The idea of taking the ferry to Catalina Island and spending a few days in the seaside city of Avalon was actually our Plan B. Months earlier, we had talked about taking a donkey ride through the Grand Canyon and staying overnight in the hotel there. It seems that a lot of other people had that idea as well, because nothing was available when we would be in town. So Justin suggested Catalina Island instead.
Later that night, while watching The Late, Late Show with Craig Ferguson, guest Don Cheadle lamented how his family’s upcoming summer vacation was ruined because he couldn’t get a reservation for the hotel at the Grand Canyon. “You know what you should do,” Craig replied, “you should go to Catalina Island.”
Justin and I looked at each other in amazement. We’d had the exact same conversation earlier in the evening!
It was a bit overcast when we arrived on the Island. Patches of fog roll across the Pacific Ocean and don’t break up until they hit land, so the Catalina weather has some inherent moodiness, which I thought created a cool visual effect.
We’d had a long drive (six hours) down from Yosemite the night before and had to be up early in the morning to catch the ferry. So the first things we did once we got off the boat were check into our hotel and take a nap. Later in the afternoon, we got up to go explore Avalon.
We hiked just outside the city to have a view of the bay from higher ground. Up in the mountains, it felt like we were in an episode of Lost and we expected the smoke monster to appear through the mist.
It was worth the risk of being dragged away by the smoke monster! The view was amazing!
After a movie at the Avalon Theater, we took a walk along the bay and through downtown on the way back to our hotel.
In the morning, we rented a golf cart so we could get around the hills easier and see more of the Island. We learned that Catalina is one of only two locations in California where golf carts are street legal. (We aren’t sure where the other one is, but we speculate that it’s Disneyland.)
We went up to the Wrigley Memorial and Botanical Gardens. The Wrigley family, best known for manufacturing chewing gum, loved Catalina and put a lot of effort into both developing and preserving the Island. Primarily a cactus garden, many of the species of plants found in the Botanical Gardens grow only in California and a few are exclusive to Catalina Island.
Hoping I didn’t lose my balance and fall forward on the cactus, I stood on my tippy-toes to get some shots of the beautiful prickly pear blooms.
Built using as many materials from the Island as possible, the Wrigley Memorial was designed to showcase Catalina workmanship. All of the colorful tiles used in the monument were produced at the Catalina Pottery plant and much of the stone used in the construction came from the other side of the Island.
We took a long drive on the steep slopes and winding roads to see the Island from every perspective.
On our way to do some ocean kayaking, we happened past a wedding taking place in the sand. We don’t know who they were, but we wish them the best!
As evening swept in, I made an impulsive decision to take some special shots of just the two of us. Fog had moved in, and we didn’t have a lot of daylight left, so we had to be quick. Facing such pressure, Justin couldn’t keep a straight face and I couldn’t hide my frustration. Uncooperative though he was, I think we still managed to get some cute shots, but of course, I could be biased.
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