Day Two – Dabble in the Beauty of Sea Ranch Before a Return to San Francisco

Since you stayed the night, don't go far for breakfast. Stumble out of bed and down two flights to the Coast Kitchen for a surprisingly retro breakfast sandwich. It's stuffed with house-made sausage and a fried egg, but it's the paprika aioli that adds some perk to your morning. Oh, and coffee.

Sea Ranch Chapel is a one-stop shop to experience Sea Ranch's famed minimalist-meets-maximalist architecture. The outside is said to represent either a cresting eave or a bird in flight. The swoops and angles of the roof are dizzying enough, but step inside for something completely different. Sit down on one of the cedar benches to steady yourself before looking up at the swooping ceiling, soaring stained glass windows and carved and molded cedar poles and ceiling tiles, all sourced locally. Is it a fairy tale? An inspirational space where your mind can take flight? Something else entirely? Only you can decide. And that is the point.

All of the hiking trails in Sea Ranch are clearly marked and easily accessible along Highway 1 — all you have to decide is whether to hike on the bluff or down to the beach. Shell Beach (39200 Highway 1, The Sea Ranch) has a wide, sandy beach with tide pools to be explored.

An unassuming cafe that serves breakfast all day means that lentil bowl with eggs or the black bean quinoa burger with cole slaw can be had whenever you arrive. Outside, the "patio" is really a bluff overlooking the ocean, a sweet spot when the weather is nice — but your treats will blow away if the wind kicks up.

A thriving Russian-American Company settlement from 1812 to 1841, Fort Ross was the southernmost settlement of Russia's colonization efforts along the North Pacific. Many of the community's buildings have been preserved or reconstructed, including family homes, a stockade, a fur warehouse and the first Russian Orthodox chapel south of Alaska. There are picnic tables here but no restaurants, so make sure you have supplies from Trinks or another resource before exploring the park.

This tiny gem of a restaurant is no longer a secret so plan ahead and make a reservation, if you can. If there is a crudo on the menu or crab from the town's fishermen (when in season), those are menu musts, but there are no misses on the menu. A plate of seared Hokkaido scallops here may turn a scallop hater into someone who asks for more. Beware the creme fraiche cheesecake: it's addictive.