Let's Take A Day Trip...

Wild coastal heads, Clam chowder, fish and chips and Alfred Hitchcock filming locations.

BODEGA BAY - - - Here’s a video you can watch via TikTok

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Mami Maisonet
5960 S Land Park #222
Sacramento, CA 95822

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I had been cooking and food shopping non-stop; Thanksgiving, pasteles a few days after and then Christmas. And of course, our everyday meals.

I was feeling itchy. I can count on my hand the amount of times I have said, “I need to go hiking.” For some reason, one of those times was during the week between Christmas and New Years. That week is supposed to be a time to relax. Unfortunately, it felt like everyone else in the world also got itchy during that week.

Highway 50 was closed as close as Placerville because they had an insane amount of snow fall. No one could get through to Tahoe. This is probably why so many people headed for the coast instead.

Someone got the bright idea to take the backgrounds to our coastal destination, turning the relatively short 2 hour highway drive into a 4 hour, virtually non-stop, winding hellscape for this impatient traveler. Each elongated stretch of the road making it harder and harder on focusing on the positive: scoring a cup of clam chowder from Spud Point Crab Co in Bodega Bay.

Bodega Bay is technically a village. Famously known for serving as a filming location for Alfred Hitchcock’s The Birds. Did anyone else find that movie to be absolutely confusing? Like, why were the birds after everyone again?

We reached the town of Bodega and slowly drove passed Spud Point Crab Co and the line was insanely long. On a Thursday. We kept it moving towards Bodega Head and by the time I reached the parking lot I yelled, “LET ME OUT OF HERE!” and gently jumped from the slowly moving vehicle. I wish this were an exaggeration, but it is not. My feet landed flat onto the land partially covered in sand and ice plants and I took off onto the trail leading up the hill, hoping I’d disappear into the wilderness like Sasquatch.

No such luck. I had reached the peak of Bodega Head. I laid my coat onto the ground, lied down to look up at the sky and allowed the coastal breeze and sun to wash over my face. It was nirvana.

After several hours of seaside white noise (and a possible nap), we headed back down to the village to grab some grub. The line at Spudpoint was still insane. Luckily, there’s a restaurant immediately next door called Fisherman's Cove. We got some fish and chips, prawn and chips, a crab sandwich and some clam chowder. Everything is exorbitantly priced because…tourists.

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Potter Schoolhouse

Potter schoolhouse is now a private residence, it is not open to the public. Alfred Hitchcock filmed 'The Birds,' in both Bodega Bay and the nearby tiny village of Bodega, located just four miles inland.

Stroll around this one-block town and you'll spot some of the buildings used in the movie, including the famous Potter schoolhouse and the St. Teresa of Avila Church. 

17110 Bodega Lane
Bodega, CA 94922

St. Teresa of Avila Church

Immediately behind the schoolhouse is the church. Saint Teresa of Avila is an active Roman Catholic church.  The white wooden church with a steeple sits on a hilltop above the small rural town of Bodega. The church was also included in Ansel Adams’ black and white photograph in 1953 “Church and Road.” I definitely remember going inside either this church or the schoolhouse back in the early 2000s and they had a gift shop. I don’t know if they’re still doing that. But, worth a shot.

17242 Bodega Highway
Bodega, CA 94922

Fisherman’s Cove

In hindsight, it was a good thing that I was too impatient to wait on line at Spud Point Crab Company, because we had been wanting to try Fisherman’s Cove for a while. This was the push we finally needed. It was really good! The prices are inflated because…duh. The fried foods were juicy on the inside protected by a thin and very cripsy (this is not a typo) shell. The crab sandwich was ok and it was super small for $20. Spud Point Crab Company definitely takes the cake on their sandwiches and clam chowder.

Sonoma Coast State Park

It was hard as hell to describe Bodega Bay Trailhead without mentioning the Sonoma Coast State Park in its entirety. Sonoma Coast State Park is made up of sections that are found along 17 miles of coastline that extends from Vista Point, which is just a few miles north of the town of Jenner, south to Bodega Point. This is where it ends. It’s also the end of the line where land turns into nothing but endless Pacific ocean.

We tend to favor Bodega Bay Head Trails, as it has an outhouse style bathroom and parking lot. The trail leading up to the is a gentle incline. Bodega Head has a relatively short hiking trail that goes around the headland. This trail has spectacular views of the Pacific Ocean, Bodega Harbor, and the town of Bodega Bay. There is another trail that connects with the trail system found in the Bodega Dunes section of the park. Here you can walk along the headlands and on the beach.

It gets busy on…most days. So, count on wanting to karate chop someone in the throat on weekends, summer days and holidays. Once you get on the trail, you’ll find some solace.

Click here for other day trips and let me know if you’d like to see more of these in 2022!