It's not too early to book a room for the Fort Bragg Whale Festival, which takes place this year on the weekend of March 17-18. You can get all the details at the Mendocino Coast Chamber of Commerce official festival website.

There are 20,000 reasons to come (that's the number of Gray Whales that stream by our little slice of paradise each year from December - April).

One more: a great line up of activities planned for MacKerricher State Park.

Friday, March 16: 7 p.m. Close Encounters of the Marine Mammal Kind - Stories of personal encounters with marine mammals, including whales, told by people who experienced them. The public is invited to attend and share their stories of marine mammal encounters. Meet at the MacKerricher Visitor Center, near the entry kiosk and Whale Skeleton.

March 17 and 18: 11 a.m. Whale Walks –Docents present an informative overview of whales. The talk/walk starts at the MacKerricher Visitor Center and then proceeds to the whale skeleton before driving to Laguna Point for whale watching.

March 18: 12:30 to 3:30 p.m. Whale Fact Scavenger Hunt for children. At MacKerricher State Park start out at the visitor center and then go through the park to find clues. Answer questions about gray whales. Then get a prize.

Photo above: by Bruce Lewis - Gray Whale Skeleton at MacKerricher State Park Visitor Center in Fort Bragg, CA