As we headed west to cooler weather and back to the Pacific Ocean, the beauty of the country continues to astound us. In the last several days we’ve traveled through lush, irrigated farm lands, vineyards, dune colored hills that contrast with deep green shrubs, trees, and green mountains in the distance.
Our first stop today was Historic Fort Ross just north of Bodega Bay. It was founded in 1812 by the Russian American Company with the help of the Alaskan Alutiig natives. Ross means Russian. The fort’s two-fold purpose was to supply the Russian colonies in Alaska with fruits, vegetables, and grains that couldn’t be grown in Alaska and to serve as a trading base with the British, Spanish, and Americans. In addition to supplying the Russian colonies with food, the Fort Ross colony industries also included blacksmithing, tanning, brickmaking, barrel making, and shipbuilding. Additionally, Fort Ross hosted Russian scientists who greatly contributed to California’s scientific knowledge in such areas as geography, cartography, geology, hydrography, biology, and botany. Fort Ross’ buildings included a chapel, the manager’s two story home, the clerks’ quarters, artisans’ workshops, a warehouse/general store, and Russian officials’ barracks. Unlike the Spanish missions in California, there was no permanent priest at the fort and there was no attempt to convert the natives to the Russian Orthodox Faith.
As the Spanish, British, and American settlers increased in number and the populations of sea otters and other fur producing animals decreased, Fort Ross was no longer a profitable venture. In 1841, the Russian government closed the fort and sold it to John Sutter. Over the years it changed hands. In 1903, the California Historical Landmarks Committee purchased the fort buildings and stockade area. In 1906, the state of California acquired the entire site. Over time the buildings were restored or rebuilt. The Rotchev House, home of the last general manager, has been refurbished, and is listed in the National Register of Historic Places. The fort is situated on a bluff overlooking the Pacfic Ocean. It is a wonderful place to visit.
After we completed our tour, we headed back to CA 1 North. On the spur of the moment we decided to stop at Salt Point State Park to see if there were any available campsites. To our delight, there were many wooded sites to choose from. Although there were no showers, we did have flush toilets in the bathrooms. Typical of state campsites, there was no electricity, but our phones were mostly charged and we do have a small solar charger. Since we had not camped in 2 years, it took us a bit to remember how the tent pieces went together. We scavenged some vacant campsites for fire wood and relaxed by our campfire for a while before tucking in for the night. In anticipation of camping, we had packed coffee, tea, and oatmeal so we are set for breakfast. Tomorrow we will go shopping for lunch and dinner.