The Haerr men love a good car show. Wekfest is a premier automotive lifestyle and custom car exhibition that tours globally. The events are a massive hub for automotive enthusiasts, featuring curated builds, aftermarket vendors, and exclusive merchandise.

California Governor Newsom announced an opportunity we couldn't miss. I instantly signed up for a special free pass to California’s State Historic Parks in honor of Juneteenth and America’s 250th Anniversary.

The site was established in 1811, atop a promontory up the coast from Port Rumiantsev (now known as Bodega Bay). Timber and a dependable water supply made this an attractive location, and in 1812, settlement building commenced, with the addition of a stockade, bell tower, two windmills, cattle yard, farm buildings, bathhouses, two blockhouses, two threshing floors, a home for the governor, a forge, a tannery, and a Russian Orthodox chapel dedicated to Saint Nicholas. Along the cove below, a small shipyard and boathouse were erected. Most everything was made of redwood.

Encompassing over 3,400 acres, Fort Ross is still perhaps best known for the Saint Nicholas Chapel. Though the original chapel was destroyed in the 1906 earthquake, it was rebuilt between 1915 and 1917. In the autumn of 1970, an accidental fire ripped through the chapel, destroying it once again.

By 1973, it had been reconstructed using lumber from the burned remains, a Russian Orthodox tradition. The original chapel bell melted in the fire, so a new one was cast in Belgium using rubbing and metal from the original bell. Two small inscriptions appear on the bell today: “Heavenly King, receive all, who glorify Him.” And, along the lower edge, an inscription reads, “Cast at the foundry of Michael Makar Stukolkin, master founder and merchant at the city of St. Petersburg."

Under the supervision of a Russian foreman, native Californians and Aleuts from Alaska who lived in earthen huts on the outskirts of the colony, regularly embarked alongside Russian colonists, on arduous harpooning expeditions at sea. They’d return with an abundance of seal and sea otter pelts, salmon, sea perch, and sea bass, and bird meat, eggs, and feathers, as well as salted sea lion meat and kegs of whale blubber, used for food preparation and lamp oil. The ocean proved more abundant than the land, where crops were never plentiful. It was too cold and moist for wheat to properly thrive. And though cattle were raised, grazing was limited due to harsh conditions.

The most profitable industry run by the Russians in California was hunting sea otters for their pelts, which needed to be treated and prepared at the Fort Ross tannery before they could be shipped back to Russia or traded with the Spanish. The tanners used lime from seashells and tannin from oak bark in the area and, in addition to sea otters, also prepared cowhides, deer hides, sealskins, wild goat skins, and sea lion skins. The goods made from these hides included shoes, leather, and deer hide suede.

Each of the buildings had laminated informational material. This one, in the warehouse described the photo, "Most sea otter pelts from coastal Alta California were traded by the Russians, English, and Americans to China. In the early 19th century, English and Americans could trade with China through Canton (near Hong Kong), whereas the Russians traded with China through their earlier established trading post at the more distant Kyakhta (near Lake Baikal and Mongolia). It was fashionable for the upper class to wear sea otter hats plus leather coats or silk robes featuring collars, trim or even lined with sea otter fur (if they were particularly wealthy). Pictured is Li Hung Chang, Prime Minister, Qing Dynasty, China." What an intriguing extra layer of history.

In 1839, officials of the Russian government decided to close and abandon the colony. The sea otter population had been depleted, and expectations for a vibrant grain, beef, and dairy industry could not be met. Shipbuilding was difficult and proved largely defective, with manufactured goods not returning enough profit to offset costs. Moreover, Russian claims to the territory were challenged by the new Mexican republic, and eventually, the colony proved untenable.

In 1841, the Russian-American Company sold the fort and its equipment to John Sutter, a Swiss-Mexican settler. Over the next several decades, the property operated as a working ranch focused on agriculture, livestock, and lumbering.

This site is historic for many reasons one of which was its innovations. The outpost became the site of California's first shipbuilding, wind-powered mills, and records of the region's natural history.

History is found everywhere and now we get to discover it for FREE. Cool stuff!

More than 55 miles of dramatic Pacific coast create Sonoma County’s western border. The coastline is rugged, dramatic, and scenic – yet approachable. We spent three days meandering.

Our first camp stop was in Bodega Bay at Doran Regional Park. This is a popular coastal destination featuring a 2-mile stretch of wide, sandy beach. Protected by Bodega Head, its calm south-facing waves make it ideal for families, bodyboarding, kite flying, birdwatching, and our favorite- beachcombing.

In the 1940s, the land that encompasses the modern park was owned by rancher William "Billy" Doran, who lived on a hill just above the outer bay. The federal government seized portions of the Doran Ranch, through eminent domain, to establish a safe harbor for maritime rescue operations. The government dredged the harbor and constructed the rock jetties that still control the entrance today.

Northern California beaches are certainly different from the ones we grew up with. Rarely have we been warm on one. Camping at the sea is magical no matter the ambient temperature.

Our evening treat, provided by the campfire, were what we've deemed ch'ores... cheese s'mores. Because we're not doing sugar, we roasted Babybel cheese and squished them between two gluten free seed crackers.

This savory substitute provided yum and fun!

Our next stop was at the tiny town of Jenner which provided us with a coffee refueling at the darling Café Aquatica.

Our home for night #2 was Stillwater Cove Regional Park which features a picturesque crescent of beach, a small campground, and 3 miles of hiking trails through redwood forest and along ocean bluffs.

After setting up camp, we hit the 1.6-mile Canyon Trail Loop which follows Stockhoff Creek through a canyon of towering redwoods filled with ferns. WOW.

Armed with an informational trail guide, we learned about the lumbering that occurred here in the 1850s. The cuts in the side of the trees held springboards that loggers stood on.

When gold was discovered in north-western California in 1850, thousands crowded the remote redwood region in search of riches and new lives. Failing in efforts to strike it rich in gold, these men turned toward harvesting the giant trees for booming development in San Francisco and other places on the West Coast. These trees are the tallest and one of the most massive tree species on Earth. The size of the huge trees made them prized timber, as redwood became known for its durability and workability.  At that time, redwood forest covered more than 2,000,000 acres of the California coast (remaining old-growth forest: 110,000 acres, 5% of original).

Stillwater Cove’s rich history is tied to the maritime and pioneer settlement of northern California. Early settler Christian Friedrich Ruoff arrived at the cove in 1851. Following his death, his wife Francesca built a lumber chute by the late 1860s. The cove's sheltered waters provided a year-round doghole port where small schooners were loaded with cordwood, railroad ties, and tan bark for San Francisco.

And there is even a Hollywood Connection. The natural beauty of the cove caught the eye of Hollywood, serving as a filming location for the classic 1947 film The Ghost and Mrs. Muir.

"In every outthrust headland,

in every curving beach,

in every grain of sand

there is the story of the earth."

— Rachel Carson