“We grow food for the community. We grow ourselves. We grow farmers.” My first instinct was to pick an apple from the fence where they were trained to grow. A thousand shades of green, an earthy sweet smell, the sound-track of birdsong echoing slightly in the woods; all were punctuated by saws sawing, hammers hammering…
Prime Weekend Territory…
…Tualatin Valley Oregon Mt. Hood peaks between the hills from time-to-time. Along two-lane backroads, you’re occasionally slowed by a tractor. Barns, livestock, orchards, farms, and vineyards dress the rolling hills. U-pick fields, farm stands, tasting rooms and cyclist pop-up along the way. You’ll easily forget a busy city is a few miles away. Less than…
My secret beach house stay…
…on St Augustine Beach Florida. White sand dunes and sea oats, sea turtle nest and gentle surf, afternoon clouds swelling across the Atlantic horizon. All are standard on NE Florida’s coast. The uncrowded beaches are just a bit quieter, especially in summer. I stayed in one of St Francis Inn’s secret beach houses. Located on a beach trail…
Paddle or Peddle…
…explore Mendocino Coast Stanford Inn’s Catch A Canoe and Bicycles Too, have rented and sold wind-powered, people-powered and solar-powered transportation options since 1972. At their store and docks on Big River, you can find a trail guide, bicycle, kayak, canoe or outrigger. They’ll give you expert help for exploring Big River, Mendocino coast, inland trails…
JAX
Jacksonville Florida is a big city… …in fact, geographically, it’s the country’s largest. Located on St. Johns River and the Atlantic Ocean, it’s one of America’s major seaports, hosting two US Naval bases. Water surrounds three sides of Jacksonville; ocean, river and wetlands. Beaches, boating, fishing and watersports are some of the best ways to…
A1A sunrise…
Put the top down, slide on your movie star shades, let your hair fly. Your mission, road trip, 100-miles of Florida’s coast. A1A meanders down Florida’s Atlantic coast. It zigzags frequently, crossing the Intercostal Waterway, jumping between the mainland and narrow islands sitting like dots and dashes just off-shore. It links towns and cities to…
Best Hotel Ever
Hotel Palms is one of the best places I’ve stayed – anywhere. If you’re headed to Jacksonville Florida, stay at Hotel Palms in Atlantic Beach. It’s unlike any place you’ll ever stay. The night I was there was neighborhood movie night. Guest and neighbors watched a movie in the Palm’s courtyard. Local made food, coffee,…
Afternoon on the pier…
Crabby Joe’s is an eatery and fishing pier on Daytona Beach Florida. In June 2017, I spent an afternoon there, eating fresh grooper, drinking seabreezes and chatting with the folks fishing off the pier and waiting out the building thunderstorm.
Aquarium
Oregon Coast Aquarium, Newport Oregon
i Flew at iFly
April and May were filled with my Great Oregon Road Trip. I spent five weeks immersing myself in Oregon, its people, food, history and nature. It will take months to write about it all. Here is one little bit I just had to share… Thanks for stopping by, MaryGo
What I learned in Buenos Aires (and why I’m going back) — John Bechtel Writer
I’m pleased to share this story from fellow travel writer, John Bechtel. He’s living the dream. Maybe you’d like to follow his adventures. This writer, recording observations from travelers from 42 countries that he met over six months in Puerto Limon Hostel, barrio of San Telmo, Buenos Aires, Argentina. He returns there in three weeks…
Going to the next level…
I write for this exciting and ethical magazine. It’s a privilege to have my community and my work featured. Clare and crew are ready to take the publication to the next level. They need a little help. Learn where ITM is headed and how they’ll get there. Give them a hand if you can at ~ Immersion Travel…
Sail Through History
Sailing Through History with TSCA Published May 23, 2017 by Immersion Travel Magazine
Down by the river…
…it’s the morning of day 11 ~ Great Oregon Road Trip. The first sound I hear is a songbird welcoming sunrise. The Nehalem flows silently past my door a few yards away. The glassy water wears a mirror reflection of the old bridge crossing the Nehalem. A pair of Mallards glide past, breaking the surface with…
Early morning Elk…
…Elk California
Great Oregon road trip
My great Oregon road trip needs a list for my lists… I’m headed north on April 22, 2017. I’ll be driving to Oregon where I’ll spend five weeks roaming and wandering, getting to know the people and places that call my neighboring state home. My solo trip will take me to a writer’s conference in Salem,…
“I’m just stringing along.”
Yesterday, I became a stringer… The Independent Coast Observer, published in Gualala California, asked me to replace a retiring reporter. I’ll be researching, writing and photographing feature stories. Wow, I feel like I’ve finally earned the journalist badge I wear. April 2017 will mark 48-years this small town weekly has served Mendonoma coast. (Mendonoma is…
I love this magazine…
…Word of Mouth Magazine, a Mendocino County homegrown treasure. To publish a print magazine in this ‘send it to my screen’ age we’ve created, takes nerves of steel. Giving unbiased coverage to the many, many sources of sustainable, organic, clean and local food is genius. Holly Madrigal and her team of magazine-producing heroes keep us in…
Travel Hack – Cold and cough therapy
Cough and cold relief when traveling… What could be worse than a cold or cough on that vacation you’ve waited all year for? Or the business trip that you couldn’t cancel? My favorite treatment is mint inhalation for a cold or cough. At home, I get a large bowl of steamy water, add mint oil,…
Become a part of the art…
…people needed for A Portrait of Mendocino Village San Francisco based projection artist, Ben Wood, will be working in Mendocino California on March 3rd & 4th. He’ll be creating and prepping for, A Portrait of Mendocino Village, an after dark, projected art installation celebrating the community, its people and spaces. Ben is working with Mendocino Art Center to…
Hospitality + Hospital + Haunted
Grey Whale Inn Offers History Tours By: Mary Charlebois Originally published by Fort Bragg-Mendocino Coast Packet, February 1, 2017 Once a hospital, the Grey Whale Inn now welcomes visitors to thirteen spacious and distinctive guest rooms. Made entirely of old-growth redwood, the 3-story, craftsman-style building still sports all original hand-crafted interior walls, woodwork and ramps…
10 Surprising things to do on the Mendocino Coast
Over 100-miles of coastline form the west side of Mendocino County. Most is remote, skirted by CA Hwy 1 and inhabited only by Mother Nature. It’s said you come here for wildlife, waves, wilderness and wine and you return for the people. On the Mendocino coast, you’ll unplug, unwind and slow down. There’s lots to…
Riding a skunk to glory…
“All aboard for Rodgers, Summit, Crowley, Clare Mill, Burbeck, Shake City, Irmulco and Northspur.” On a cold and rainy January morning, in Willits California, I boarded the Northspur Flyer, otherwise known as Skunk Train. Diesel locomotive #64 pulled out of the depot with 11 passengers, one engineer, one conductor and one hostess on board. The…
Tour America’s Greenest Wine Region
A tour of six green, Mendocino County wineries… I’m extremely honored for my work accepted by Immersion Travel Magazine. My first story with IT, ‘Tour America’s Greenest Wine Region’, was published December 22, 2016. My second story, ‘California’s Mendocino Coast: The possibilities are countless’, goes live in January 2017. I hope you enjoy my story…
Eat a neighborhood…
Only 3-hours in San Francisco? Eat a Neighborhood… Published in ByWAYS Magazine, December 19, 2016 – Words and photos by Mary Charlebois Food is the key to knowing any city. Submerge yourself in one of San Francisco’s 27 diverse neighborhoods and eat your way through. In three hours, you will learn about food, history, culture,…
Get your Masters in Bourbon…
Where do you start with over 250 bourbons to choose from? “Start with the A’s”… Click below to see the full story. Get a Masters in Kentucky Bourbon Tasting in New Orleans Published by Travel Post Monthly, December 1, 2016. Story & photos by Mary Charlebois, MaryGo
Eden
We truly live in Eden on the Mendocino Coast…
Have this garden for lunch..
Redwood Coast Senior Center’s Kitchen Garden produces over 3,000 pounds of fruit and veggies each year… Thanks Fort Bragg-Mendocino Coast Packet for publishing my story and photos in the November 2016 issue.
A Great American Road
ByWAYS Magazine just named Hwy 1 along California’s Mendocino Coast, a ‘Great American Road’. Working on this story was a true labor of love. I worked on it for years without even knowing I’d be selected as its writer. I moved to this area in 2005. Since then I’ve spent untold hours photographing and…
The Park Has Art III
Armstrong Park ~ New Orleans Turn up the volume and click the video. The music is pure New Orleans. Just off the French Quarter, across Rampart Street, in the Treme neighborhood, lies Armstrong Park. New Orleans has dedicated this stately common to Louis Armstrong, the great jazz trumpeter. Louis isn’t the only musician honored here….
Under the radar on Mendocino coast…
Wildlife, waves, wilderness, and wine. That’s why you go to the Mendocino Coast… Click below to enjoy my story published by GoNOMAD October 1, 2016. The story contains my words, photos, videos, sounds, and maps. I’m especially proud of this story, it’s my hometown. –MaryGo Mendocino Coast ~ Three Adventures In Nature Thanks for stopping by, MaryGo
Eye to eye with giants…
Thank you, Fort Bragg-Mendocino Coast Packet, for publishing my story about B Bryan Preserve in Point Arena, California. Locals can take the day and go for an African safari near home. Visitors to the area – make the spectacular B Bryan Preserve one of your stops. Here is the text of the story in a bit…
See you at the Fair…
89th Mendocino County Fair and Apple Show Sept 16, 17, 18 This story appears in the September issue of Fort Bragg-Mendocino Coast Packet. I’m pleased to use Debra Eloise’s photos to illuminate my words here and in the Packet. Each year this wonderful photographer focuses on a different part of the fair. Her photos are…
Arena Cove
A hoist is necessary to launch a boat into Arena Cove… Boats are driven to the hoist on trailers. The hoist lifts them up, swings over the water and lowers the vessel. Reverse to take a boat out. I loved watching this precarious looking operation from the deck of the Chowder House. It was good…
Now that’s a bridge…
Albion River Bridge crosses Albion River on Mendocino Coast, carrying Hwy 1 on its back… Built in 1944, it’s the last remaining wooden bridge on California Hwy 1. The bridge is scheduled to be replaced between 2018 and 2021. Some folks don’t want to see it go. A campaign to place the wooden deck truss bridge on…
Which do you prefer…
Two vehicles passing on Hwy 1, Mendocino Coast. Which would you prefer for a tour? Thanks for stopping by, MaryGo
Along Hwy 1
Summertime often brings fog to the Mendocino Coast… Fog moving in along Hwy 1, between Navarro River and Elk California. Photographer: Mary Charlebois, MaryGo When the temperatures soar in the valleys to the east of the Coastal Range, our temps drop and the Marine Layer moves to shore. Some days are an ever-changing coastal…
10-Mile Bridge…
Mendocino Coast has many, many bridges. Old, new, scenic, and barley noticeable… 10-Mile River enters the Pacific about 10 miles north of Fort Bragg California. Hwy 1 crosses the bridge and meanders on to the north along the coast. This is one of the newest bridges in Mendocino County and one of the most scenic….
Mendocino County, America’s Greenest Wine Region
Mendocino County leads the nation in organic vineyard acreage. We are often called America’s greenest wine region.
GoNOMAD, Info Traveler’s Use
GoNOMAD is a traveler’s information hub. You’ll find well written, informative stories about global destinations. The authors have been there and know their subject well. Photos and videos are used to illustrate each feature. GoNOMAD recently published a story by one of my favorite writers, Kurt Jacobson. I hope you enjoy… A Mid-Winter Adventure In Japan…
From My Garden
I guess this Lady Bug isn’t ripe yet… Someone told me this is a Potato Bug. Can you identify this beautiful green creature?
Walking through history
An almost forgotten mill town, Glen Blair, is the destination… … for the July 10, 2016 Glen Blair Walk in the Woods. Fort Bragg-Mendocino Coast Historical Society (FBMCHS) is sponsoring a guided/narrated walk NE of Fort Bragg, California. The walk passes through woods to the site. Glen Blair was a mill town from 1885 until 1923 when…
‘Views’ Are Welcome
I need your ‘views’, but not in an opinion-poll or survey. Don’t worry, I’m not selling anything or asking for money, but I would appreciate your clicks and eyes on my video entry in The Virtuoso Traveler Photo & Video Contest 2016. VIEW MY ENTRY I’ve entered a short travel video in the Virtuoso competition. By…
Queen of the Nile – A Tale of Two Trips
Originally posted on MaryGo:
Standing on the floating dock I realized this photo session would be a challenge. Things were already bobbing up and down and I wasn’t in a boat yet… TRIP ONE – Rowing with Dusty Standing on a floating dock in Dolphin Isle Marina , I realized immediately this photo session would be…
Walls Have Art II
Robots made from apartment buildings, Latino film stars, angels, cowboys, farm laborers, immigrants, religious icons, and much, much more. The walls of Balmy Alley, in San Francisco’s Mission, have art. Click above to see Walls Have Art II, my 2nd in a series of street art videos. This one-block residential thoroughfare has some of the…
A Party Wherever You Park It
Tow-ster is always the life of the party. People are drawn to her beautiful curves and classic looks… The 14’, remodeled, 1964 ‘Ideal’ travel trailer is a professionally equipped bar and lounge on wheels. Tow-ster is delivered and set-up at your private party or event, you add the alcohol and guests. The moveable bar is…
Spring
Behold, my friends, the spring is come; the earth has gladly received the embraces of the sun, and we shall soon see the results of their love! — Sitting Bull The headlands along the coast are a cross between prairie and desert in this part of Northern Coastal California. The dry salt air and powerful…
Embarcadero, End 2 End
…my plan to record time lapse of the Saturday Farmers Market was cut short. A security guard told me I needed a permit… November, 2105 The ferry was crowded. Moms, dads, grandparents, gaggles of teenaged girls, couples and a few, like myself, solo travelers. Not the usual crowd you’d see at 9:30 am on Friday….
True Blue
Borage sports one of the few true-blue flowers in the garden. The vivid star-shaped blooms are plentiful, long lasting and taste like cucumber. I planted Borage in a 10 gallon glazed clay container last year. It prospered in a partial shade spot by the laundry room door. The herb was prolific, providing a remarkable amount of leaves…
The Garden Nurse
I wasn’t actually walking in my garden when I saw the Comfrey. I was making my way to the laundry room. Diminutive fuchsia and pink conical blooms were pushing their way from under the center of the plant. The flower’s color stood out brazenly against the green veined leaves. They signaled me to come…
