We had the opportunity to borrow a business associate of Scott's home at the Sea Ranch in Sonoma County this August (2022). We figured it would be a great time to visit since San Diego can be a little warm and humid that time of year...and sure enough it was. The weather during our visit was nearly perfect - dry and cool and the famous fog stayed off the coast.

Getting There

We flew into Santa Rosa and drove along the Russian River to the coast. We followed the Shoreline Highway north to Sea Ranch, our home for the next 3 days.

Sonoma County vineyards just before landing

Kayaks on the Russian River in Jenner

The mouth of the Russian River

Iconic view of the Sonoma Coast along the very windy and winding Highway 1

History

Sea Ranch was created way back in the early1960s by several architects who wanted to preserve the natural beauty of the area along 10 miles of northern Sonoma County coast. The initial plan was a wood timbered lodge with condominiums. Buildings were to be of unfinished wood or muted-color stains with timber-frames and wood shake or rough wood, blend in with the topography, and somewhat echo the area's farm buildings. Most of the buildings lack overhanging eaves to allow the wind to pass around the buildings. Over time single family homes became the most popular structures with currently about 1800 homes. Most of the homes have large view windows and a steep roofline with the highest point facing away from the ocean to deflect the nearly constant northwestern winds. Landscaping outside of the enclosed courtyards is restricted to only indigenous plants. The style was copied by architects in California and other parts of the country. Visiting there has a reminiscent feeling of being in the 60s and 70s.

Condominium One and the entrance marker on Highway 1, 1965. It was the first in the Sea Ranch development, a complex of ten units considered a single structure.
credit...Morley Baer Photography Trust, Santa Fe; via Special Collections, University Library, University of California Santa Cruz

The lodge has recently been renovated and ground planted in native bunch grasses.

A large portion of the land was set aside as a park at the north end of the development with no public access through the development to the coast. Opposition to the lack of coastal access helped lead to the creation of the California Coastal Commission by ballot initiative in 1972. Today, there are several public parking lots along the coast highway with trails to beaches and overlooks. A ten mile long trail runs along the bluff tops. Scott and I would spend the next several days exploring the trail and nearby areas.

Trail marker to the beaches

Beyond the low impact and unique architecture of the buildings, the most notable thing of Sea Ranch is what is missing. Almost all of the plants are native to the area, so there are no Eucalyptus, palms or many of the other plants seen frequently in California. There are a lot of windblown Monterey Cypress, Hesperocyparis macrocarpa, and Monterey and Bishop pines. The bluff tops are covered with mostly native wildflowers with the exception of a lot of naturalized South African iceplant in places.

Nearby a few of the original farm buildings were still standing. However, the old barn building has become unstable and no longer accessible. Back when it was in better condition a friend's sister was married there and it was filled with flowers.

Original Barn and Farm house pre-Sea Ranch

Setting sun and the side of the barn

Early period tsunami warning device

Another side of the barn

Where we stayed

We stayed in one of the original shake-shingled single family houses built in 1966. Most of the interior walls were unfinished wood. We were close to the bluff and the house had a large windows looking northward along the coast. We watched the sunset into the Pacific each evening.

The house we stayed in surrounded by Monterey Cypress

A pair of Adirondack chairs in the lawn for viewing the surf and sunsets

Native grasses illuminated by the setting sun

Wind sculpted hop bush in the courtyard of the house.

Cliff top trail

We spent a lot of our time exploring the cliff top trail at Sea Ranch.

One of the many coves with clear water, cypress, coastal wildflowers and kelp

The coastal California poppy, Eschscholzia californica maritima, is perennial with gray foliage and yellow flowers with an orange center. It also is more immune to mildew than the more commonly available, taller orange poppies.

Seaside Buckwheat, Eriogonum latifolium is very common along the cliffs and still showing color in mid-August

Dudleya farinosa

Low growing coastal plants with some non-native iceplant mixed in

Maritime California poppy and buckwheat

Dudleya with Sea Plantain. At first I thought the Plantain was another dudleya

Dudleya farinosa

Farewell to spring, Clarkia amoena

Succulent sea plantain, Plantago maritima

Dudleyas on top of a rock outcrop

Both the gray and the green form of Dudleya farinosa, growing on top

Non-native iceplant adding a touch of red to the scene

Endless surf

The original barn of Sea Ranch

Seaside daisy, Erigeron glaucus

California hedgenettle, Stachy bullata, growing with ferns in a damp drainage spot

Non-native, Cirsium vulgare

The coastal prairie is mostly native grasses and wildflowers. Windbreaks of Monterey pine and cypress help block the constant wind

Hedgerow of windblown Monterey cypress

Found a live abalone! Don't think I've ever seen one in the wild before.

Submerged Sea Star. We saw lots of marine life during low tide, but that's a separate blog.

Angelica, not sure which species since several are native

Seep monkeyflower, Erythanthe guttata, which sure enough grew wherever there was a seep

Dudleya inflorescence growing up through a bush lupin.

Scott in his hiking sun-protection clothing.

Sea palms, a type of annual algae on the lower right. They sway in surf.

Monardella villosa, Coyote Mint bloom

Monterey Cypress framing the view

When the wind starts to pick up in the morning, the Turkey Vultures start scouting the coastal bluffs

A harbor seal we walked

On our return walk, the seal had been joined by antoher.

Sea arch and flock of seagulls

Seagulls and sun

Sea thrifts were in various stages of bloom

Coastal California Poppy with closed bloom

Seed pods on Monterey Cypress

The long and wide beach below where we stayed

Linum, flax flower, probably not native.

Buckwheat flowers

Kelp and surf

African Kniphofia, red hot poker. Remnants of earlier gardens are seen throughout northern California

African Kniphofia, red hot poker

Sea stacks

Calystegia occidentalis, bush morning glory

A lovely little white sand beach

Marine Life

I'll do a separate blog on the marine life, but here's a preview.

Sea star...they were abundant and in different colors

Sea anemone

Seals on the beach

Point Arena

We did a short visit into Mendocino County to Point Arena Lighthouse. The San Andreas fault runs just north of here and the geography of the sea cliffs was different from Sea Ranch. The cliffs were layered with softer rock which looked like coastal uplift. Undercutting of the cliffs by the surf had knocked over the cliffs in places.

Point Arena Lighthouse. The original lighthouse was destroyed in the 1906 earthquake

Sea arch formed in toppled cliffs

Interesting fence made of upended flagstones


The yellow flower is Coast Goldenrod, Solidago spathulata

The line of rocks where once sea cliffs that were undercut by the surf

Gualala River

Just north of Sea Ranch is Gualala Point Regional Park. Here the 40 mile long Gualala River enters the Pacific Ocean. The Gualala River runs parallel to the coast line roughly following the San Andreas fault through the coastal mountain range. Some of the largest redwood trees once grew along the river. But due to easy access from the river most of the old growth trees were cut down in the 1800s and after the 1906 earthquake to rebuild San Francisco.

Naked ladies, Amaryllis belladonna bloom in mass in old gardens in mid-August

Sealion sculpture near the park headquarters

Coastal sand verbena, Abronia latifolia, growing in beach sand

Coastal sand verbena, Abronia latifolia

Many creative structures built from the abundant driftwood on the beach

A driftwood labyrinth

Amazingly, Scott was able to find his way out of this labyrinth

Sea cliffs and wind sculpted trees

The fence marks the north end of Sea Ranch

Pelican flyover

Finally getting into a linear formation

Wood stacks

Dead wood was put into many stacks throughout the park. These will be burned during the wet season. The goal is prevent the buildup of fuel that could result in a much larger fire.

California Aster, Corethrogyne filaginifolia, was abundant in places.

The mouth of the Gualala River

A large estuary where the river meets the sea

Western Pearly Everlasting, Anaphalis margaritacea

Coastal Indian paintbrush, Castillega affinis

Non-native wild teasel, Dipsacus fullonum

California hedgenettle, Stachy bullata

California hedgenettle, Stachy bullata, growing along the river

Non-native invasive Himalayan blackberry

Cool looking trees growing along the river and undergrowth

Carved totems near the park entrance feature Russian-style equestrian carvings

Sea Ranch Chapel

The non-denominational Sea Ranch Chapel was designed by San Diego local artist James Hubbell in 1985. More recently it has been restored and preserved. Like many Hubbell buildings it has a free flowing shape with few right angles. It looks a bit like a seashell, or a witch's hat, or...well lots of other things you might imagine.