Bragg & Swing from the Chandelier
Fort Bragg, Mendocino, and The Chandelier Drive-Thru Tree
There is a sweet little loop from Napa to Fort Bragg and on up to Mendocino that is filled with incredible magic. It’s redwood forests, cypress trees, sea breezes, mist and waves that roll up to a windy stretch of Highway 1. It’s a sea glass beach, a drive thru tree, and beauty and adventure as far as the eye can see.
It’s a long day, but it’s totally worth it. I popped up through Napa to knock out two quick stops before winding my way up Highway 1. It truly never gets old. That scent is something that melts my heart and settles my mind. If I could bottle and sell it, I’d never have to worry about work or funding my adventures again.
Sea Glass Beach is busy and a little nuts on the weekend, go on a weekday if you can. Old photos of the beach are breathtaking, and while there is a lot less sea glass than there used to be, there is far more than you’ll see on any other beach in America. It’s illegal to take any glass with you, but it's really the thrill of the hunt and the beauty of the bounty that make it worth the trip. People of all ages plop down on the beach and spend hours sorting stones just because it is fun to play in a simple way that makes you feel like a kid again. Families climb, crawl and sprawl their way across several miles of coves hunting for treasure they can’t take. It’s really a sight to see. There is a sea glass museum that will tell you all about how this former dump site became a magical marvel for beach combers, and on Memorial Day Weekend they host a sea glass festival. This blog beautifully tells the story about the beach, where all the glass comes from and what makes it so special. The sweet little town is adorable, full of Victorian store fronts, and everything you want to see in a quintessential beach town.
Even if you aren’t an avid beachcomber and sea glass isn’t your thing, this beautiful beach is full of tide pools to explore, dunes to climb, waves to chase, and lessons to learn. I looked around and saw a sea of people looking down- but it miraculously wasn’t at their phones. They were all united in an effort to find and appreciate the beauty around us, searching for trash that literally turned to treasure. Digging through the dirt to find the resilient bits of beauty that survived years of turmoil, beaten down and drowning in inhospitable conditions only to remerge changed; stronger than they were before, and so special because of the journey that brought them there. I like the metaphor there as we re-emerge from the trauma of the past couple of years. I paused with my feet in the water, my hands sifting through stones, and took a look around and appreciated a community that came together to protect something vulnerable and celebrates what it took to get this far. I was reminded to stop focusing on the task at hand and take a minute to appreciate the bigger picture. It’s a lesson I struggle to really learn and practice, but this refresher paid off with dividends. I popped my head up from the sand, and what a view!
Obviously you have to play Mendocino Country Line while you do this drive. It is SO gorgeous the journey is JUST as majestic as the destination. I’ve wanted to come up here and see the trees since this video came out (gulp) 20 years ago. Irony of Ironies, they shot it in Sacramento- so I did it right, and with The Way I’m Livin’, it hits a lot harder than it did when it first came out.
I didn’t feel comfortable driving a borrowed car and videoing myself driving through a tree. With no depth perception or sunroof to just hook my phone to, it felt like a single tasking job. I sat on a bench behind the tree and just watched a parade of phones hanging out of car windows for awhile. One van had one stressed parent and 3 teenagers with phones poking out the windows. I guess that’s one indicator that you’re doing something cool ;) Luckily I was driving a pretty old car without a lot of toys, but I heard multiple people exit for the gift shop lamenting the sensors and buzzers and general freak out their car had from doing that drive. You might want to deactivate those sensors if you want to experience the tree like its retro roots intended. The Chandelier Tree is one of many massive and noteworthy drive-thru trees up the California coast. I personally see no issue with planning an entire day around trees, and the Avenue of Giants offers up about a dozen exciting tree trips. I took Highway 1 up to the tree and the ride back was different and just as lovely (though a bit windy/scary at night.) Nice, California more than lives up to its name, and I would gladly go back to hang out at the lake. I passed dozens of tiny towns, vineyards, beaches, and beautiful buildings I’d love to spend some time exploring. I knew this trip was going to be a highlight reel adventure, but I’d like to take a page from my Sacramento host’s playbook and spend a few days exploring. I already promised to come back to sit for them, I’ll call a couple day detour the perfect incentive to retrace my steps.
It is true, I have a thing for trees. Maybe it’s because the Texas tree game is pretty one note, but I go gaga for autumn foliage. Bring me to California for year round fun; Joshua , Redwoods, Eucalyptus, Cypress, Palm… doesn’t matter, line ‘em up and let me go. I’d pay to go to that Tree Museum, Joni. California has a lot of cute nicknames, but in my book, it’s the land of the splendiferous carniferous, go pay your respects to your elders before we lose them.
