June 2026, New York – Episode 3

On October 30, 2026October 29, 2026 By LToddIn New York, New York City, Travel3 Comments

June 2026, New York City, Episode 3

On day five of our trip to New York City, we boarded a Circle Line Harbor Cruise. The narrated two-and-a-half-hour cruise circled Manhattan Island and passed under 20 bridges. Along the way, a guide provided historical context to different sites on the shorelines we passed.

Circle Line Harbor Cruise

In Jersey City, New Jersey, the fifty-foot diameter Colgate Clock, built in 1924, stood at the top of the Colgate-Palmolive headquarters building until 1985. It was relocated to its present home before the building was demolished.

The Central Railroad of New Jersey Terminal, also known as the Communipaw Terminal, is part of Liberty State Park.

Communipaw Terminal at Liberty State Park

The Ellis Island National Museum of Immigration, although still open for tours, was under renovation and some exhibits were closed, so we didn’t go there. Another item to add to the list for when we visit again.

Visitors lined the base of the Statue of Liberty. For an immersive experience, take a round-trip ferry to visit both the Statue of Liberty and the Ellis Island National Museum of Immigration. Offered by Statue City Cruises, it also includes audio-tours.

The mural on the ferry below caught my attention. Ann Valdez is the creator of the mural titled Spring Migration, and presented by the Trust of Governors Island under the Governors Island Arts program. The Harbor Charger Hybrid Ferry services Governors Island which is closed to vehicles. So why is there a semi-truck on it? Apparently delivery vehicles are allowed.

The white structure on the right of the photo below is the Governors Island Ventilation Building for the Hugh L. Carey Tunnel (AKA Brooklyn-Battery Tunnel). It serves as a ventilation and exhaust shaft for the twin-tube underwater tunnel beneath the East River.

In Brooklyn, a redevelopment project repurposed the former Domino Sugar factory into a Class A office building. I don’t know what the building looked like before, but I like the looks of it now.

It’s hard to escape the Empire State Building. It kept peeking out at me while taking photos from different locations.

Empire State Building pops up at various angles

East River Generating Station (East River Power Plant) in Manhattan

Waterside Plaza is a residential and business complex along the East River in the Kips Bay of Manhattan.

The two copper-clad towers that bend toward each other and linked by a three-story skybridge were built between 2014 and 2017.

The Copper, formerly known as American Copper Buildings,
or 626 First Avenue

Tudor City Place is a historic skyscraper complex built in late 1920s and developed by Fred F. French. Red brick and terracotta detailing depict stone gargoyles and mythical beasts. Coats of arms are carved near the entrances and upper levels.

I opted to include a detail of the Ed Koch Queensboro Bridge rather than its span across the East River.

Another site we missed was Roosevelt Island. Visitors can access the island on the Sky Tram.

Historic railroad swing bridge Spuyten Duyvil Bridge carries Amtrak trains on the Empire Connection.

I liked how the city skyline fit under this bridge.

On our way back to the hotel, we spotted kids playing in the water spouts during a hot afternoon.

USS Intrepid (CV-11) aircraft carrier is docked at Pier 86 on the Hudson River. The ship houses the Intrepid Sea, Air & Space Museum. We didn’t relish standing in line in the heat, so we skipped it.

This was the only street where the seedier side of living in Manhattan was apparent. Most of the streets where we walked were free of debris of any kind.

Elevators for cars are a clever way to increase parking revenue in Manhattan.

Central Park

With one more day before we hopped on the plane for home, Jon relaxed at the hotel while I trekked across Central Park to the Metropolitan Museum of Art. Although I passed areas we had already seen in the park, I encountered a few new spots as well. The canopies of the trees provided enough shade for multiple groups of families and friends to stake out their section for a delightful picnic on a Saturday afternoon.

I can’t remember seeing croquet portrayed in a movie set in Central Park, so I had to stop and watch the players striking their balls through hoops. With everyone dressed in white, I assumed the players must adhere to a dress code.

The ever-present skyline loomed beyond the tree line, and those who hadn’t staked out a spot in the shade braved the sun shining down on them.

The Bethesda Fountain with the Angel of Waters sculpture was dry. The fountain and sculpture join other icons used in movies. Emma Stebbins designed the sculpture in 1873. It celebrated the Croton Aqueduct, which fed the fountain and supplied fresh water to the city. Central Park Conservancy (CPC) turned the fountain off pending restoration that began in September 2026.

A week after our visit, the Model Sailboat and Paddleboat Basin closed for restoration to rebuild mechanical systems and to replace aging vegetation and native shrubs and trees. The CPC estimates $37 million to complete the restoration scheduled to begin in August 2026 with a completion in late spring or early summer in 2028. I’ll have these photos to compare to the renovation results.

Rent a model sailboat to sail around the pond.

The eleven-foot-high Alice in Wonderland bronze statue by Jose de Creeft, stands nearby. George Delacorte commissioned the Margarita Delacorte Memorial, which was created in 1959 and dedicated to his wife.

I thought I went back in time when I approached these picnickers dressed in early to mid-1900s attire. Was it a period tableau? The sleeve tattoos on one woman and the child with a Mickey Mouse T-shirt yanked me back to 2026.

Dressing up in early to mid-1900s attire for a picnic.

Activities abound in Central Park. Ride a bike, a pedicab, or take a horse carriage ride, walk, jog, lawn bowl, croquet, take a tour. There’s even a section of the street that’s blocked off for roller skaters. Rent a boat, fly a kite, sail a model sailboat, watch a film festival and in the winter lace up a pair of skates and twirl and glide on the ice. And after all that, take a break and relax in a designated Quiet Zone.

With so much to do and see, what are you waiting for?

Metropolitan Museum of Art

Across from the Met is the Villa Albertine, the French Institute for Culture and Education, a division of the French Embassy in the US, one of ten such offices throughout the United States.

Thirsty, hot, and famished after my walk, I rushed through the museum to get to the American Wing Café for sustenance in the Charles Englehard Court of the American Wing. It was bright with natural light shining through the raised glass ceiling overhead and a water feature with benches where weary visitors can sit and rest.

Charles Englehard Court of the American Wing

Visitors take a rest on the water feature benches.

The Second Branch Bank of the US (later the US Assay Office). Built between 1822 and 1824, the Greek Revival marble façade once stood on Wall Street. The museum saved the building from demolition and reconstructed it inside the museum in 1924.

Vanderbilt Mantelpiece ca. 1881-83, created by Augustus Saint-Gaudens in New York. The sculptures on each side represent Love and Peace.

After my meal and documenting the art in the court, it was time to explore the Egyptian exhibit and the American Wing.

Sphinx of Hatshepsut from Egyptian pink granite from the 18th Dynasty dated between 1473-1458 BCE

Temple of Dendur from the Roman period before 10 CE

Frank Lloyd Wright used his Prairie School architectural design for the Francis W. Little House in Minneapolis between 1912 and 1914. Saving the living room from destruction, the museum purchased it and placed it in storage in early 1970. Once restored, the exhibit opened to the public in 1982.

Frank Lloyd Wright designed Francis W. Little House

I would like to find such a place to sit, write, and gaze out the window toward a garden filled with flowers. Curling up on a sofa with a throw blanket and listening to rain outside wouldn’t be a bad day either.

The following photos are a sample of the exhibits on display in the American Wing.

Charles Sumner Green, and Henry Mather Green designed this table
for the Blacker House in Pasadena, California, in 1907-09

Decorative 1910-20 chest designed and created by Marie Zimmermann, a metalsmith.

Tall clock, Buffalo, New York 1900-1904 by Furniture designer Charles Rohlfs

Lighthouse Clock from Simon Willard, or his workshop in Roxbury, Massachusetts around 1825-30

Early 19th century American Empire style living room

Pair of knife boxes Baltimore 1815-25. I’ve never seen anything like these before.

Anglo-Indian carved 19th century (circa 1840s) handcarved ivory chess set made in India

A period drawing room from the Craig House Built 1810-1811 for Henry Craig, a Baltimore merchant and ship builder. American Federal/Neoclassical period interior.

The stained glass exhibit contained an especially colorful display of Tiffany pieces. Below are but two of the many.

Marble sculpture by Antonio Canova (1757-1822) titled Perseus with the Head of Medusa.

The barrel vault ceiling of the Mary and Michael Jaharis Gallery brings in natural light to the Greek and Roman art display.

Had I taken more time to see the whole museum, I’m sure instead of three blog posts on New York there’d be four or five. We have to thank Sting and his musical, The Last Ship for enticing us to visit New York. We had a wonderful time, and I’m ready to do it all over again. Until then, these posts will serve as a reminder that we didn’t see it all, and urge us to return.

Up Next: We plan to share a few jaunts we took earlier in the year in future posts.

June 2026, New York City – Episode 1

On September 28, 2026October 29, 2026 By LToddIn New York, Photography, States, Travel7 Comments

Hooray! We’re finally back online.

In December 2025, our last post, I wrote we’d be on hiatus. I never thought it would be nine months later. But here we are in September 2026. The year 2025 was one health issue after another for Jon, which curtailed our travel plans for a year and a half. Finally, in June 2026, a window opened up between all the procedures, doctor appointments, labs, and PT appointments. Where did we decide to go?

New York City. Specifically, Lincoln Center on Manhattan Island. What inspired us to fly across the country? Sting, the rock star, and former lead singer and bassist of the rock band Police. He wrote and composed “The Last Ship,” an autobiographical musical, which we saw in April 2020, a few weeks before the pandemic shut down San Francisco Bay Area. We were eager to see it again in a larger venue like the Metropolitan Opera House.

We boarded a plane on June 7, 2026, for a six-day adventure of exploring and eating our way through the island.

The view from our room at the Empire Hotel was of Dante Park, a triangular-shaped park, with trees providing plenty of shade. Across from our room and on the base-side of the triangle, rental bikes filled every slot in the morning, and by late afternoon only empty slots remained. It might have been fun to ride a bike had traffic not been so heavy. Instead we hoofed it most everywhere we went.

Monument to honor Dante Alighieri created in 1921 by Ettore Ximenes. The Empire Hotel stands in the background.

Tourists and residents walk past the “Time Sculpture” at Lincoln Center created by Philip Johnson

The Lincoln Square Business Improvement District maintains the park and provides benches and small tables and chairs. During breaks between our sightseeing, my favorite pastime was watching the activity in the park from our hotel room window. Pedestrians rushed by to reach their destination. People gathered to chat, play cards, chess, or board games. Other people ate their lunch, read, or watched humanity stream by.

With Lincoln Center across the street, we didn’t worry about walking long distances between the Metropolitan Opera House and our home base. We also found the location within walking distance or a short metro ride to Rockefeller Center, the Empire State Building, Times Square, and other sights. Having Central Park only a few blocks away was also a bonus.

We immensely enjoyed The Last Ship for its music, storyline, and scenery. The opening scene with Sting and Shaggy singing while standing on a girder and descending from the ceiling over the stage took my breath away as did the launch of the ship at the end. We were so glad we made the trip.

We made good use of our time while in Manhattan by making a grand attempt to see all the sights. Although we didn’t see it all, we crossed off several on our list.

Surrounded by first-rate restaurants assured us we’d not go hungry. In fact, I cannot think of one meal we had that was a disappointment.

Rosa Mexicano offers breakfast and dinner.

Italian dishes at Cafe Fiorello serves lunch, dinner and weekend brunch

The Smith Restaurant serves breakfast, lunch, and dinner.

PJ Clarke’s Lincoln Square serves lunch, dinner, and weekend brunch. Read the history of the restaurant and the 1868 building on their website.

Café Aroma supplied us with a quick breakfast and cups of coffee.

The Flame Diner reminded us of the diners of the 1950s and 60s. They’re even open 24 hours.

Our first foray into the wild took us on the NYC subway. We thought it similar to the BART system in San Francisco, except cleaner and more comfortable, even when we had to grab a pole.

A glimpse of the old and new through the entrance of Castle Clinton National Monument.

Near the South Ferry/Whitehall Street Station, we searched for the Castle Clinton National Monument. After a few wrong turns, a maintenance person pointed us in the right direction.

Our timing didn’t match up with the tour times, but we were able to look at some of the exhibits inside the compound and the surrounding area and the rest of our visit included gawking at the surrounding high rises.

Luis Sanguino (1934-2026) created this sculpture in Battery Park near Castle Clinton. Castle Clinton processed immigrants arriving in New York from 1855 to 1890.

The historic Central Railroad of New Jersey Terminal.

Across the Hudson River, the tall building on the left is the Goldman Sachs Tower in Jersey City.

The Staten Island Ferry is free to ride. Taxpayers fund the costs of operating the ferry through city taxes. The Verrazano-Narrows Bridge is behind the ferry. The ferry and the island is on our list of things to do during a future visit.

I had big plans for our second day, mapping out our walking path to visit six different must-see tourist sights. After several misdirections and backtracks and only seeing three sights, we stopped for lunch. Sitting in the air-conditioned deli eating our sandwiches, we decided three sights would be enough for one day. We hopped on the metro and went back to the hotel.

We started day three with a walk through Central Park and a ride on the carousel. I can’t pass on an opportunity to ride a trusty steed up and down and round and round. Jon even joined in the fun. Then we walked around Fifth Avenue, rode the elevator to Top of the Rock’s 70th floor observation deck for a 360-degree city skyline view toward the East River and Hudson River.

We arrived early and had to wait for the carousel to open.

Mighty large trees made me wonder how long they’d been there.

I prefer the Art Deco style of architecture over the squared off buildings.

Exterior is done, interior still under construction.

While enjoying nature in the park, the skyscrapers remind nature lovers that the city abounds

Which is your favorite, Art Deco or the shiny glass and steel of modern architecture?

Granite boulders are part of the Manhattan schist found running down the center of the island.

*USS Maine* National Monument at Merchant’s Gate on Columbus Circle. The sculpture was dedicated in May 30, 1913, to the men killed aboard the *USS Maine* battleship when it exploded while docked in Havana Harbor on February 15, 1898.

The risky business of window maintenance pays on average around $42,000 per year. A person with specialized skills and more danger, could bring in $60,000 to $100,000.

The white structure is an urban umbrella that protects pedestrians and sidewalks from mishaps above during maintenace and repairs. They’re even lighted at night.

The 21 pear trees growing on the living terraces make for a unique architectural element to this building.

Our driver pointed out this building when we came into the city from the airport. Not a building, though. It’s a facade to shield the renovation and expansion going on behind the scenes of the Louis Vuitton’s flagship store.

Rockefeller Center was our main attraction for the day. How we missed it the first time, I don’t know. I even stopped to take a photo and then we kept walking. More backtracking.

The bronze *Atlas* statue was installed in 1937 and is the largest statue in Rockefeller Center.

The gold sculpture *Prometheus* created by Paul Manship in 1934 is a prominent fixture at the lower plaza of Rockefeller Center.

Radio City Music Hall building with Art Deco medallions created in 1932 by Hildreth Meiere and Oscar B. Bach. The medallions symbolize the performing arts of Dance, Drama, and Song.

The waiting area for the elevators to the Top of the Rock

Mid-photo caught a glimpse of Queens, East Channel Roosevelt Island, and West Channel

The black building on the left is the JP Morgan Chase building. Was it inspired by shiny black flip phones, or the Jacob’s Ladder toys I remember from my childhood days.

The H&M Building (formerly the Conde Nast Building). Should the spires be counted in the height of the building? From street to roof it measures 809 feet. The antenna adds an additional 309 feet. Nine feet more than the length of a football field.

One of 21 bridges connected to Manhattan Island

Central Park really is Manhattan’s playground

Here’s a place we’ll have to visit on our next trip, St. Patrick’s Cathedral dedicated in 1879.

I tried to fit our entire New York City’s Manhattan Island visit in one post. After deleting photos and making cuts here and there, I gave up. So stay tuned. We’ll be back with more in our next post.

Safe Travels.

Point Arena Lighthouse Plus Horse Racing

On December 11, 2025December 10, 2025 By LToddIn California, Photography, Travel1 Comment

Point Arena Lighthouse

On our way home from Fort Bragg on October 3, 2024, we stopped at the Point Arena Lighthouse, one of about 40 still standing along the 800 miles of the California coastline. Not all of them allow visitors. Our timing didn’t align with the tour, so we wandered around outside and inside the gift shop and museum.

The first-order Fresnel lens wasn’t something anyone walking into the store and museum could miss. The imposing seven-foot diameter lens with nine eyes drew me in for a closer look, and I forgot all about the clothing, jewelry, books, and other items sold in the store.

Constructed in 1870, the first Point Arena Lighthouse included a large keepers’ residence. Additional housing nearby accommodated four lightkeepers and their families. The brick-and-mortar structure did not fare well during the 1906 San Francisco earthquake, even though the epicenter was 145 miles away.

Once condemned and torn down, the replacement lighthouse, standing 115 feet tall, began operations on September 1, 1908. To withstand an earthquake, the builder used steel reinforcement rods encased in concrete to build the new structure.

The lightkeepers had to adhere to a strict schedule to keep the first-order Fresnel lens in operation. The keepers had to hand crank a 160-pound weight up the center shaft every 75 minutes. The kerosene lamp needed refueling every four hours, and the wicks required regular trimming.

Naked Lady Lily (*Amaryllis belladonna),* poisonous to humans and pets

The keepers’ workload lessened when electricity arrived and replaced the lamp. I wonder how many keepers lost their jobs after the installation of the 1,000-watt electric lamp, powered by a 1/8 horsepower electric motor. As new products became available, so did more changes at the lighthouse. In 1977, a beacon replaced the electric lamp and the lens, and in 2015, an LED array replaced the beacon.

For a unique place to stay, reserve a cottage or studio at the lighthouse. All the refurbished keepers’ housing is available for reservations. The accommodations range from a one bedroom one bath for two people, up to a three bedroom two bath that accommodates up to six.

What I liked best about this lighthouse was the preservation that went into making it what it is today. It didn’t seem to have gone through decades of neglect as much as other lighthouses we have visited. Point Arena Lighthouse Keepers, Inc. has done a wonderful job of explaining the lighthouse’s history. Of special interest to me was how the early keepers kept the light on for the ships passing by at night.

We had wanted to stop at the Point Reyes Ligthouse too, but ran out of time. We’ll catch that one on a future trip. Another adventure awaited us at home.

Horse Racing at the Alameda County Fairgrounds

A few weeks later, we were off to the races. The Alameda County Fairgrounds is home to one of the first 1-mile horse racing tracks in the United States. Augustin Bernal is credited with building the racetrack many years before the founding of the current operators, the Alameda County Agricultural Fair Association.

Here are a few facts:

Originally built in 1858
Hosted horse racing for the Golden Gate Fair in 1902
The inaugural Pleasanton Fair and Races commenced in 1904
In 1912, the modern-day Alameda County Fair began, but the venture was not financially successful. This was due to competition from San Francisco’s 1915 Panama Pacific International Exhibition, and World War I
California legalized pari-mutuel wagering in 1933
Businessmen provided funds to repair the fairgrounds and revive the fair
The Alameda County Agricultural Fair Association was founded in 1939, and the fair returned
The horses arrived in 1941 during the fair for 9 days and continued through 2024

At the time, we had no idea that our day at the races would become a cherished memory. We watched the post parade as the trainers led the horses and their jockeys to the starting gate. It gave us a chance to see which horses we wanted to bet on. Then the announcer called, “And they’re off.”

I loved the sound of pounding hooves on the track as they raced by, and I loved the cheers of the people in the stands, and the announcements of which horses were ahead. My excitement increased with each race, even though the horses I bet on never placed.

Kevin was the lucky guy in our group for the day. Beginner’s luck or expert at picking winners? Who’s to know? As we walked out of the stands and back to our car, we looked forward to attending the promised future races and getting together for one or more of the races in 2025.

Bailey and Kevin show off Kevin’s winnings

It was a sad day when the Alameda County Fairgrounds announced the cancellation of horse racing at the fairgrounds on March 25, 2025, along with the closing of the stabling facilities. The future of horse racing in Pleasanton had ended.

Two main events led to the closure. First, the California Authority of Racing Fairs (CARF) stopped issuing wagering licenses to fairs for live races. The second was the cost of upgrading the wastewater treatment system at the fairgrounds.

Jon enjoys a beverage while watching the race

Stable guards, maintenance workers, groomers, and other racetrack employees lost their jobs. Many of the workers lived in RVs on the property, and they had to scramble to find new stables for their horses and places to live.

Mt. Diablo in the background and the 9-hole golf course in the center of the track.

I wondered how the annual Alameda County Fair, held in late June and early July, and all the other county fairs would fare without the horse racing events. Based on attendance numbers during 2025 compared to 2024, the Alameda County fair enjoyed an increase of 13%. Of course, weather plays a big part in attendance, and 2025 experienced milder weather than in 2024. New programs and activities introduced to replace the horseracing event can also account for some of the increase.

Although the Tri-Valley area may no longer be known for horse racing, it still has a lot to offer. Dublin, Livermore, Pleasanton, and San Ramon offer small hometown amenities for families. Farmers’ markets, parades, outdoor concerts, restaurants offering cuisine from around the world, shopping, history museums, galleries, the Bankhead and Firehouse theaters, parks, trails, hiking, golfing, medical care, and plenty more.

After all our travels so far over the past few years, Jon and I have yet to find a place we would rather live. With or without horse racing, we’re here to stay for now.

Up Next: Unfortunately, 2025 did not see us on the road much. We’re hoping to travel during the second quarter of 2026, if all goes well. Over the next few posts, we’ll share the rest of our 2024 adventures and the few we slipped in during 2025. Then we’ll be on hiatus for a few months.

See you then.

Safe Travels

2024 Short Trip to Fort Bragg, California

On November 20, 2025November 19, 2025 By LToddIn California, Photography, Travel4 Comments

After our trip to Wisconsin, we settled in at home for a few weeks and caught up on chores. One chore we weren’t ready for was the purchase of a new car. I loved my 18-year-old Acura MDX and wasn’t eager to give it up. “We’ll just look,” I said when we left to visit the Toyota and Hyundai dealers.

Ha, ha, ha. We didn’t know how impossible it would be to walk away without leaving a deposit after a test drive in a Hyundai Santa Fe. As owners of our new car, we couldn’t just park it in the garage. We needed a place to take it. “Fort Bragg, California, here we come, and a ride on the Skunk Train will be fun.” That was something I’d wanted to do for years.

We stayed two nights at the North Cliff Hotel, which sits upon a bluff with views of waves crashing against boulders and cliffs below. We arrived with plenty of time to check in and watch the sun dip into the ocean while eating dinner.

View of Noyo River Bridge from the Wharf Restaurant, Lounge, and Bar

The next day, October 2, 2024, we started our day with breakfast at the Home Style Cafe. Then we rode the Pudding Creek Express, otherwise known as the Skunk Train. The 7-mile round-trip excursion to Pudding Creek Estuary stops at Glen Blair Junction.

A US Army Air Corps vehicle parked outside the cafe

The Skunk Train

At Glen Blair Junction, the conductor encouraged us to stretch our legs, play yard games, and explore the path through the redwood forest for 45 minutes.

Glen Blair Junction shelter, firepit, heaters, and games

Other adventures are available from Fort Bragg. Ride the train up to Glen Blair Junction and take about a 1-hour walk back to town, or walk up, catch the train, and ride back. Railbikes for two are also a popular way to get to Glen Blair.

The railbikes arrived before us and went on a guided hike

We moseyed along the path, enjoying the sights punctuated with earthy bark and pine aromas.

The Skunk Train and the railbikes operate year-round, rain or shine. Be sure to check the schedule before going because weekend and holiday schedules may apply during the winter months.

View of Glen Blair Junction from the trail

The train from Fort Bragg traveled to Willits, California, until 2015, when a tunnel collapse in 2015 cut the route in two. From Willits, the Wolf Tree Turn tour takes passengers on a 2-hour, 16-mile, round trip over a 1,740-foot summit, through Tunnel #2, and down into the Noyo River Canyon. The trip includes a brief stop at one of the oldest trees on the route. This train operates only from early spring through December.

So, why is it called the Skunk Train? I found two possible reasons. The first is that its name comes from the skunk cabbage, which is a plant that grows along the train’s route in the wetlands and blooms during spring. It’s said the plants have a pungent odor when disturbed, like a skunk.

The second reason is that the name came from the motorcars that replaced the steam locomotives. Apparently, the new locomotives reeked of gasoline and oil burning, so passengers called them Skunks. I think I like the skunk cabbage story best. I’m sure the railroad workers disturbed the plants while laying tracks. Thus, setting off the plants’ protective odor, and impregnating the workers’ clothes.

Other Skunk Train adventures from Fort Bragg include a guided redwood forest tour and a tour of the roundhouse. And for a late-night adventure, board the train to Glen Blair Junction, where firepits, heaters, group games, live music, and a world-class bar await. Check the schedule online for select Friday and Saturday nights.

The Depot Mall & Museum is up the street from the Skunk Train Depot. There, visitors will find the Laurel Deli & Desserts restaurant, shopping opportunities, restrooms, and Daisy. Daisy is a steam locomotive built by Burnham, Parry, Williams in 1885, according to the steamlocomotive.com website.

Guest House Museum

After our train ride, we walked up the hill to the Guest House Museum. Fort Bragg Redwood Company built this home in 1892 for the Johnson Family who owned the company.

Constructed with 67,000 board feet of lumber, the home served as a showcase to exhibit the ornate woodwork, decorative moldings, and door and window trims. The spool-spindle banister and stain glass windows added extra design features.

Examples of the architectural woodwork used in the home

The company also used the house for guests from their San Francisco office, and for people visiting the mill and logging areas in Fort Bragg. All bedrooms included hot and cold running water and electric lights, the first home with such amenities on the Mendocino coast.

The museum is organized by theme. To name a few, they are: marine room, Pomo exhibit, train room, mill/loom room, and timber room.

Quilt designed and made by Our Town Ocean Wave Quilters in 1999

After a few ownership changes, Georgia-Pacific Corp. became the owners and used it as a department store and later a museum. They donated the property to the City of Fort Bragg in 1985 with the understanding it would remain a museum for Fort Bragg, Mendocino County, and the community.

Reminds me of the light fixtures in my grandparents’ home during the 1950s

Redwood trees were used to make
the first water pipes in Fort Bragg

Jon admires a section of the largest known redwood tree in Mendocino County.
It stands as a memorial dated in 1943 and dedicated to Charles Russell Johnson, who founded the city in 1889.

Section of largest known redwood in Mendocino County

I like to capture a few buildings around town. Below are the city hall, a mural, the former Union Lumber Company Store, and the First Baptist Church.

I can’t figure out what I’m looking through. Do the circles represent a camera lens, a locomotive headlight, a first-order Fresnel lens, or . . .?

The former Union Lumber Company Store is now
a collection of various stores and restaurants.

Whew! What a full day we had in Fort Bragg. As always happens during our visits, I wouldn’t mind coming back again someday. There are plenty more sights to see and things to do. And I would also like to visit Willits and take the train going the other direction. Then I can imagine what it was like to travel the entire route.

Next up: we make a stop at Point Arena Lighthouse on our way home.

Safe Travels

The Traveling Todds

Category: States

June 2026, New York – Episode 3

June 2026, New York City – Episode 1

Point Arena Lighthouse Plus Horse Racing

2024 Short Trip to Fort Bragg, California

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