Bernie and Graham's big adventure: Jack London State Park

Wonderful visit to Jack London State Park in Glen Ellen, home and ranch of the writers Jack and Charmian London.

Jack was famous for his writing as well as his 'daring do' adventures, his hard life in his early years on the docks of San Francisco and world travels/adventures he and Charmian shared. Together they created a ranch in the Sonoma countryside.

It was fascinating to see the cottage where they lived while they built their dream home 'Wolf House' nestled in the Redwoods.

You can see where they both wrote and then wander through the ranch grounds.

Tragically the big house burned down two weeks before they were set to move in.

You can walk through the ' House of the Happy Walls' Charmian built after Jack's death. It's fascinating to see the photographs of their adventures and momentos from their voyage to the Pacific - sailing together in a yacht called The Snark - adventurous stuff!

I found Charmian's life equally as fascinating as Jack's - she was quite a gal, ahead of her time, adventurous and in one old black and white photo from their sailing days she is pictured on a beach in the Pacific with a small gun on her hip! She refused to ride side saddle and created her own riding outfit so she could ride astride and convention be dammed. It was Charmian's wish that on her death the ranch be preserved in Jack's memory.

Both Jack & Charmian are buried on the property in a little grave site on a knoll in a grove of trees. Jack died aged 40, thought to be due to kindney failure from the use of mercury cream while sailing in the Pacific. Jack is said to have remarked to Charmian “I wouldn’t mind if you laid my ashes on the knoll where the very early ranchers, the Greenlaw children are buried. And roll over me a red boulder from the ruins of the Big House". On November 26, 1916, in a silent ceremony, Charmian placed Jack's ashes on the knoll under a large rock from Wolf House. After she passed away in 1955, Charmian’s ashes were laid under the same rock, next to Jack.

I found Charmian fascinating. She published four books and edited / ghost wrote many of Jack's works.

Charmian refused to adhere to the gender norms of her day. She didn't marry young knowing that if she did she would lose her job (no working married women allowed in the 1890s). She dated men and enjoyed a social life as part of San Francisco’s literary circles until much later marrying Jack.

We also drove past the home of General Vallejo.