26 Miles to Catalina

(15 photos) I spent a most pleasant vacation day off work yesterday visiting Avalon, the biggest city (2012 population 3,765) on Catalina Island, having decided to extend the celebration of my upcoming birthday beyond the actual day. Last week, I’d made a reservation on the Catalina Flyer, a large capacity catamaran, out of Newport Beach. I felt lucky as only five spots were left when I called. The trip, departing at 9:00am, was smooth and fast, taking about an hour and a quarter shore to shore. We were treated to a pod of dolphins showing off their leaping skills and also a small group of sea lions.

Dophins at play

Approaching Catalina Island I grew excited. My last visit had been in 1985. I didn’t expect any change to the island as development is highly restricted, but regardless, my memory of the previous visit had rather faded into bits and pieces. A few interesting points to note: visitors aren’t allowed to bring their pets, so the only ones on the island belong to residents, and vehicles are very limited, with most residents and tourists using golf carts to get around the island. As per usual, I took hundreds of photos. I’ll break them up into several articles over the next few days. I really can’t wait for another visit to the island. The Catalina Flyer’s return trip left at 4:30pm sharp. There was so much more to see and do than those few hours allowed! ~SueBee (photos by SueBee)

Riding the ferry from where I’d parked on Balboa

The Catalina Flyer waiting at the dock.

ByeBye Newport Beach!

Approaching Catalina with Casino on the left

Racing us to shore

Avalon harbor

The famous Casino building

Take your bike and small boat along

Fishermen heading out

The brightly painted dock

Beautiful setting

Another view of the Casino

Boater’s paradise

Here we are, and I’m ready to go explore the island!!

As per the Catalina Chamber of Commerce: “Catalina Island is a place where the gentle rhythm of the waves makes time slow down. It’s a place where you can paddle through crystal clear waters in the crisp morning air, follow by Mai Tai’s and sun soaked massages on the beach in the afternoon. Moonlit walks are the norm and a sense of timelessness surrounds you. That Catalina feeling of tranquility is better known as Island Time. Island Time allows you the time to do all the things you love to do, at your own pace.”