Whales!

With miles of deserted beach and a small population, Fort Bragg and the rest of Mendocino County might seem like a treasure trove of unspoiled surf spots.  Unfortunately, the reality is different.  A lack of steep bottom contours and a dearth of headlands or other bays to shelter from the prevailing northwesterly wind leads to a lot of crumbly, wind-blown waves.  There could very well be some hidden locals-only gems around, but we didn’t find them.

What Fort Bragg lacks in waves they make up for in whales.  While we visited outside the peak whale migration season and didn’t see any sign of cetaceans in the ocean, they were hard to miss ashore…