Sea Glass Heaven

Really, this place does exist!  I have been hearing about Glass Beach in Fort Bragg for years, and have always wanted to go explore, but never had it on our travel agenda. We almost made it last fall on our trip up to Point Arena, but did not realize how close Fort Bragg was and we didn't make the drive farther north up the coast.

This year, I turned the dreaded 50,  and was not too excited or thrilled about the whole ordeal. Tom to the rescue - he planned a fantastic birthday surprise weekend to celebrate!  Actually, I had no idea where we were even headed until he handed me the agenda when we hopped in the Mini-Cooper and headed North. (He was pretty cute - had the whole thing planned and the agenda all printed out!)

Decided that we might as well take advantage of our fabulous hotel room at the North Cliff Inn,

perched on the cliff overlooking the harbor entrance and the jetty in Fort Bragg.  Sunset on our deck with a glass of wine... heaven.  P.S. This was a great place to stay for us, jetted tub and gas fireplace in our room, plus a spectacular view!

On Sunday morning, we grabbed cameras, my beach boots, and a few bags to take home treasures, in case we found anything.  OH MI - do you think we found anything?  Honestly, I had no idea of what we would find when we got down to Glass Beach.... It's difficult to even accurately describe what it really looked like.  I hope you can all see from the pics!

Instead of sand or pebbles, the tumbled sea glass covers every inch of the beach.  

In some places, it is 6-7 inches deep! 

Absolutely crazy!

 Needless to say, I was a very very happy birthday girl! 

Here's a peek at my stash! 

How to get to Glass Beach? Luckily my good friend Bev Jacquement, author of "The Sea Glass Rush" was incredibly generous with directions and tips about which section of the beach to go to, and how to climb down from the rocks to the beach.

"Go over Golden Gate Bridge & turn left on Hwy 20 at Willits. The Jack-In-The-Box is on the left corner. Stop for bathroom break, get food to go & head towards the sea! The road is twisty. Lots of pull outs, use them as the locals drive it fast. When you get to Hwy 1, turn right. Go through town, turn left on Elm, at the Denny's. You will end at Glass Beach Drive. Park. Take the path & when you can turn to the left, do that. Do not go to the right & do not go straight. If you walk all the way to the end, that is not the best way down to the beach. Back up a little & there is a better way."



Tips for Success:
1. Good Shoes or Hiking Boots (or rubber boots)
2. Backpack with water and snacks
3. Maybe a tiny potting rake or shovel to sift through all of the pretty tumbled pieces
3. Wear pants as you will be scrambling up and down rocks
3. Camera - I personally am a fan of my new "Tough" Olympus camera as I have now trashed 2 cameras in the sand
4. Baggies to take home treasure!