"Photos of Avalon and Catalina Island" Thursday, May 20, 1999
	Michael in Catalina The famous Queen Mary	I have been saving Thursday all week for a side trip to Santa Catalina Island and my friend Michael Trent and I have just arrived and we are overwhelmed with the beauty of this place. My Frommer's Guide ranked it as their number two pick for "side-trips from LA" and I don't understand what could be better than Catalina. To get to Catalina Island, one must catch a Catalina Express boat from Long Beach for 36$ round-trip. The boat departs about every three hours during the day, beginning at 8AM. However, Corona is a couple of hours away from Long Beach (not counting rush hour traffic,) so Michael and I had to get up at the crack of dawn to get to Long Beach on time. We could have taken a later boat, but for a one-day trip to Catalina, we wanted to maximize our time on the island. Parked next to the Catalina Express dock is the famous luxury ship, the Queen Mary. The last remaining example of 20th century elegance and excess, it is said the Queen Mary ranks along side the Titanic in vessel lore. In fact, its legendary walls "paneled in now-extinct tropical hardwoods" and "perfectly preserved crew quarters" make it truly a wonder to behold. However, we opted to just look at it from afar. It is quite an impressive ship, and I snapped a photo or two when we passed it as we sailed out through the harbor.
	approaching Catalina Island a yacht in the harbor of Avalon	The trip to Avalon, the capital and one of only two cities on the island, took about an hour. The entire trip was highlighted by some of the deepest shades of blue water that I can ever remember seeing. Since arriving on the island, I see that the water is even more blue here, and its clarity is unmatched as well. Catalina is 86% undeveloped and Frommer's says of it, "Remote, unspoiled Catalina is so different from the mainland that it almost seems like a different country." I would have to agree. I feel much more like I'm on a Caribbean island than 22 miles off the coast of Long Beach. We arrived in Avalon about an hour and a half ago, an adorable little village with cute little shops and houses built on the surrounding hills. One of the first things I noticed about the town was its lack of commercialization. There is no McDonalds, or Wendys, or Exxon, or Wal-Mart, just little shops owned by the locals dotting the thoroughfares of the main streets. Michael and I have enjoyed a lengthy and relaxing lunch at a floating seafood restaurant overlooking the inlet. We managed to see a large seal surface in the area and found a group of diving pelicans most entertaining as well. All of the activity occurring just on the other side of our table. The tables were outside and we were warned that the seagulls would swoop down and take your food away if you left your meal unattended and went to the restroom. It was definitely an experience.
	the beautiful, clear water of Catalina the famous Catalina Casino Ballroom another view of the Catalina Casino	Now that lunch is over, Michael and I are currently walking west toward the Catalina Casino Ballroom. We are about half way around the cove when I can't help but stop and admire the water. I have never seen water like this before, but have always dreamed of seeing it. I am quite simply amazed! This water is so clear, they are certainly either use TONS of chlorine, or they have succeeded in conserving the unspoiled nature of the island. I think I'll back my second theory. The water here sparkles all the way to the bottom. I don't think I have ever seen water sparkle before. It's quite a treat. I am going to take some photos of the water, so that someone may believe me when I tell them my usual tall tales. Our next stop is the famous Art-Deco Catalina Casino Ballroom which has an incredible history dating back to the late 1920s. (Editor's note : I encourage you to read about the history of the Catalina Casino and view STUNNING photos at the Catalina Casino Ballroom website.) Arriving at the Casino Ballroom, we have found that there is a gourmet food show going on inside. Michael and I weren't interested in the food show, we just wanted to climb up onto the balcony and take some photos, and that we did. The views of Avalon and the surrounding water and sea are striking to say the least. The utter activity and energy that I get from this place is wonderful. I feel like I'm someplace very special. I'm excited, and happy, and joyful, and full of energy. God couldn't have blessed me with a more perfect day. The sun is shining more brightly than any day this week, there's a pleasant breeze blowing softly in the air, and the sky is nothing but solid blue. When I say there is not a cloud in the sky today, it is no exaggeration. All one can see is clear blue as far as the horizon. It is truly remarkable. Once our photo taking was complete at the Casino, Michael and I went inside for a little break. I don't know quite how it happened, but we "accidentally" walked right into the food show. People began offering us gourmet desserts and treats and we obliged by consuming everything we were given. After stuffing ourselves, we simply walked out the same way we came in and that was the end of it.
	a view of the harbor at Avalon	Chlorine?
	Small boats near shore	Yacts parked deep in the Avalon harbor
	the cove of the Descanso Beach Club On the rock beach have you ever danced with the devil in the pale moon light?	From the Casino Ballroom, one could see a quaint, little area further to the west (that we would later find out was called the Descanso Beach Club) (Editor's note : you may visit the Descanso Beach Club website by following this link, it's a really cool site with awesome photos.) So, we walked down to the club, which consisted of a watersports rental area, outdoor tiki-bar, beautiful lawn pavilion, and a rocky, stone beach that I found fascinating. The water, which rolls onto the "beach," makes a beautiful and constant trickling noise as it is pulled through the rocks back down towards the ocean. This unique noise is both incredibly relaxing as well as intoxicating (I will explain this momentarily.) I managed to take a swim some time ago and found the water "refreshing." OK, that's my macho way of saying that it was sub-arctic caliber freezing. I only stayed in the water for five minutes or so and Michael followed with a ten-minute swim of his own. Upon our exit from the water, Michael has promptly fallen asleep and I will probably follow shortly. The constant rumble of the water from between the rocks puts one in a state of subdued indifference that welcomes sleep and embraces laziness. I doubt I will even finish this paragraph, much less make any more meaningful observations. I think we have both independently decided that we will spend the day here. It is now almost 6PM and after a lengthy nap, it will soon be time to depart Descanso and head back to Avalon to catch the ferry back to the mainland at 7:30PM. One last interesting development occurred before we left the area, involving an angry local resident. It seems that I was a little careless with my leftovers from lunch and allowed some of them to find their way onto the beach where they attracted the attention of a group of seagulls. After landing and snacking, I encouraged them to hang around longer by throwing them bits and pieces of leftovers I had in my bag. However, a smaller, local bird, that must have been nesting nearby, took exception to the presence of these "visitors" and attacked them. Despite being much smaller, this bird succeeded in driving them off and then hung around for a while to look for food and show off its bright crimson mane. I found the incident amusing.
	View from behind the Descanso Beach Club	the perfect place for our long, lazy nap
	one last view of the lagoon Sunset when leaving Catalina island	It is with reluctance, yet invigoration that we leave this place. We have had a wonderful time here, but alas it must come to an end. The walk back provided even more beautiful views of the village as it approached nightfall. This is one awesome island and I know that I will return some day. The boat ride home was rather non-eventful, but one of the views of the sunset was rather extraordinary. One is fortunate to see a sunset from the vantagepoint of the open sea and I have enjoyed it thoroughly. Upon our return to Long Beach, we have found the city lit up and looking very festive. The Queen Mary looks as if it is ready to sail and the other buildings in the harbor are illuminated as well. I wish I had the time or energy to enjoy them. Today was wonderful, but quite tiresome. I wonder how I will stay awake long enough to get back to Corona, but I will figure something out. I have planned to spend the weekend with Rich at his father's place in Newport Beach and I can't wait to get there. Richard has been telling me about it for some time and with tomorrow being the big day, my anticipation level is at an all-time high.
	Sunset on the open sea	Long Beach
	Friday : Arriving in California, meeting Richard Geib Saturday : Biking through the Azusa foothills Sunday : Hanging out in Corona Monday : Echo Park and the Sunset Strip - Mann's Chinese Theater, Hollywood Walk of Fame Tuesday : Santa Monica, Venice Beach, and Marina del Rey Wednesday : The Getty and a beautiful sunset near Santa Monica Thursday : Avalon, Catalina Island, Casino Ballroom Friday : Newport Beach, beautiful photos of the surf and ocean Saturday : Leaving Newport Beach and conclusion

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