Sonoma Coast: Day 2

This was a day of history, cool architecture, quaint towns and weird things found on the seashore. In other words, a perfect Denise & Steve Day.

Before checking out of our campground we strolled to the small cove across the street from our site.

Swimming was not on our agenda and after reading this sign, we were 100% not going into the sea, "DANGER: This is one of the most deadly beaches in California". Yikes.

It was a treasure trove of things washed up upon its shores, however.

Of the strange things found, this creature was the most puzzling. I'm waiting for my marine biologist, Brady, to weigh in on this one.

We found one 'alive' and one with no resident still in the shell. So unique.

My hypothesis on the railroad track was that it was a remnant of the lumber era.

I was drawn to this unique building because of its architect, James Hubbell. Not only have I been to his Kumiai Community Museum of Tecate (Mexico) and the Oceanside Museum of Art's exhibition of his work, James Hubbell: Seeking Balance.

The Sea Ranch Chapel, a nondenominational worship space (open daily to the public, 365 days a year from sunrise to sunset) was created to honor Kirk Ditzler (a local man who died in 1982 at age 38), who regarded art as the intermediary between the physical and spiritual worlds. To realize his design, artist James Hubbell assembled a team of local artisans and craftsmen, led by contractor Thamby Kumaran, who specialized in hand-built structures. It was crafted from a model and sketches rather than construction plans. Rough boulders anchor the building to the earth. The roof form was inspired by the shell of a sea snail. A sculpture in the landscape, the chapel stands as a curvilinear counterpoint to the right angles of most Sea Ranch architecture.

The interior is composed of redwood strips and high plaster ceilings. The benches and shelves were carved by Bruce Johnson, the elements seeming to grow from the ground itself. The tall stain glass window that cuts a swath through the chapel roof was donated by the Ditzlers, and the grand double doors are products of the Hubbell studio and embody that traditional aesthetic. Also from the studio are the wrought iron prayer screen and chandelier.

What a unique space in which to reflect and admire.

The history of The Sea Ranch is a long and interesting one. That said, we will begin with the Walter Frick Era (1912-1941). Walter Frick was an ambitious, astute, and perhaps ruthless businessman. He was born in 1875 and moved to Placerville, California, when he was only 18, holding jobs in the mining and timber industries. He began purchasing small timber parcels, combining them and then reselling the acreage to large lumber companies. His aggressive, opportunistic pursuit of real estate made him wealthy at a young age.

Through a series of inexplicable transactions over the next several years, this vast property, that would become The Sea Ranch, eventually ended up being owned entirely by Walter Frick. His efforts to sell off small lots were unsuccessful so he settled for introducing sheep to the property. I am standing in front of One Eyed Jack’s Cabin, an example of a sheepherder’s cabin that existed around the property.

Frick did have some positive contributions to the development of the property. First of all, he initiated the planting of the hedgerows between 1916 and 1927. Today, they are as much a part of The Sea Ranch as its ram’s head logo and its architectural achievements. Secondly, between 1916 and 1921, working with the University of California at Davis, he introduced sheep, anticipating more profits from them than cattle. Finally, although he tried to break it up, in the end he kept the property together.

Distinctive architecture, uninhibited ocean views, bold super graphics, shared open space, and meditative tranquility — these were the beginnings of The Sea Ranch, a beacon of Modernism on the Northern California coast. Designed by a small group of Bay Area architects and designers in the early 1960s, the development was envisioned as a progressive, inclusive community, guided by the idealistic principles of good design, economy of space, and harmony with the natural environment.

Situated on a ten-mile stretch of rugged Northern California coastline, The Sea Ranch was conceived as a retreat from urban living with connection to nature as a guiding principle.

Within its boundaries are six beach access points, which are part of The California Coastal National Monument. Being there is being at the sea!

We so wanted to stay and see what happened with this gull and his battle to eat a starfish. It was hysterical to watch.

Home for the night was in the town of Gualala. In about 1861, Cyrus and Elizabeth Robinson filed a homestead for all of the area which is now Gualala. They built and owned a hotel, a saloon and a ferry. They also supervised the Post Office (which was also the stage stop), the Wells Fargo Express and the Western Union. Within a year they sold part of their land to the men who would build the first lumber mill in Gualala. The rest is lumbering history!