40 Years, a Cliffside Hot Tub, and a Very Foggy Sunset: Our Shelter Cove Getaway
August is always a big month for us, but this year was extra special because we celebrated 40 years of marriage. It is funny to think about how, growing up, celebrating 40 or 50 years of marriage felt like an achievement in longevity mostly because people simply did not live as long. We are fortunate to live longer, healthier lives these days, but spending 40 years with your best friend is still something truly worth celebrating.Normally, we mark our big occasions with a classic road trip, but this year my husband completely surprised me. We have fallen into a habit of watching those house hunting TV shows to wind down at night, the kind where people tour three homes and pick one. It is light, silly television, but lately I kept pointing out one feature and saying how amazing it would be to have a hot tub overlooking the ocean. He took mental notes.
Rethinking the Airbnb Life at The Cliff House
He booked us a stay at an Airbnb in Shelter Cove called The Cliff House. When I say cliff house, I mean literally one backyard away from the edge, sitting right above the crashing water. Now, I have always been skeptical of Airbnbs because who wants to cook on vacation, and who wants to stay in someone else’s house and have to clean it up before leaving. To be fair, my husband always cleans up our hotel rooms before we check out anyway. To my surprise, I actually loved it. Having a kitchen with a stove and a real kettle meant I could brew a proper cup of tea that we had picked up on the drive there. That tea trip deserves a blog post all on its own.
Expectation vs. Reality: The West Coast Fog
And yes, it had the hot tub on the porch overlooking the ocean, but I learned something interesting about that setting. Here is what those home design TV shows do not tell you. A hot tub overlooking the Pacific Ocean sounds deeply romantic, but the West Coast fog has a schedule of its own. We had brief glimpses of clear blue water, but right around evening when we sat back expecting a glorious, romantic sunset, a thick blanket of fog rolled in and swallowed the view whole.It kind of dashed my dream of sipping tea in a hot tub during a fiery sunset, and it completely ruined my grand vision of moving to the coast, buying a telescope, and watching whales and ships pass by every afternoon. Turns out, coastal life is very foggy. Still, nature found other ways to delight us right in our own backyard. We spotted deer and cute little foxes wandering near the property. While relaxing in the hot tub at dusk, we also got to watch bats swooping and diving through the twilight air, which was really neat.
Exploring Shelter Cove: Apps, Pizza, and Local Kindness
Shelter Cove itself is a very small town, and trying to grab a bite to eat was an adventure in itself. We tried eating at Gyppo Ale Mill, where they use an online ordering system where you scan a code at your table. The only catch was that there was zero cell reception. The host suggested ordering at the bar, but thankfully a super friendly server came over and took our order the old-fashioned way.We also checked out Delgada Pizza, but it is a tiny, bustling spot strictly for grab and go, so we brought a pizza back to eat in our room. Outside of town, we visited the little general market that has practically everything you could ever need. Attached to it was a gift shop that happened to be locked when we stopped by. Since I collect a t-shirt from every place we visit, I was bummed until the sweet staff went out of their way to unlock the shop just so I could pick one out. Talk about small town hospitality.
The Best of Both Worlds
In the end, Northern California gave us the ultimate compromise. My husband always wants to head to the mountains and the forest, while I always want to be by the ocean. Shelter Cove gives you both with towering redwoods hugging the shoreline, dramatic coastal cliffs, and beautiful spots like Black Sands Beach.We used the room as a base to play super tourist. My son actually put together an incredible custom itinerary for us using exact latitude and longitude coordinates to help us navigate off the beaten path spots and drive through the Lost Coast. He has been developing a really cool app that maps out off-road trails, complete with difficulty ratings and places to stay. If you are into off-roading, it is definitely worth looking into at arf.quest.I have so much more to share about the scenic drives and hidden spots we explored along the way, so look out for part two coming soon.
