Mendocino Headlands is a perfect place to watch the sunset. (Image: Kathryn Reed)

It could not have been better. OK, it really could have been. It could have been longer.

Six nights in late September at the Stanford Inn by the Sea in Mendocino was a birthday gift to myself. I really should treat myself this well even when the year doesn’t end in a zero.

Seldom does a place meet, let alone exceed, my expectations. The Stanford Inn was everything I hoped it would be.

A vegan restaurant cooking up breakfast that is nothing close to the standard continental fare served at chain hotels intrigued me. As a vegetarian, it’s a luxury to be able to choose anything on the menu.

The Ravens at Stanford Inn in Mendocino has exceptional carrot cake. (Image: Kathryn Reed)

Stanford Inn is one of the few vegan resorts in the United States. Most people who stay there—95 percent—are not vegan, according to one employee. Clearly the lack of an animal on the menu is not keeping people away.

The food did not disappoint. In fact breakfast was so filling (sometimes I got a to-go container) the only real dinner I had was on my birthday. I especially liked that most options were savory instead of sweet.

The grounds at the Stanford Inn are lush and inviting. (Image: Kathryn Reed)

Let me first tease you a bit with what some of my breakfast choices were:

• Portobello Benedict—English muffin, with spinach, grilled tomato and marinated portobello slices. Ravens hollandaise sauce. Choice of potatoes.
• Stanford Herbed Polenta—Their signature brunch entrée: grilled sun-dried tomato polenta with garden greens sautéed in our braising sauce. Served with our cashew cream sauce.
• Ravens Waffle or Pancakes—House-made buckwheat and oat waffle or pancakes. Served with organic maple syrup and fresh organic seasonal fruit compote.

The Ravens is the name of the restaurant. One does not have to be a guest at the inn to eat breakfast or dinner there. Lunches are provided on a to-go basis for guests if requested.

The hardest decision I had to make the whole time I was there was what time to make my breakfast reservation.

Books catering to the philosophy of Stanford Inn are for sale and able to be read in the adjacent comfortable seating in front of the fireplace. (Image: Kathryn Reed)

The vegan aspect of this inn was the icing on the cake, not the main draw.

Sustainability is a big part of what Jeff and Joan Stanford, the owners, are promoting. This year marks their 45th business anniversary. At check-in I was provided with a 45-page booklet (to keep) that explains their way of thinking and so much more.

“We began by seeking an integrated lifestyle, sensitive to nature, supporting biodiversity on the property, and equity among our staff while creating an opportunity for our guests to experience what we do,” it reads. “Since no one pushed us in this direction we did not want to push guests or staff. Rather we were and are providing an environment for a ‘soft sell’, transforming a redwood motel/lodge into a resort offering healthy experiences, a compassionate and healthful take on dining, and creating beautiful gardens that also produce food.”

A solarium houses the pool, hot tub and sauna at Stanford Inn. (Image: Kathryn Reed)

The inn checked so many boxes I was looking for in a solo get-away. Location—can’t beat it. The Northern California coast is worthy of a visit no matter the time of year. It’s not that far of a drive from almost anywhere else in this half of the state.

State parks and public lands are in abundance for hiking, mountain biking and other recreating. I barely scratched the surface with my two hikes and two rides. The first outing was to Russian Gulch State Park, while the next hike was at Van Damme State Park. Bike rides included Jackson Demonstration State Forest and one out of Big River that became a bit convoluted, but fun and memorable.

Point Cabrillo Light Station in Mendocino. (Image: Kathryn Reed)

Point Cabrillo Light Station, one of the historic lighthouses on the coast, is worth a visit especially if you are at Russian Gulch.

The resort provides bikes, though I brought mine. It’s also possible to rent kayak-canoes. I passed, as paddling isn’t that much of a draw for me.

After one of the more vigorous activities (hiking, biking) I usually ventured to the hot tub, which is inside a solarium. The abundance of plant life makes it a bit exotic. This, too, is where the pool and sauna are located.

A friend treated me to a massage—which was the perfect activity on my day where I said no to true physical activity. A part of that day was also spent strolling through the gardens, where many of the ingredients in the kitchen come from.

Another reason I didn’t need dinner was the resort offers snacks in the late afternoon for guests and happy hour. Twice I indulged in tofu wraps that were a nice complement to the food I had waiting for me in the room.

Stanford Inn guests paddle one of the outriggers available for rent at Big River. (Image: Kathryn Reed)

A small part of Mendocino Bay is visible from inside the restaurant and on the patio. That sliver of water was also discernible from my private deck.

Oh, those sunsets. It’s hard to find a better place to watch the sun go down than at the ocean. While Mendocino doesn’t have much in the way of restaurants for such an activity, my sister, Jann, steered me to Ledford House down the road in Albion. Fantastic setting.

The Mendocino Headlands State Park is a perfect spot to enjoy the sunset while walking along the bluffs above the water.

Back at the inn I had a fire every night. You know, the kind that requires a match to start, not a flick of a switch. Oh, how I miss a wood burning stove and splitting wood. This really might have been the true selling point—that every room comes with a wood fireplace. It was heavenly.

Wrapped in my cushy robe, with the window cracked just a bit, I sat on the king bed with a glass of wine mesmerized by the fire. It’s what I did for entertainment every night. Oh, and reading.

All rooms at the Stanford Inn come with a wood fireplace. (Image: Kathryn Reed)

Between the reception and dining areas is essentially a bookstore that beckons people to browse and sit a spell with the comfy seating and wood fireplace. I had no idea there are so many vegan oriented books. Most books had some social or environmental message. Fine by me.

Still, books are the last thing I need more of. I came home with four new ones, including the inn’s cookbook. I managed to finish the book I brought with me along with three others. Amazing what one can accomplish when work is on hold.

Oh, there’s a TV in the room that I assume works. With all the outdoor exercise possibilities, I never used the small gym.

On my way out of town on the edge of Fort Bragg I stopped at the 47-acre Mendocino Coast Botanical Gardens. What a beautiful send off as I headed inland.

Everyone is welcome at Rikki’s bar in San Francisco, but only women’s sports will be on the TVs. (Image: Kathryn Reed)

Tennis is the women’s sport I watch most often. I’ve been doing so since I was a kid. I’m a player, so I’m sure that’s a big component of my draw to the television.

But, boy—or should I say, girl—how things have evolved through the decades.

Women’s sports are no longer an oddity, a rarity, or something to be considered as an afterthought. More women (and girls) are playing sports at an early age, are becoming elite athletes, and are making a living doing so.

But how often do you see these games on TV at a sports bar? Rarely.

The Sports Bra in Portland opened in 2022 as the first women’s sports bar in the United States. This means they only show women’s sports on those big screens.

Fast forward to this past June and now San Francisco can boast of having a women’s only sports bar—Rikki’s.

Men are welcome at these bars, just like women are welcome at male dominated bars that predominately air men’s sporting events.

One wall at Rikki’s is a tribute to women’s sports teams in the Bay Area. (Image: Kathryn Reed)

It was incredible to sit at Rikki’s with my beer and fries listening to fans. Soccer was on the tube. I know little about the sport—doesn’t matter the gender playing. Hearing whoops and yells as someone made a goal or when an attempt missed the net was exciting. These people knew their sport—didn’t matter the U.S. was not competing.

That’s the thing about sports—they are unifying. They unify across genders, ages, abilities, races, and nationalities.

A problem, though, is it’s hard to unify in public when your sport and gender can’t be found on TV. NBC News reported there were only six women’s sports bars in the country at the start of the year, with a projection of 24 by the end of the year. That’s progress worth toasting.

People want to watch women’s sports. In fact the 2024 NCAA women’s basketball final had more viewers than the men’s finals. The WNBA had 54 million viewers last season. The 2023 Women’s World Cup soccer broke viewing (and attendance) records.

It was the inability to find a place to watch women’s soccer and basketball that led Danielle Thoe and Sara Yergovich to open Rikki’s. The bar is named after Rikki Streicher, who died in 1994. Streicher was a co-founder of the Gay Games Federation, and owned bars in The City.

Live at Lakeview (aka free outdoor concerts) is a Thursday night ritual in South Lake Tahoe during the summer. (Image: Kathryn Reed)

Something about live music is so unifying. It brings people together. Its evokes memories and creates new ones. It’s food for the soul.

And free music, well that can be even better. It’s an equalizer where anyone can be part of the crowd.

You don’t have to understand the lyrics to feel the music. Yes, music isn’t just heard. Music touches so many of our senses.

The Latin rhythms of Suika T & Band and Miranda Rae Love filled the air on July 31 at the Live at Lakeview outdoor weekly concerts in South Lake Tahoe. (I missed Love, the opening act.) These concerts started in 2012, and have been going strong ever sense. The type of music changes, so there’s bound to be something for nearly everyone.

This night was billed as cumbia funk. I had never heard of this music genre before, but the energy was very familiar. Suika T’s website says they blend electro cumbia, Latin rhythms, and hip pop with elements of funk, reggae, and dance hall.

It makes you want to be on a warm beach sipping an adult beverage. In this case it was a cool beach with a beer in hand.

Suika T is a woman, not just a name of a band. She is originally from Mexico City. For more than 20 years she has been a vocalist and multi-instrumentalist. Five band members bring the sound together with their guitar, percussion, conga, sax, and trumpet, as well as vocals.

They were great to listen to while visiting with friends Denise and Steve. Quite a bit louder than background music, but definitely providing a fun vibe as the sun dipped behind the mountains.

And the venue, well, being right on Lake Tahoe that’s hard to beat. Live at Lakeview’s last Thursday concert of the season is Aug. 28.

While adults are more interested on the men on the field to the right, kids have ample opportunities to play at Oracle Park with the mini park and big slide. (Image: Kathryn Reed)

This marks the San Francisco Giants’ 25th anniversary at their ballpark.

It’s hard to believe I’ve been in one of those seats all these years. I’m part of a season ticket group. Have been since I worked in The City and lived in the Bay Area.

All these years later and I refuse to give up those tickets; doesn’t matter where I live. There’s something about being at the ballpark. That’s the best way to enjoy baseball. Next best is listening to it on the radio. Yes, I’ll watch a game on TV on occasion, but for some reason it seems to move too slow on TV. But I never feel that way when I’m there in person.

At this rate it could be a while before the Giants are back in the World Series. (Image: Kathryn Reed)

I’ve been to four World Series games, several opening days, have eaten pounds of garlic fries, consumed a beer at most every game (except when it’s too dang cold at night), and have had several hot chocolates.

They wouldn’t let me ride the slide—something about being too old. Fourteen is the age limit. Whatever!

I’ve walked the entire outside, the entire inside on multiple levels. The views—simply outstanding. There really isn’t a bad seat in this ballpark.

That is one thing about a game on TV—being able see the views of the ballpark from a drone—absolutely stunning.

While the garlic fries have gone downhill since the opening of the ballpark, a cold beer is always welcome. (Image: Kathryn Reed)

Being right on the San Francisco Bay makes the setting idyllic. The water, the kayakers in McCovey Cove, the Bay Bridge.

Sure, players have come and gone. Some left too soon, others overstayed their welcome. Same with managers.

I’m always optimistic at the start of the season. It’s a fresh slate. Hope and belief are at their highest. Sometimes it’s hard to be a Giants fan. But no matter if it’s a W or an L, being at that ballpark is a great day.

Mount Rushmore in South Dakota is on land stolen from the Sioux Indians. (Image: Kathryn Reed)

Mount Rushmore used to be a place I would highly recommend people visit when they were in South Dakota. I would emphasize going to the lighting ceremony.

I was back there in June during a family reunion with the expectation that would be my last visit.

I can no longer celebrate the desecration of sacred Indian land and the destruction of the environment.

The U.S. government with the Treaty of 1868 permanently promised the Sioux Indians land that included the Black Hills of South Dakota. Once gold was discovered a couple years later the treaty became worthless as the government allowed prospectors to run roughshod over the Sioux land.

Rushmore was constructed between 1927 and 1941—at a time when environmental laws were weaker and Native people had even less of a voice than they do today.

I doubt this sculpture of Presidents George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Theodore Roosevelt, and Abraham Lincoln will ever go away. It’s not like granite can be replanted.

I’d like to think nothing like it will be built again on sacred and public land. That would be a good thing.

I’m all for recognizing individuals for their contributions to society. It’s how we honor them that matters, as well as where. Who does the work matters as well. Gutzon Borglum, the sculptor behind Mount Rushmore, had white supremacist leanings.

Today, Rushmore is a national monument under the care of the National Park Service.

I wonder what it would become if we gave the land back to the Indians. Would they chisel away the faces? Would that be such a bad thing?

Mount Rushmore is a place I’ve been going to since I was a kid because my grandparents lived in Rapid City, my parents were high school sweethearts there, and this area is where so many of our family reunions are. But none of that means I need to keep visiting a place rooted in hate, lies and deception. Where we go, how we spend our time and money—it matters, it says and means something. Tradition is not a reason to continue this ritual of visiting Rushmore every time I’m in South Dakota. I’m done and would hope my family (and everyone else) would come to this same conclusion.

Thousands participate in the June 7 volksmarch at Crazy Horse in South Dakota. (Image: Kathryn Reed)

Thousands of us walked on his arm—all at the same time. This warrior could handle the weight.

After all, this was Crazy Horse—a Lakota Sioux from the Black Hills of South Dakota. He was one of the leaders who successfully fought Custer, but was murdered a year later by an Army officer.

“Crazy Horse never put his mark on any treaty, nor ever slept in any man-made bed. He was willing to die for his beloved Black Hills and all its creatures—lands and buffalo no white man should rightfully take away,” according to thehistoryreader.com.

Crazy Horse’s hand points toward the Black Hills. (Image: Kathryn Reed)

On the first Saturday of June I joined others from my family reunion on the Crazy Horse Volksmarch. While it was touted to be a 10k, it was more like 5 miles. But the mileage isn’t what this event was about.

Twice a year the organization operating the memorial coordinates a walk, which allows people to see the progress, to be one with the monument, and raise funds for the work to continue.

The only way to get this close to the Crazy Horse monument is on a volksmarch. (Image: Kathryn Reed)

It’s about actually being on this sculpture being carved into private land.

The volksmarch afforded all of us the opportunity to walk along Crazy Horse’s arm, to look into his eyes. The detail was stunning.

This experience makes me even more appreciative of the work being done.

The Crazy Horse Memorial can be seen for miles as it sits above the tree line. (Image: Kathryn Reed)

Considering work on the Crazy Horse Memorial started in 1948, I would bet against it being completed in my lifetime even if I live decades more.

Governments create monuments all the time, and usually in a reasonable period of time. No government money is being used to create this tribute. Instead, donations and revenues generated at the museum and through these walks are put toward the sculpture.

The feds twice offered sculptor Korczak Ziolkowski funds, but he and his successors preferred this be a nonprofit endeavor.

No longer is there a time line for when it might be finished.

This is what the sculpture is slated to look like when it is done. (Image: Kathryn Reed)

For years I have been visiting this memorial—nearly every time I’d go back to South Dakota with my parents, then seemingly every family reunion. I know there has been substantial change, but at times it’s hard to see.

“Crazy Horse Memorial honors all Indigenous people of North America, stands as a reminder of the importance of reconciliation, respecting differences, embracing diversity, striving for unity, and appreciating life’s deeper meaning as it has always been represented in Native American cultural values. This will never change,” the memorial’s website says.

The visitors center at Donner Memorial State Park delves into history beyond the tragedy of that crossing. (Image: Kathryn Reed)

You know how you have places you want to visit, but you keep putting it off? The Donner Memorial State Park visitor center is now checked off my “to visit” list.

Unfortunately it took me 10 years for me to get there. I have no good excuse for the delay.

My friend, Denise, covered it for Lake Tahoe News at the time. She also wrote about it on her blog.

I don’t have a lot more to share beyond what she has written, other than to say it’s worth going to. Being right off I-80 it’s easy to get to when in the Truckee area, and it certainly is not that far of a drive from the South Shore.

I’m sure many people believe they know enough about the Donner Party. That may be true, but I’ve always found that there is some nugget to discover about a topic I think I’m well versed in.

I learned about the attempted rescues, how help was limited because so many were fighting in the war between the U.S. and Mexico.

I suppose I should not have been surprised to learn that some people profited off the tragedy.

“Despite winter storms, several rescue parties trudged toward Donner Pass. The desire to help motivated some. Others wanted the Donner Party’s wealth and property,” a display reads. “In one case, Tamsen Donner paid two men $500 to rescue her children. The men abandoned the girls after a few miles and left with the money.”

Until now I had never equated the journey of these pioneers to the migration of immigrants today.

Doesn’t the above sound like what some of the “coyotes” do to those trying to cross the southern border?

The monument for pioneer families was unveiled in 1918. Donner Memorial State Park has more than 3,500 acres and is one of the oldest state parks in California. (Image: Kathryn Reed)

Another display reads: “The 2,500-mile journey took them beyond flooded rivers, windswept plains, stark deserts, and steep mountains. If they had stayed on the main emigrant trail, their dreams might have come true. Instead, they tried an unproven shortcut. That decision led to the nightmare they suffered.”

This struck a chord with me. These were immigrants. They were leaving hardship in search of dreams in a far off land. After all, California was not yet a state when the Donner Party began crossing the Sierra in 1846.

These migratory souls like the ones of today were willing to put their lives on the line in search of a better way of life.

The United States has been that beacon on light, the land of opportunity, the country where dreams come true. I hope that light is never extinguished.

The museum also talks about the contribution of the Chinese to the local area, in particular for building the railroad. Native people are also part of the exhibit.

Repeatedly I was reminded how Indigenous people were here first and that immigrants built this country.

“Here then is the security for the remainder of your lands. No state nor person can purchase your lands, unless at some public treaty held under the authority of the United States. The general government will never consent to your being defrauded. But it will protect you in all your just rights.”

—George Washington to the Seneca Nation, 1790

“That a war of extermination will continue to be waged between the races, until the Indian race becomes extinct, must be expected.”

—California’s first governor, Peter Hardeman Burnett, told the Legislature in 1851

“It is a mercy to the red devils to exterminate them, and a saving of many white lives. Treaties are played out—here is one kind of treaty that is effective—cold lead.”

—Chico Courant newspaper, 1866

The National Museum of the American Indian is full of history everyone should know. (Image: Kathryn Reed)

Bringing a voice to those who others would prefer be silenced is in large part what the National Museum of the American Indian in Washington, D.C., is all about.

What I was taught in school about Indigenous people of the United States falls woefully short.

While the museum at times seemed overwhelming, the information was presented in an easy to absorb manner, with the points-of-view of the Native Nations and the government spelled out. Then there was the “aftermath” that essentially spelled out the conclusion of the issue. This of course was usually a favorable outcome for the white people and a calamity for the Indians.

Treaties for the most part were worthless scraps of paper the government had no intention of honoring.

Indian tribes were familiar with treaties because they were independent nations that made agreements with each other long before Europeans landed on what is now known as North America.

Land, of course, was always a contentious battle. But it wasn’t always that way. Note the quote above from George Washington. (Native peoples fought on both sides of the American Revolution.)

There was a time when white people acknowledged the land belonged to the people who were there first. Early on treaties worked.

But there have been more years of deceit, deception and depravation by white people than there were of truth, honor and equality.

The National Museum of the American Indian in Washington, D.C., has been open since 2004. (Image: Kathryn Reed)

At the museum I learned how horrible California treated the native people. Before going to Washington in May I knew what Californians did wasn’t good, but I didn’t know how bad it was. The two quotes at the beginning are horrific.

Native Nations view: “Native Californians lived in small bands and villages that were politically independent but shared a close relationship to their diverse environment. They sustained one of the largest indigenous populations in North America. In 1769, the Spanish established a chain of missions to turn the natives into Catholic agricultural laborers. Over the next 80 years, disease killed two out of every three native Californians. One traveler described graves covering the foothills of the Sierra Nevada. California was still home to about 150,000 people in 1848, the year gold was discovered.”

U.S. view: “United States troops occupied California in 1846, during the Mexican War. They immediately issued orders restricting Indian movement, denying Indians the vote, and banning them from testifying in court against any white person. When gold was discovered, fortune hunters from across the country came to stake claims on Indian lands. In their search for riches, the newcomers disturbed the natural environment, depleted traditional food sources, and unleashed an orgy of frontier violence that upended the lives of California’s native peoples.”

Eighteen treaties were signed in 1851-52 between the government and native Californians.

“California financed its Indian wars partly by selling bonds …. California spent almost $1.5 million during the 1850s to outfit volunteer militias and vigilantes against native people. The federal government reimbursed much of it,” a museum display says.

One of the atrocities is the government concealed the treaties for 50 years.

“When they were finally made public in 1905, California Indians discovered what had been promised to them. They sued for compensation in 1928. It took until 1944 for the case to be decided,” the museum says. “The court awarded the Indians $5,025,000 for all they had lost.

“Later, in a great historical irony, the Cabazon and Morongo bands of Mission Indians won a landmark lawsuit before the U.S. Supreme Court. It gave them the right to operate a casino on a reservation established in 1876. The decision gave not only California nations, but also those all across the United States, the right to conduct gaming free of regulation by the states. In this way, they too struck gold.”

There is much to be learned at this museum. It’s the real history of the native people who lived in the United States; not some watered down revisionist propaganda.