.

So we've got big and little things to do while we continue to love, enjoy and nurture our own backyard and the wide world around us.

For more of Doug's tips about travel in the West, go to OpenRoad.tv.

Posted at 09:44 AM in Doug McConnell’s OpenRoad.TV Tips | Permalink