Greetings!
Gourmet Girl Gail here writing from sunny Santa Barbara, and I’m excited to share some more of our travels with Abigail. On a recent trip up to Lake of the Woods in Oregon, we made stops at Big Basin Redwoods State Park in the Santa Cruz area, Mendocino/Fort Bragg, and Patrick’s Point. Big Basin is California’s oldest state park covering more than 18,000 acres ranging from sea level to more than 2,000 feet in elevation.
In Mendocino, Abigail was fascinated with the ducks. I’ve been to Mendocino a number of times and have always enjoyed its stark beauty and dramatic coastline. The architecture and B&Bs are reminiscent of Cape Cod on the east coast where I grew up. It’s where we vacationed with our parents when I was a tot.
At Patrick’s Point we were able to do a little sightseeing in the area. The Lady Bird Johnson Grove was one of my favorites, even though dogs weren’t allowed on the trails. I found this to be true in most places, which surprised me. The 1.5 mile loop through an old growth redwood forest was a reminder of nature’s long march of time and what a forest can become when left alone.
We did seek out some elk in the area, and that was a hit with you know who! She loved the beach we drove to from Patrick’s Point as well.
In August of 2017, a few of us Gourmet Girls watched the total eclipse from a dock on Lake of the Woods.
We had just finished an event at Dancin’ Vineyards in Jacksonville, Oregon, and were invited by former Gourmet Girl Laurie Sager to a cottage on the lake. The beauty of the lake made a huge impression on me and I vowed to return. That’s Mount McLoughlin in the background, a steep-sided stratovolcano, or composite volcano, in the Cascade Range of southern Oregon. It last erupted about 30,000 years ago. For sure, this would be my happy place if I lived close to Ashland.
Little did I know I’d be glamping in my Roadtrek and toting my little furry companion Abigail when I returned. She seems very zen when it comes to lakes and sunsets! Don’t you think so? Maybe a yoga practice is in her future!
A happy and fitting ending to our trip up to Oregon and Lake of the Woods was inviting our friend and client Julie Benezet and her husband Roger for a potluck dinner at Sunset Campground. I made Bison Chili, a recipe from the Gourmet Girls Go Camping Cookbook, and Roger (a former chef) brought a delicious salad of shaved fennel and apples with walnuts and Parmesan. The perfect complement.
It was an amazing journey. We hope you’re having a fantastic summer! Keep on adventuring wherever you are.
Cheers,
Gail, Denise and Lindsey
#gourmetgirlsonfire