Frugal Finds, West Coast Roadtrip – Bowling Ball Beach, Schooner Gulch, & Point Arena, CA

We departed San Francisco (Click here for SF Part 1/ Click here SF Part 2 Post) bright and early in the morning for a 3 hour trip towards one of California’s hidden gems.

Prior to my West Coast Road Trip I read Buzzfeed’s 16 of the World’s Most Spectacular Beaches and found out that three of California beaches made the list. Since we were driving up PCH we decided to hit up the two unique ones – Bowling Ball Beach and Glass Beach (stay tuned for the next post).

What I didn’t know was how difficult it was going to be to find it! With non-existent cell phone service and no major signs we actually drove past the “entrance” twice. Below is a snapshot of the trail entrance. Keep in mind you can only park on the south-side (meaning that you’re driving down from Fort Bragg towards San Francisco). It’s a small dirt patch where you can park your car.

After walking for about 10-15 minutes through the forest we finally made it down to the beach. There’s a lot of driftwood and smaller rocks we started to walk towards what could be Bowling Ball Beach. It was low tide (as we were there around 11:30am) but the rock formation did not appear as round as expected. I had read reviews that the rocks were covered in algae so I assumed that these were it. Definitely not what I expected…

Bowling Balls?

After wandering around for another 15 -20 minutes I gave up and decided to head towards the next destination. My photos didn’t look anything like the photos from buzzfeed, but the air was really crisp and the view was still very enjoyable. Upon further research when I returned home I realized that perhaps I visited Schooner Gulch State Beach and that the Northern Trail to Bowling Ball Beach was closed due to erosion *tear* – but at least I did get some nice nature shots!

We then headed towards Point Arena which in my opinion is a retreat destination for individuals who gravitate towards a health conscious lifestyle. This one street city has all the basic essentials and a public restaurant near the end of the strip. The local grocery store was modest, but sold mostly organic /vegan/gluten-free options and surprisingly a lot of Thai ingredients. I’d think that if you were into yoga and hiking this would be paradise for you as many of the locals seemed to embrace a very holistic mindset.

By this point I was itching for some munchies and decided to pay Franny’s Cup and Saucer a visit. Everything was baked fresh from scratch and while I was really looking forward to the huckleberry scone (sold out unfortunately), I decided to try their savory vegetarian bread pudding cup with garlic and parmesan cheese. It would definitely cast away any lurking vampires. The price was on the higher side ($5 for the small slice) and they’re cash only; however, considering the time of day and the number of options in the surrounding community it satisfied my appetite.