One of Mendocino County's Victorians

…After enjoying the towering redwoods and sweet, earthy smells of Hendy Woods State Park it was time to move on down the road a piece; next stop, Hopland.

Continuing south down Hwy 128, I passed my favorite fruit stand (Gowan’s Oak Tree), scooted through Boonville reluctantly (as Boonville is rich in history, art, food, lodging, wine, and beer) and continued to Mountain House Rd. (Hwy 111) which is a road I had never taken before. It’s only 7 miles shy of Cloverdale, and I feared I had missed it, but there is was, an easy left if heading south from Hwy 128. Hwy 111 is equally scenic to Hwy 128 just in a less dramatic way. It winds quietly through mounded swells of earth bearing the occasional, lone oak. The sky is vast as only rural skies can be, and attractive ranches appear as seldom as other cars. I lost track of time, but I don’t think I was driving for more than an hour when the road opened up and gave way to the famous Hwy 101 at the foot of Hopland, CA. It was time for lunch.

Hopland is about 4 blocks long and 2 maybe 3 blocks deep. It’s the quintessential small-town, America that everyone envisions complete with a diner that serves remarkable pie. The Bluebird Café http://www.tripadvisor.com/Restaurant_Review-g32508-d627679-Reviews-Blue..., offers: counter and table service, both meaty and vegetarian faire, child friendly food and highchairs, and boasts several versions of the aforementioned pie. For lunch, I had free-range chicken strips with Mendocino Mustard sauce, a side salad, a slice of apple pie, and a refreshing glass of water that tasted perfect. There was nothing but water in my water…I love this county. The food was hot, tasty, and reasonably priced, the service was on-point, and that pie…well, I woke up yesterday with a mysterious craving and realized that it was for Bluebird Café apple pie.

After lunch, I headed south on the 101 for a mile to the Solar Living Institute http://www.solarliving.org/. It’s directly off of the highway, you’d make a left right into it if you were heading south, and it is truly one of a kind. This organization will teach you how to build a straw bale home, how to keep your own bees, how to make your own biodiesel, and about 20 other sustainable practices! Do you want to live off grid, grown your own food, and drive a vehicle that leaves almost no footprint upon this planet? This place, the Solar Living Institute, will teach you how. What’s more, they’re non-profit! I really can’t say enough about this organization; it sets the bar for the sustainable living education movement. The Solar Living Institute grounds are tranquil and beautifully adorned with a water sculpture that begins at an oversized wine barrel and ends at a pond ½ mile away. There’s a unique playground with a walk-trough tunnel, and a shop in which I could spend several hours that contains: toys, home products, spiritual inspiration, sustainable crafts, and interesting books on every subject from creating your own aquifer to raising happy babies. Anyone interested in planet Earth should check this place out. It gives one a notion of choice, accountability, and hope.

Bringing every bit of literature about the Solar Living Institute I could find, a moo-ing toy for my son, and an organic gardening book with me, I pointed the Jeep north with a mind to visit the Saracina winery http://www.saracina.com/. Saracina is directly off of Hwy 101 about 2 miles north of downtown Hopland on the left if traveling north. Saracina winery is the ONLY winery in Mendocino County to house its wine in wine caves. Yes, plural…caves. Upon arrival, I drove through row upon row of fledgling grapevines until reaching a small roundabout. Directed to the right, I took a dirt road to a spare, postmodern building coupled with functional sculptures and a welcoming, weeping willow. Just to the right of this scene was the entry to the wine caves. Diana of Saracina winery was there to greet me; I introduced myself and she offered me a tour of the wine caves as well as a taste of Saracina Sauvignon Blanc ’08, Saracina Pinot Noir ’07, and Saracina Syrah ’05.

The Sauvignon Blanc was powerful at the start, gave way to a light fruity spice, and finished dryly leaving only a faint remembrance. It could be served with a dessert, but it holds its own enough to go with a dark fowl dish. The Pinot Noir was so gentle. It was like drinking liquid velvet. This would go with anything: Lasagna, Black and Blue Salad, Bouillabaisse; you can’t go wrong. It’s pleasant, a pleasure to drink, and completely unobtrusive. The Syrah, on the other hand, packs a wallop! It has fabulously defined notes of spice and meat, and ends with a black pepper edge. This is a wine for a spicy, meaty meal. It’d compliment dishes like Flank Steak Bordelaise or Beef Curry.

Wow! I’m really hungry now and would like a glass or more of wine.

At any rate, the Saracina wine caves are cool, literally. The wine stays at a comfortable 57 degrees in barrels stacked 3 high along the cave walls. After walking along the main cave, a right turn put me in front of several, 4 ½ feet tall, ancient wine decanter statues originating from China. Their haunting faces and open mouths have been known to bring children to tears, but the staff at Saracina likes to think of them as "the choir." "They look they’re singing," said Diana. The Saracina wine choir; it’s truly amazing that they’re there. I’ve never seen anything like them.

My final stop for the day involved statues as well: the thousand statues of Buddha. The Temple of Ten Thousand Buddha’s just outside of Ukiah, CA is the largest Buddhist complex in California http://www.cttbusa.org/. It can be reached by exiting Talmidge St. and heading east toward the groves. You know you’ve arrived when you reach the entry arches. There one can find: an excellent vegetarian restaurant, an elementary school, several dorms, calling peacocks, a visitor’s center, and the temple. The temple, itself, is protected by a long lawn and pathway leading to broad steps elevating one ever so slightly, symbolic of the Buddhist way: humble but enlightened.

Upon entering the temple, a lobby with meditation and other Buddhist literature is laid out for inspection, and two entries to the sacred space are directly ahead. I walked into the left door and immediately understood why this place is called the Temple of Ten thousand Buddha’s. Every wall, pillar, statue, and molding was covered with golden statues depicting Buddha. Young, Buddhist monks kneeled in robes upon cushions facing east, meditating. The entire chamber glowed with golden light and I could not help but feel reverent. Meditation sessions are held there twice a day, and I’m certain that the energy would be palpable. Upon exiting, I felt slightly changed the way one might feel after experiencing something truly unique. I made my way back to my car where a huge, male peacock was strutting not more than a few feet away. I found him some crackers to eat, and then set off for home.

My tour of Mendocino County was unforgettable, and I had only scratched the surface of what it has to offer. Even though I live here, I still get excited about local events, and the thought of a stay-cation. There are at least a dozen lodging options I want to try out, upwards of twenty five wineries that I haven’t done a tasting at, at least one brewery I haven’t been to (I’ve been to many), and the museums, tours, art galleries, beauty spots, restaurants…the list goes on and on! I am so happy to be here. So happy in fact that no matter what’s going wrong in my life I look around me and say, "at least I live in Mendocino County."