CIPHER Retreat Center
Photos taken by Stephen Palmquist
(scanned by Claudia Constable)
Click on a photo to see a larger version of the same shot, then click the "back" button on your cursor to return to this page.
Flying in to San Francisco
If you have access to a private plane, you can fly in to Little River Airport, just two miles down the road from the retreat center. Click here to see a large aerial photo of the area, showing Mendocino in the lower left corner and the retreat center area in the upper right. (Warning: this is a large file, so it may take a while to download.) Otherwise, the closest major airport is in San Francisco International, about 150 miles south. The photos to the left and right of this paragraph show the Bay Bridge, connecting San Francisco to Oakland and Berkeley (with Mount Diablo peeking over the clouds on the horizon), and the Golden Gate bridge. You will drive over one of these bridges going north from the airport, depending on whether or not you want to drive through the downtown area.
Views of the house (day)
As you descend into the ten acre parcel on the gravel road coming in from the north, you see the house on a landing down below. It's southerly exposure provides not only an excellent view of miles and miles of Mendocino forestland, but also an ample supply of natural heat and light.
Views of the house (dusk)
The illuminating atmosphere at the retreat center is especially evident in the evening, when the house literally glows with warmth. This makes it all the more conducive to insightful conversation.
Views from the house (night)
The retreat center is only five miles from the Pacific Ocean, so it is common to have fog roll in by around midnight. But before that happens, the view of the stars on moonless nights is unsurpassable. The photos below were taken on an old manual Pentax 35mm, hand held (steadied by leaning my elbows on the deck railing) with an open shutter (ranging from about 30 seconds to about 10 seconds exposure time). Showing the Milky Way, Orion, and Ursa Major (the Big Dipper), they reveal only a small fraction of what you can actually see "in the flesh".
Views from the house (dawn)
The south-facing deck has breath-taking views of the forest below, stretching off into the horizon. Quite frequently the fog begins to burn off at the crack of dawn, creating spectacular displays of sunrays shining through the trees.
Inside the house
The west side of the main floor (living room and kitchen, as viewed here from the loft) is all windows, giving residents the feeling of being right there among the trees. The loft has smaller triangular windows facing east, through which beautiful sunrises become almost commonplace. It also has window seats facing north and south for those who wish to meditate on the view. Though the weather can be cool in the winter and cold at night (sometimes even in the summer), the wood stove heats up the entire house to a cozy shirt-sleeves temperature.
Flying in to Hong Kong
These two pictures of Hong Kong, where I work, show the Shatin Valley (where I live) and Ma On Saan (my favorite mountain to climb in Asia).
Photo from Calcutta
This last photo, taken on my trip to India in August of 2000, has nothing to do with the retreat center; but it had to go somewhere, so here it is! The little girl was sitting on the counter of a small fabric shop in Calcutta, and her parents kindly allowed me to capture her charm on film.
This page was first placed on this web site on 26 October, 2000 and last updated on 5 December 2000.
Back to the main map of Steve Palmquist's web site.
If you have access to a private plane, you can fly in to Little River Airport, just two miles down the road from the retreat center. Click here to see a large aerial photo of the area, showing Mendocino in the lower left corner and the retreat center area in the upper right. (Warning: this is a large file, so it may take a while to download.) Otherwise, the closest major airport is in San Francisco International, about 150 miles south. The photos to the left and right of this paragraph show the Bay Bridge, connecting San Francisco to Oakland and Berkeley (with Mount Diablo peeking over the clouds on the horizon), and the Golden Gate bridge. You will drive over one of these bridges going north from the airport, depending on whether or not you want to drive through the downtown area.
