Tuesday, January 19, 2010

janky hippy ranch

I've decided that I love the Northern California coast even more in the Winter than the Summer. Mendocino, Fort Bragg, Westport...the coolest little towns. Driving 128 through Anderson Valley, even in a storm is pretty breathtaking.

We stayed at this place that I highly recommend if you like janky hippy shit. Howard Creek Ranch. It's hard to capture the ramshackle charm in pictures.

There's a bouncy footbridge over Howard Creek with Christmas lights on it.
It's right by a beautiful black pebble beach. The waves were nuts in the storm.
Here's the back. It's two huge houses built in the 1800s. With some separate cabins. Check it out if that sounds like something you'd like. It ain't the Hilton.
BAR wrote a review of a place that sounds really good. That's so awesome that they have mutton. I'll wait until the hype dies down, though.

14 comments:

Stephen Glass said...

Ah yes, but Mendo has nothing on Humboldt County. Why do you think I never moved back to Sacramento? You really need to try this trip:
http://california-travel.suite101.com/article.cfm/lost_coast_california

Anonymous said...

Nice photo of the mutton in the rain there, Beckler! That place looks great.
ec

Anonymous said...

I feel like Mutton in the rain today.

gbomb

Anonymous said...

Does anyone know where the indian/bangladeshi/pakistani tradition of calling goat mutton comes from? Is there an urdu-english dictionary out there that translates goat as mutton? Is it ever actually mutton?

Ben

beckler said...

there was a mom with cute twin lambs who was menacing us!

beckler said...

ah! the lost coast. i was so close.

Anonymous said...

This place was epic inside! Much more than the somewhat janky exterior suggests. The inside was pretty much impossible to capture accurately on film.

-miller

beckler said...

goddamnit! it's bad enough that democracy now has to bring on danny glover to talk about haiti (he actually had some smart things to say) but why they gotta bring eve ensler into it? they always trot her and her vagina out when they can't get a guest.

beckler said...

I know dp knows what I'm talking about.

beckler said...

liv's post with pictures of biggert's opening

http://livmoe.blogspot.com/2010/01/new-york.html

Anonymous said...

Stayed at the Howard Creek Ranch 8 or 9 years ago. A wonderful and ecclectic place! Keep meaning to get back there. Thanks for the photos.

J.

Anonymous said...

I think you might need an Emu-English dictionary for that.

Ed

Anonymous said...

If the planets align in the spring for Beerfest Weekend, ya'll can come up to my dad's janky hippie ranch in Anderson Valley.

Jed

Serpentine said...

old rickety architecture in the boonies? f#ck, that's right up my alley. thanks for sharing the photos, my lust for wandering has been rekindled!