RE: Mendocino

Hi group,

I emailed Lari (who confirmed that we are on the reservation list, without
credit card numbers or deposit because she knows us ...) that we think we'll
have five for an all-day ride on Sat. (Pat, me, Cal, Pippa and Madeleine)
and six for a half day on Sunday (same plus Nora). Jeff may join us. Lari
is aware the actual number may be slightly more or less, but obviously if
you decide not to go, the earlier she knows, the easier for her. We start
at 9:30 a.m. on Sat, and 10:00 a.m. on Sun.

Jeff, we hope you can make it. If anyone else wants to join also, please
let me know.

Re hotel, right now there is moderate availability in Mendocino/Fort Bragg
for that weekend in Sept. (nights of 21-22), but most of the hotels up there
charge a cancellation fee of anywhere from 3% to $20.00, no matter how early
one cancels. So it probably does not make sense to reserve rooms at several
places thinking we will decide later.

Please give your vote, which of these would you be interested in (or if you
have another suggestion, please feel free to offer it -- I'm overwhelmed
with the many other choices and have no personal experience with any to rely
on):

Cleone Gardens, recommended by Lari, literally across the street from the
ranch on the north end of Fort Bragg, with a number of rooms in the $85-$100
range, also some multi-bed rooms for a little more; it looks nice and
comfortable on the website though not really "fancy" (there are links from
Lari's site, www.horse-vacations.com). Breakfast can be ordered. Because
of proximity to ranch and town, this is my preference.

Howard Creek Ranch Inn (Madeleine's preference), in Westport, north of Fort
Bragg. Very quaint renovated farmhouse B&B, Martha Stewart type garden,
private rooms are around $105, and some two-bed rooms are between $105 and
$160 if we don't mind sharing rooms/living room sleepers. The upside is
the charm and ambience, the downside is the remote location and the distance
from Fort Bragg (30 minutes fast driving) and that we may therefore miss
breakfast both days. They serve it at 9:00 a.m., and with the minimum
30-minute drive to the ranch, that makes getting to both breakfast and
riding on time unrealistic. And, as we all know, rides may start late, but
they always end on time, so its important to be prompt to get our full
riding time! I asked if the B&B is willing to do breakfast at another time
and they said no (they start cooking before 7:00 a.m. even to meet the 9:00
deadline, so I'm not sure how much earlier they could really do it).
(www.howardcreekranch.com)

Looking forward to hearing your thoughts!

Amy