We woke up super early in the morning after having suuuch a good night’s sleep in the van the night before. We drove two-ish hours to our first stop: a little roadside trail in Van Damme State Park.
Spring Ranch at Van Damme State Park
It was 7AM and surprisingly chilly. The tall grasses were soaked from the night before.
The winding path eventually led us down into a muddy canyon and out onto the pebbly coastline.
We saw the first banana slugs of the trip here! I was psyched. I had no idea how many there would be.
We didn’t have long before the tide gradually rose and kicked us up farther and farther up on the beach.
There’s another part of this “trail” that sneaks around the corner of the big rocks and continue down the beach, but we would have gotten stuck while coming back if we attempted.
The fog here always creates the best aesthetic, I love it here.
A few minutes drive away from here, there are two really cool stops: one, a cypress forest hidden behind a bathroom and two, a walkable stone arch – both with the best views. We would have never known they were there if it weren’t for geocaching.
Monterey Cyprus grove
The view through those trees was breathtaking. Unfortunately we didn’t find the geocache that was hidden here, but like… who wouldn’t want an excuse to come back again?
Pit stop @ Mendocino Headlands Park
And here’s stop number two.
The turquoise color of the water against the black sand was so dreamy.
Little string beans.
And the whole reason we ended up here in the first place. 🙂
Spring Ranch from Gordon Lane via AllTrails:
https://www.alltrails.com/trail/us/california/spring-ranch-from-gordon-lane
Learn about Van Damme State Park:
https://www.parks.ca.gov/?page_id=433
Caitlyn is outside. 
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