Week 38: Cousins' Trip to Philo and the Mendocino County Fair
- elenalilamartin
- Sep 26, 2023
- 4 min read
Week 38: September 17th-23rd, 2023
As a kid, I would look forward to two annual family trips up to Philo, CA. One, in the summer, consisted of swimming in the river, running around with my cousins, and Aunt Shellye's buttery peach cobbler. The second trip, in the fall, would be shorter. If we were lucky, it would coincide with the Mendocino County Fair. As you all know, I am a huge fan of county fairs (see Week 26).
I flew up to the Bay on Thursday and got to see my cousin Georgia's amazing house and the life she is building with her man and her dog. We met up with my other cousin, Paolina, on Friday morning and hit the road.
Now, you may be thinking, "None of this sounds new," and you're right. All of this is nostalgic. Its a trip down memory lane, so how does it qualify for my New Year's Resolution? Well, this is the first time I've traveled with just two of my cousins. It is also the first time we've all been up to Philo without our parents and our extended families. It felt like a great opportunity to revisit our formative years and get away from the city for a weekend. We planned this trip specifically to be able to relax in Philo and attend the Mendocino County Fair on a... drumroll, please... Cousin's Trip!
I was so excited to see what it was like. Was it all the same as we remembered? Were the fair rides just as huge and crazy? Is the daily trek to Lemon's Market really such an arduous hike of desperation and despair? Spoiler alert: it is not.
As a kid, the Mendocino County Fair (and Apple Show) always felt massive and overwhelming. This time, it felt surprisingly small and humble, with the same great dose of nostalgia and fried foods. Though we didn't find the deep fried artichokes or the deep fried watermelon that we yearned for, we still got to enjoy a classic corn dog. Sorry, I ate it too fast to get a photo of said hot dog. My phone did NOT eat first, and for that, I apologize.
Despite my allergies, my favorite part of county fairs is always the animal showcase. We saw bunnies, birds, and baby goats. There were cows galore! Oodles of sheep! I sneezed my way through the many barns and enjoyed every second of it.
We ventured efficiently through the Home, Arts and Crafts building, where I was blown away by some fabulous quilts and grew concerned about the shelf-life of some of the Best-In-Show pies. I also really loved the agriculture building where we tried delicious apple varieties and got to see the biggest pumpkin at the fair - a whopping 712 pounds!
Comparing different county fairs is funny. As opposed to the San Diego County Fair, in Mendocino County there were a lot more cowboy boots, belt buckles, and flannels. It was dustier, mustier and a lot more rural. It was funny to see that the Mendocino County Republicans booth was set up right next to the Mendocino County Democrats booth. Both offered "Register to Vote" opportunities. Another funny juxtaposition was found in a raffle being held at the fair - the choice between an ATV-type vehicle OR 1/4th of a cow. Both are incredibly stereotypical county fair raffle items, and both are equally expensive and impressive prizes.
The San Diego County Fair is definitely more bougie and much bigger. However, something about the smaller size and backwoods-y feel of Mendocino County is special. I don't think they offer 1/4th of an entire cow in San Diego, but I could be wrong. I'll check next year.
The fair wasn't where the fun stopped. We got the chance to stop at our parents' favorite - Navarro Winery. The last time I'd been to Navarro, I was only able to get their delicious grape juice. Supposedly, the wine is also delicious. Now, being a few years past the legal drinking age, I'm able to do these adult things like wine tasting. Plus, Navarro's wine tastings are free! I am personally not a huge fan of wine, but I enjoyed some of the ones we tried. The founders of the winery are from Berkeley, and their favorite restaurant is Chez Panisse. They had a poster on the wall, which was a nice little piece of home up there in the boonies.
It is really fascinating to see how different lifestyles can be even within California. Traveling from an urban area to such a rural space like Boonville and Philo shows the vastly different offerings of life. One such offering is your backyard consisting of vast, dusty fields. Another is picking farming as a career. This I only really enjoy as a concept (or as a farmer in games like Stardew Valley). When it is just for a quick weekend trip, I can still deeply appreciate different lifestyles like that, and further appreciate the less dusty one I have in my city apartment.
Getting to hang out with my cousins, connect on a different level, and have fun and relax for a weekend was incredible. Though there is always the opportunity of opening up emotions from the past, traveling up to a place with such rich memories from childhood is always kind of comforting. This trip was really nice. I liked re-experiencing something that makes up so many of my core childhood memories as an adult.
Collectively, my cousins and I all realized that, as kids, we were quite dramatic and impatient. The road trip was not that long (only about two and a half hours up to Philo). It went by quickly this time as we chatted about life. There was no need to play the "Quiet Game" or find car activities like "iSpy" to pass the time. Even the drive from Philo to Boonville used to feel like hours. We were humbled to find that it is literally five minutes. The trek back up to the cabins from the river is, in fact, not the exhausting, marathon-like hike that it used to be. The ten minute walk to Lemon's Market is really just that - ten minutes!
It is amazing what a little growing up can do, though I don't plan to ever "grow up" officially. Life is more fun that way.
See you next week.
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