Something Beautiful: Avalon

Wednesday I left Santa Barbara to make it to Long Beach to board my ferry for Catalina Island. I'd always heard of Catalina, but never known anyone who had been. I thought, "Why not add it to my list?" I'm so glad I did. :) It was fabulous! Amazing! Every adjective you can list.

I made my way by traveling around LA. I hate LA. Have I said that before? No desire to really stop and spend time there. Traffic stinks. It pushed me back later and I was afraid I wouldn't make my ferry. I stopped in Santa Monica before I got to the boat. I admired the old Pier, the beautiful beaches and the clear water. There were surfers and paddle boards everywhere. It was the ultimate California beach town.

After that brief stop, I booked it to Long Beach and parked my car and went off to the Catalina Express ferry. I saw a few dolphins on my way over to the island and surprisingly enough, a blue whale. I just saw it's tail. The kids on the boat were going crazy over it. It may be the closest I get to seeing one.

When we arrived, an hour later, we docked into the cutest little island. Avalon is the main city in Catalina and is 1 sq mile. The main mode of transportation: foot. I had arranged for the hotel to pick me up (free service!) and they did so on a hot rod golf cart! Most people drive golf carts as cars are not really allowed on the island. I got settled in, put on my bathing suit and headed down to the main beach. This little town has so much history (so many old movies filmed here) and you can definitely get that vibe. It was a fun place to be. Once on the main beach I made quick friends with two older couples from Newport Beach. They basically adopted me for the day. :) They were a lot of fun (took most of my pictures) and one of the women just knew I was going to marry her son. (laugh) They vacation in Catalina every year and have done so for 25 yrs now.

My return ferry the next day was to leave at 10AM. After my first hour on the beach, I realized that wasn't going to happen. So I left later and enjoyed a 2nd day on the beach.

I have a feeling I will return to this island one day. I'd love for my friends to enjoy it with me. So much to do (snorkel, diving, kayaking, paddle boarding, etc). It's a very relaxing island. No chain hotels or restaurants, all family owned. It may be one of my new favorite places.

Santa Monica.