Catalina Island
We went for another big adventure this weekend!
On Friday evening, we packed up two cars and headed out to Newport Beach dock to catch the Catalina Island Ferry. We all got some tacos while we waited, and then were soon loading onto the boat. It was very empty on board, and even though there were seven of us, we got to spread out over two booths and enjoy the ride. However, it wasn't long before we decided to go up to the top deck to watch the waves.
The water was pretty rough and we had to hold on tight to the rail to avoid being thrown about. It was the same route out of Newport that we took on the whale watching tour, but this time we were going much faster.
We were watching the water for a while, and about halfway we passed a huge pod of common dolphins! That was exciting and broke up the hour and a half journey.
We arrived in Avalon just after the sun set and there were fairy lights all along the dock and into the town.
Our first stop was the grocery store to pick up some supplies and then we got in a taxi up to the campsite. We'd gotten a big six man glamping tent for the weekend which held six cots and space for a single airbed on the floor in the middle. As we walked past the other tents, we startled some island foxes in the dark and saw their eyes reflecting in our torches before they disappeared into the trees.
It also came with a grill and a BBQ so we could cook for the weekend. And as soon as we arrived, we got started on firing up the BBQ and cooking some sausages for everyone. We'd lots of snacks and some drinks too and had a fun evening in the small campground.
In the morning, we all cooked breakfast and then me and Mitchell got the bus back into town while the others walked down the hill. We had some time, so we looked around the gift shop and found some seats with a good view of the harbour.
Once the others caught up, we spent some time looking in the shops and exploring the town down past the old casino which had lots of tiles and decoration on the outside. You had to pay to get in, so we didn't explore the inside, but we could hear music from old musicals coming from inside.
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| From Afar |
We walked a bit further and got to our main stop of the day, the snorkeling rentals! We all (except for Mitchell) spent a while getting suited up and then made our way into the water. It didn't look like much from the surface, kind of dark and seaweedy, but once we got under the water it was actually very light and blue. There were lots of bright orange garibaldi fish, and I saw some smaller orange fish with bright blue spots, and some bigger grey fish.
After an hour, we'd explored the snorkeling area and were starting to get cold, so we called it a day. After drying off and changing back into our clothes, we walked a little further along the shore to the beach club. We all got a snack and a cocktail and spent the afternoon watching the waves and talking.
On the way back to the grocery store we stopped for some ice cream which was tasty, and as we walked further up the beach we saw a proposal set up on the boardwalk and two weddings! Catalina Island is apparently the place for romance!
We stopped for groceries again before walking up the hill to our campsite. We cooked up some sausages and veggies and had a good time. It did start to rain briefly at one point, so we had to grab all the food and run into the porch of the tent with it. But it was on and off and we managed to stay dry enough. The highlight of the evening was when a spider dropped from the ceiling of the tent and Klaudia threw a shoe at it. After lights out we spent a while laughing about that.
In the morning, it was still raining and very misty. You could see the clouds sitting low on the mountains around us and the water was just hanging in the air. We made breakfast and had to eat it standing on the porch again, and then got packed up. We left Mitchell with our bags as we went for a hike.
We'd planned it a few weeks ago when we assumed that June in California would be sunny and there would be amazing views, but the May grey has turned into June gloom and the weather still hasn't picked up for summer.
We started in the botanic gardens, which was very weird to walk around and see all the cacti in the rain. The gardens also held one of the main sights of Catalina Island, the Wrigley Memorial. This massive marble memorial with staircases to each side was covered in blue tiles and was intended to have an amazing view through the valley and across the ocean. Unfortunately, all we could see was the mist. It did make the hike feel more like we were walking through the rainforest than a desert island.
It was a six mile hike and about halfway round we stopped for snacks at what would have been another great viewpoint. The trail was pretty muddy in places, and the wet weather did mean that there were loads of wildflowers to be seen. We also came across a stream which was full of tadpoles!
We got back to the start and found our Mitchell waiting. A quick bus ride back to town, and we got some food while we waited for the ferry back.
On the trip back, we were playing cards below deck, when the boat slowed down and and announced that there were bottlenose dolphins to see! We rushed outside and saw them so close to the boat. They're bigger than the common long nosed dolphins we had seen on the way out, and were jumping all the way out of the water.
Once we got back to dry land, Marine suggested we go for dinner at Ruby's Diner. It was a 1950s themed diner with the wait staff dressed up, old coca cola ads on the walls and everything was red and white. It was fun to see and we enjoyed a last meal all together before driving home.
It was a really fun weekend and even though the weather sucked, we got to see a lot of cool stuff!
Lots of love
Emily and Mitchell (and Klaudia, Jaz, Marine, Rene and Natalie)
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