Today, Russia’s far-flung California colony remains a solitary, surreal place. Set 12 miles (19km) from the nearest town or mobile phone service, the weathered wooden remnants of a once-bustling settlement open onto a 180-degree view of the sea. In two days at the 3,400-acre Fort Ross State Historic Park, I counted 14 other visitors, and except for the occasional chime from the St Nicholas chapel, the only noise breaking the stillness was the waves crashing below the bluff.
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