As you drive along I-101 north from Gualala, Point Arena comes into view. From the south, you enter from the bottom of a hill and rise upward to to the city, beaches and Point Arena Lighthouse. The landscape contains wildflowers, daisies, irises and and variety of colorful plants that thrive in the north coast climate in the spring.
The
southern part of town is where the
fishing pier is located, and you'll
often see an angler or two pulling up
their boats, washing fish, cutting bait,
and working away on the small pier.
Arena Cove Pier with its floating dock for launch and retrieval
of vessels, plus a dinghy and skiff
hoist area, is small but efficient. The
people who use it don't tend to linger,
unless they encounter friends and hope
to tell a few fish stories or shoot the
breeze.
Signs often are posted
providing information about the Laysan
Albatross. Its breeding grounds are on
the Hawaiian Islands, but it migrates to
Point Arena coast some 2,5oo miles
distance.
Up
the hill from the pier is the The Wharf Masters Inn
785 Port Road
Point Arena, CA 95468. The hotel is set into the hill, providing views of the
Pacific Ocean and the wharf area. There
is also a restaurant where you can eat. If you're spending the night, check
in and then go explore the town where
you can shop in non-chain stores, enjoy
the architecture over 100 years old seen
in churches and local buildings, and
drive over to the lighthouse. Point
Arena Lighthouse is open daily (subject
to change,) providing tours and
admission for a small fee. There's a museum, tide pool aquarium, nature trail
and gift store where you can pick
purchase souvenirs. Signs on
the road warn of raccoons, and indeed,
you'll often see the scavengers during
your visit. There are not the shy guys,
but are hungry and hopeful that humans
will throw them a crumb or two. Point
Arena has around 500 people and though
the town seems remote and out of the
way, it's amazing how lucky these people
are. They have beautiful beaches outside
the doors of their homes or just blocks
away, and there are lush fields, meadows
and beautiful landscapes that inspire. The city also keeps busy with lots of
health food options, community
gatherings, coffee house entertainment,
and special events held annually such as
the Hog & Lamb BBQ to raise funds for
the Redwood Coast Fire Department.
The beaches you must see during your
visit are Schooner Gulch State Beach at
the end of Schooner Gulch Road (3 miles
south of town) where the road forks and
you can also access Bowling Ball Beach
named for the massive rocks eroded by
the ocean to appear like large balls.
Bowling Ball Beach is sometimes closed
due to erosion. You can check out
conditions at parks.ca.gov.
Point Arena got its name from a
Spanish term which means 'sandbar'. It
was actually called Barra de Arena
which has later transformed into the
name Point Arena. Its recent
recorded history spans nearly half a
millennium. To the south the Spaniards
later would arrive in San Diego and
began building missions to claim the
territory for their king, but as early
as 1543 a Spanish sailor and navigator, Bartolome
Ferrelo, visited and gave Point Arena
its first modern name, Cabo de Fortunas.
It also went by the name Punta Delgado
when Mexican Bodega y Cuadro visited 200
years later in the 1700's.
A coastal branch of the Central Pomo Indians
between Navarro River and Gualala River
inhabited the area when so many
international travelers passed by with
interest. Spanish, Russians,
Mexicans and even Irishman John Galloway all came with interest, though Galloway actually stayed. He lived
near Point Arena around Schooner Gulch between 1866 and 1868.
The giant redwoods were seen at the time
to provide an ideal source of wood for
building and a milling operation for timber
at Schooner Gulch was established,
lasting into the late 1800's. Schooner Gulch
may have been named for a schooner
supposedly seen stranded on the beach at
the mouth of the gulch one evening, yet
gone the next morning.