Mendocino

By Jim Wood

EN ROUTE TO MENDOCINO, I turned off 101 at Cloverdale and headed to the coast on 128 through Boonville and started thinking about what I’d order when I reach Goodlife Café on Lansing Street. Their menu is organic and pastries are fresh-baked and fantastic. It was noon when I’d reached my destination so I ordered the grilled cheese and veggie soup combo. It did not disappoint. Across from Goodlife is Anderson’s Alternatives. Among other things, Anderson’s sells slabs of redwood buyers then use as tabletops. It’s the ultimate place to poke around in. Also intriguing is Gallery Books on Main Street chock-full of best sellers and old classics, worth a visit too are Rainsong Shoes and The Study Club, where selections and merchandising are curated to perfection.

After lunch and shopping, the sun had a few hours left before sinking into the Pacific. I drove to the mouth of Big River, parked my car and hiked inland, following the trail until I ran out of sandy banks. Afterwards I headed back to my lodging, the 66-room Little River Inn, two miles south of Mendocino, now in its 80th year of hosting with its nine-hole golf course scenically tucked in among pines and meadows — it also has a classic bar that’s famous for a stellar view of the Pacific and Mendocino sunsets.

Up early the next morning, I headed north on California Highway One to the town of Fort Bragg and found myself wanting to visit a spot I’d never explored. It’s where Highway One crosses the Noyo River via a lofty bridge — I couldn’t resist heading down to the cluster of fishing shacks, trailered boats and weather-beaten cafes hugging Noyo’s shoreline. All I can say is the restaurants may be weather-beaten, but fish isn’t served any fresher, anywhere. Once again, I was not disappointed.

HELL Arts of Asian Underworlds

Art You Can Explore

by Susan NOW ON VIEW THROUGH JUL 10

This summer, travel to distant lands, visit fantastic realms, and see familiar vistas from a new perspective. Journey across Southeast Asia to watch spectacular dance traditions come alive in Beyond Bollywood: 2000 Years of Dance in Art; take a rollicking romp through visions of the afterlife in Hell: Arts of Asian Underworlds; and meditate on sublime California landscapes in Into View: Bernice Bing.

OPENS JUN 18 NOW ON VIEW THROUGH JUN 26 asianart.org

Peters Photography by Tom Dubrock. Blue Mountain, No.

(detail), 1966, by Bernice Bing (American, 1936–1998). Oil on canvas. Asian Art Museum, Gift of the Estate of Bernice Bing,