Urchin Mania & Sea Glass Dreams
Mendocino had everything we wanted for a family staycation: stunning coastal views, science and discovery, and best of all that it’s dog friendly. Mako gave it two paws up. We started with a visit to the Noyo Center for Marine Science in the heart of the business district.
It may be small, but it’s packed with curiosity-sparking exhibits. We got up close to a full-scale whale skeleton, explored an immersive 3D sphere, and even got hands-on with interactive activities. Bonus: kids and teens under 18 get in free! A short drive away, we stopped by their separate interpretive center near the beach. That’s where we learned about a massive blue whale that tragically washed ashore years ago. I’ll write a separate blog about it.
At both locations, the docents couldn’t stop talking about Mendocino’s Urchin Festival. Now that’s something I’m seriously curious about.
• What’s the backstory behind the festival?
• Which type of urchin do they feature and why that one?
• Are they local? How are they harvested and how much?
• Is this event part of an environmental effort?
• Could this festival actually help the marine ecosystem by reducing destructive urchin populations?
• And of course, what’s the best urchin dish?
Big shout-out to Mendocino’s citizens for turning an ecological issue into a community festival.
Looking out from the Crow’s Nest deck, scanning the horizon for a whale’s blow, I remembered what I had learned at the center: you can sometimes tell what kind of whale it is just from its blow. Is it highly visible or tall or slanted? The blue whale, for example, would be very visible and quite large since it is a very huge mammal.
After the museum, one of the docents pointed us toward Glass Beach. We made it our next day’s adventure. Their tip? The southern cove is your best bet because it’s more remote and less picked over. Due to the tides, we couldn’t get there on foot and would have needed kayaks, but we explored some nearby canyons and sure enough, there it was: sand flecked with smooth, colorful glass.
Who knew this beach was once a glass dumping site in the 1940s? Over the years, the waves have tumbled and transformed what was once trash into something beautiful. It’s like nature gave the place a second chance.
I read an article about a student who tried to test the radiation of Glass Beach because some old green pieces used to be made with uranium oxide. (Don’t worry. It’s safe now and uranium oxide is not used anymore.) Still, it got me thinking:
• How is glass different from plastic in the environment?
• Do tiny glass pieces pose risks like microplastics?
• Does glass decompose or just break down smaller over time?
There’s so much more to see here. Don’t miss the Point Cabrillo Lighthouse and its museum, coastal trails with natural arches, and the charming Victorian-lined streets of downtown. The Sea Glass Museum is sketchy. We didn’t go. There’s even a Noyo Marine Lab if you want to take your science curiosity further. Mostly rich online content currently. Visits are on pause.
As for Mako? He was all in especially for beach sunsets and splashing near a playful seal in the brackish water where the river meets the sea.
For this post, I’ll leave you with questions rather than all the answers. Because some places aren’t just meant to be visited. They’re meant to be explored.
Only in Mendocino.
