Bodega Bay or Bust!

Central California-  more wind farms.  I'm fascinated by them.  The wind turbines look as if they are standing on the hills, flinging their arms hilariously about and having a grand time.  

 


The rolling hills are covered with some kind of wheat looking grass (maybe California fescue).  From a distance they look so soft and smooth.  They remind me of those little toy reindeer that are covered with soft brown velveteen finish


 

The beauty of seeing miles and miles of growing things was suddenly marred when (without warning) we crossed through cow land, a holding area and stock yard for cattle.    I've never ever seen anything like this.  Cows as far as the eyes can see in pens with water being sprayed over them.  This is not a picture I want in my mind the next time I'm enjoying a shish-kebab. It's enough to make me contemplate life as a vegan.

   

We push on (almost 900 hundred miles) to get to  the next stop, Bodega Bay, California. 

About 25 years ago we visited here and stayed  at Inn at the Tides.  What I remember most?  a restaurant at the mouth of the Russian River with a glassed in kitchen so you could watch the chef at work ( a real novelty at the time) and the largest hot tub I'd ever seen (at the Inn that is not the restaurant).  Surprisingly enough the Inn is still there so guess where we stayed?  What I didn't remember was  that the restaurant and bar (the Tides Wharf)  across from the Inn, and Bodega Bay itself was the site of the filming of THE BIRDS!!!  Those of you who know me know it is the movie I love to hate- it taught me to fear being in close proximity to birds 'cause they'll peck your eyes out.  Now I know in my head that this isn't true and is a very irrational feeling, but get a bird in that dive bomb position and I'm overtaken by an unreasonable need to cover my head and seek immediate cover.  By the way Tippi Hedron (star of The Birds) was making a special appearance at the Inn on the 4th of July (eyes intact).

Bodega Bay is in Sonoma County (of wine fame) and was the site of the first Russian structures built in California (1809).  Bodega Bay was called Port Rumyantsev.  The port served Fort Ross and the larger Russian community know as Colony Ross.  Fort Ross (a very American sounding name) was actually the southernmost hub of the Russian settlements in North America.  I didn't know that Russia had ever laid claim to colonies on our turf.  Actually, the US didn't appear on the scene in that area until 1846- California became a state in 1850. 

 

Bodga Bay is a village of about 1400 people with living built around fishing and tourism. 
Our day there is cold and windy and foggy.  Beautiful views of the bay were made even better by a fresh crabmeat sandwich and hot cup of homemade clam chowder from a bayside crab shack.

 Interesting story about the sailboat in the picture. The owner got behind on his slip rental (to the tune of $8,000).  He couldn't afford to pay up so he sailed the boat out into the  the bay and tied it up to a buoy.  During a storm the boat broke loose and drifted into shallow waters (the water being very shallow in that area even at high tide) and the keel got stuck in the mud.  It was going to cost $18,000 pull it out and tow it to deeper water.  Of course if the owner didn't have the $8,000 back rent he certainly didn't have the $18,000 towing fee.  So there it sits and has done so for 3 years now.  A sad story but makes for a great picture.