Gualala: just nature and us
My man was going to be away for a month working and I wanted to be in a nature house. So I hunted in Mendocino county, the place Ruya was born in, the place that keeps calling me back. The hunt led me to Gualala, a town I had never stayed in before. I found a house that fit our budget and need, and we drove up together unsure of what we would find. Emrah left the next day and so began my adventure.
This kind of thing is a gamble I tend to take. I was pretty sure it would work but being alone with two children adds a dimension to the uncertainty that makes the risk greater and more interesting. Luckily it did work and did not work, in ways I needed.
Gualala is just on the border of Sonoma and Mendocino county line, California. We stayed in Anchor Bay, which is five minutes from Gualala. Gualala is tiny and Anchor Bay even smaller, hence labeling it by the town its close to. But it has all you need to survive. There are three grocery stores in reach, the best being Surf in Gualala, which carries organic produce. I used the grocery in Anchor Bay for milk or butter runs. And I avoided the large Gualala grocery store. To give you an idea of the smallness of the town, I picked up amazon parcels at the post office and on my second visit the clerk didn't need to check my ID. He knew my name. Despite the size there is a toy store, book shop, office outlet, decent coffee shop and salon.
Small town society is usually visibly diverse. Segregation doesn't get to stretch out that much. I could see the wealth in the million dollar homes we drove by. Then I would meet single moms on the playground who live with their parents and use food stamps. In general people seemed very private, not overly friendly. I felt quite isolated. But I did relate to the privacy and enjoyed being tucked away, just me and my children, the intimacy vivid. I enjoyed speaking to a women we met many times on the nearby beach, sharing stories of life with great depth. She told me 'there is nothing here for you except the nature'. And she is probably right.
We were there for the nature though and we got it. Gualala is in a small banana belt that enjoys amazing weather. We spent November there and half of December, with ten hard core rainy days that kept us inside. The sun shone immaculately with the lack of fog this place generates. My daughter, who insists on being a naked bum, could retain her desire, swimming in the ocean and walking in the forest with just gum boots on. Of course I was wrapped in a scarf but she has fearless bones.
Beaches are beautiful. My favorite was Cooks beach at CR-526. It has a steep path winding past pine trees, Ruya liked to jump down the stairs. Then you reach an enclosed beach with a small river that has smooth rocks. We were often the only ones there. The ocean and cliffs surround, in the Mendocino way of wild nature that makes you feel deep respect for all you cannot control. But the waves are just gentle enough for Ruya to run into the edges of them, with me close by. On one day the tide was so low we found starfish across the rocks. Anchor Bay beach is only accessed through the campground that looks onto it. Because of that we went there less. It was the increase of people there not the fee that dissuaded me. The beach is wider so better for high tide in the afternoon, when we usually visited it. Just before you get to Gauala is Sea Ranch. A wealthy development across the cliffs that has mostly private access to five beaches. Because of the walk in we seldom went there. But you can walk the entire bluff and access all the sea scape. On the edge of Sea Ranch sits the regional park, which offers a truly wild beach. The large river runs into it and that was where we played if we went there. The waves were too wild for me to let Ruya free. But the beach is magic in its untamed beauty. And the ten minute walk in is very easy.
Our forest house was surrounded by trees, so much so it felt like a cave down stairs. Every morning if it wasn't raining we would circle our small forest yard, pulling mushrooms out of the soil with sticks and finding large yellow slugs. Our little forest walk took us to the mint plant growing alone in a stranded tub, and my children munched on its leaves; to the sun beam area where Ruya and I put our backs into the warmth; and the little forest road above our house where we played hide and seek. Living within the trees made me feel like we breathed better. My eyes were pummeled by green. And it was so quiet.
Occasionally we hit the only playground up the hill in Bower park. As playgrounds go this is a pretty good one. There is a duck pond with two very tame and fat ducks we named Moscovia and Jemima. A small toddler playground sits at the entrance and a larger big kids playground around the lake. It is within the forest so you still feel in nature. But it is also very isolated. We seldom saw any kids there.
For a different vibe Point Arena is the place to go. Fifteen minutes north, tiny and with a hippy feeling, it shows up how places speak their own language. It is close, but very different in atmosphere. This includes the weather, which is colder and wetter. There is a great little bakery there called Fanny's cup and saucer, and a decent though small grocery store. But the most interesting aspect of it is just up the street at B. Bryan Preserve. We had been there before and this trip was even better. The owner no longer does the tours which is a good thing. The children got to feed the giraffes in their tall house. We stood on the upstairs floor and stroked their heads. Ruya fed them sweet potato and leaves. Aziz watched in awe. That was definitely the highlight though the preserve also offers an amazing close experience of Kudu, Antelope and Zebra.
I am not sure if I would choose to come back but I also loved my time in Gualala. Our forest house gave me nature and reflection. And my time alone there with the children showed me how essential community has become for me. I am a loner by nature but more and more I like to be alone near people I can relate to. I realise that having a nature base near a social milieu I resonate with would be optimal. I also felt my strength as a mother, able to move through days together with more joy than upset, and finding gifts in the hard moments. More than anything my time showed me the power of nature for children. In one visit to the beach Ruya made a kite with a long strand of sea weed, drew pictures into the sand with a stick, danced with her shadow, played with the waves, smashed foam into the sand, buried found objects and wandered where she had put them. All she had was her body, and that was all she needed.
