Whale Watching around Catalina Island

Last Sunday the American Cetacean Society (the whale society) of Orange County sponsored a whale watching trip around Catalina Island. The Catalina Flyer from Newport came over to Avalon on it's normal run and instead of being on a mooring all afternoon in Avalon, it took a cruise around the island looking for whales. It was a great deal for Catalina residents - only $35 plus it was narrated by whale experts and by Aaron, a wonderful naturalist from the Catalina Conservancy. Most of the 3rd grade class at Avalon School got to go - for many it was their first trip around the island.

The boat was a bit late in arriving but once we were on board we headed south, past Lover's Cove toward Pebbly Beach and past the quarry. Our first stop was Seal Rocks. Now I'm not sure why they call it Seal Rocks since the California sea lion hangs out here, but I guess a pinniped is a pinniped. The sea lions are curious so before long a gang of them came close to the boat, checking us out.

We eventually cruised on and ran into porpoises everywhere! Very cool. Some came right close to the boat and in the clear water you can see them streaming alongside. Others were leaping out of the water in groups of 2 or 3. Almost everywhere you looked, you could spot them.

Then we saw a blow! (Thar she blows!) And we're off in search of the gray whales. Gray whales migrate from Alaska to their mating and calving waters in Baja every fall and head back to Alaska every spring. From January to March is the best time to find them in the waters around Catalina. About 90% of them are on the outside - the backside of Catalina - and about 10% of them head inside in their northern journey - between Catalina and the mainland - going by Avalon. They are big - about 45 feet for an average adult and they weigh 30-40 tons.

We ended up seeing quite a few gray whales - more than we had expected. It was amazing to think they they are traveling such distances. They were certainly on a beeline to Alaska. They come up, blow, and you can see the bulks of their backs, and then they head back down with a classic whale tail dissolve.

As we continued around the island, many in the boat spotted one whale breaching just outside of Two Harbors. I missed it of course, but I did see the splash.

We also saw more porpoise and even bald eagles - in fact we got close enough to see a bald eagle nest - with an eagle cam close by sending pictures of the eagles (and soon to be eaglets) across the internet.

We were back in Avalon by about 3pm. All in all it was a great way to spend an day! Cruising the coastline of Catalina in search of whales. Thanks to the American Cetacean Society for sponsoring the trip. They do it every year in March. We'll do it again!

Yacht Regatta Finishes in Avalon Harbor

Dateline: Avalon, Catalina Island. What's great about living high on the hill on Catalina Island is that you get to observe what's happening below -in the town and harbor. Arthur calls it being "a spy in the sky." It's like being a voyeur in your own town; it's the ever constantly changing TV.

Mostly we sit out on the deck and watch the harbor. It's always fun to watch the harbor fill up for the weekend. This Saturday late afternoon there was a regatta finishing up just outside the harbor, near Casino Point. We watched a 35-40 foot red-hulled foot boat, which we later found out was called the Pendragon, coming in on a long port tack. From the corner of my eye I caught another boat (T N T) coming in from Lover's Cove, that tacked and headed toward the finish line also - also on a port tack. At the finish line, both boats were neck and neck toward the line. After watching Pendragon for 20 minutes on a beeline to the end, TNT snuck across the finish line just a boat length ahead of the Pendragon. I'm sure Pendragon wasn't happy. But as yachtees, I'm sure everything is forgiven at the bar afterwards.

About 15-20 boats continued coming in for the next 2 hours. Many boats came in with their colorful billowing spinnakers. Just beautiful to watch. The Marina del Rey Flyer boat arrived in Avalon just as the middle of the pack boats were finishing up and had to maneuver though them to get to the dock. As the sun set about 5:15pm over the Bay, there was little to no wind in the harbor but about 10 boats were still on their way to the harbor.

Catalina Island's Interior and Two Harbors (Part 3)

It's on to Two Harbors on Catalina Island. Just the anticipation of the view of the town and the coastline from above is breathtaking. It's our favorite spot on the island. If you ever want a place to get away with no phones, no TV - just rest and relaxation, along with scenic beauty - this is it. Only 1 lodging spot (the Banning House with it's 12 rooms and rustic serene ambiance), 1 campground, 1 restaurant, 1 bar, 1 grocery store. It's also a very popular boating spot.

But today we only are stopping in for lunch and a quick walk from one beach, across the Isthmus, to the beach on the other side. Two Harbors is also called the Isthmus, which in geography speak is the narrowest point of land - and you can literally see two harbors - Catalina Harbor on the windward side and Two Harbors is on the leeward side. In this case, the isthmus is only abut 1/2 mile wide, so it makes for a quick walk. And we sadly depart.

Heading back to Avalon we see more buffalo - one big male by the stables. A bike rider rides by on the road about the same time the buffalo is walking by. The bike rider speeds up to get past and the buffalo pays him no mind.

On the way home we take the other road back which goes past some beautiful beaches - Cottonwood and Ben Weston - and continue on through Middle Ranch.

We stop at the Catalina island fox home of Tachi. Tachi was the runt of the litter and abandoned by his mom and during his caring was imprinted on humans and could not be returned to the wild. He is now an ambassador to saving the native island species. Tachi was out (normally they are nocturnal) so we were happy to see him and his caretaker - Julie. At one time the tiny foxes numbered only 100 on the island. and were classified as endangered. Now they number over 700.

We pass Middle Ranch with it's stables and the Catalina Island Conservancy's nursery and maintance yard. About a dozen families live out here and work for the Conservancy. I didn't realize it but the Conservancy maintians about 200 miles of road throughout the interior of the island.

Pimu, the bald eagle has a home in Middle Ranch area also and you can stop to see him. Bald eagles live on Catalina and there are a number of nesting pairs. They are gradually making their way back after the DDT incident a number of years ago. There was already a small bus there and since our friend is from Alaska, he's seen bald eagles numerous times before so we didn't stop.

Soon we join up with the road that leads to the Airport and back to Avalon and in no time we're winding back down the steep hilly road - back home to Avalon. All in all it was a great day in Catalina Island's interior.

Catalina's Interior - Part Two - On to Two Harbors

Back to the Airport in the Sky...

We watch the planes come in and there must have been a flying club coming in because there were small airplanes in a pattern, coming in one right after the other. We saw about 10-12 land in about a 30 minute time period. Never realized the airport was so busy. There’s a bit of an interpretive center there and a short botanical trail as well as a huge tile map of the island. It’s really cool to show people where they started out and where they’ve been. Most people are surprised to see how big the island is. There’s also a small gift shop with some very nice stuff – as well as a restaurant with indoor and outside patio seating – which overlooks the mountains of the island – very nice.

Also there is a short (less than ½ mile both ways) interpretive trail down to the steatite soapstone quarry. It’s the first time we’ve hiked down there and it was a bit anti-climatic when you got there but there are some rocks that the natives had started to carve out their soapstone bowls. Soapstone is very soft rock so it’s fairly easy to carve. This trail intersected the Airport Loop Trail as well as the Trans-Catalina Trail.

Continuing on to Two Harbors we saw our first buffalo. It was a lone male on the hill. Lots of time you can see a herd by the airport but it's always amazing to see the buffalo. The juxtaposition of them by the surf is an incredible sight.

We went through Rancho Escondido - which means Hidden Ranch. It's a gorgeous spot in a bit of a hollow and a beautiful spot for a ranch. It's where the Wrigley's raised Arabian horses. There are stables with boarded horses and a number of territorial stucco buildings and recently planted vineyards. There's also a small museum that you stop at on the tours that displays some beautiful saddles and trophies won as well as carriages and stage coaches.

Climbing out of Rancho Escondido we spot more buffalo. Very cool.

On to the scenic overlook. You couldn't find a more beautiful spot on the island, overlooking Shark Harbor and Two Harbors (with the rock formation called the Whales Tail between them) and in the distance the entrance to Catalina Harbor. Of course we have to get out and soak in the view.

Off to Little Harbor - one of the islands 5 or 6 scenic campgrounds. Parking the car and walking through the campground we head to the beach. The recent rains have made the low land before the beach a muddy/sandy mess but we get thru it with a minimum of slides. The beach is wide and a bit rocky. Our friend heads over to the tidepools while we search the beach for flat rocks to skip in the surf. I hate to leave but we're getting hungry - it's way past noon.

The terrain after Little Harbor turns very desert like and lots of prickly pear - very different than the scrub and small trees on part of the island we just drove through. We round a corner and there's the coastline and Two Harbors - just spectacular!

Next up... the small community of Two Harbors.

Into the Catalina Interior

We had a friend come in this weekend from Alaska. He’s been to Catalina a couple times before but he hadn’t been into the interior – didn’t really know it existed, which is pretty typical of lots of visitors to Catalina. So, that's where we decided to go.

We don’t get into the interior of the island very much. Maybe once every 8 months – so it’s a big treat for us to take a day and go see the views and look for the island buffalo and fox.

We borrowed a car and just after leaving Avalon, head up the winding steep road into the interior. East twist and turn takes you farther away from the "civilization" of Avalon and offers better and better views of town and the hills and the surrounding ocean.

Our first stop was our neighbors’ garden just at the top of the mountain road, past the reservoir. All visitors are welcome to stroll along the gardens' trail as long as you close the gate. He painstakingly and lovingly takes care of the beautiful tear-drop shaped area that is planted with a number of native endemic plants. Many of the plants are identified along the trail so you can learn the names. Some of the plants are in flower and at least 3 gorgeous red-headed hummingbirds were vying for the flowers. There was also a ruf0us-sided towhee scratching, as they always do in the bushes. There are benches on the perimeter of the garden, overlooking the sea. It’s a very contemplative and serene spot.

We passed Haypress Picnic Area and it’s really recovering nicely after the fire we had on the island in May of 2007. The Lions Club of Avalon have taken care of the picnic area. There are some new Torrey Pines and 3 Catalina Cherries that have been planted recently. The small pond is pretty full and the playground equipment, which was not burned in the fire, is being used by a family having a picnic.

Soon after we come across the new Trans-Catalina Trail sign. We stopped again and really couldn’t discern exactly where the trail goes. It officially opens in April so it doesn’t look like there’s been a whole lot of people hiking on it yet. We saw a few other trail signs along the road – but again – couldn’t really tell where the trail was. It’ll be nice feature to the island though, enabling people to hike from one side of the island to the other.

Next stop – the Airport in the Sky...stay tuned

Unique Catalina Island golf cart

I think the owner of this golf cart also owns a fire extinguisher business and has a bright red 1950s vintage Chevy pickup truck.

Crazy people on the beach

There's a cruise ship in the Avalon harbor today. Usually this one isn't here on Wednesdays but because of the bad weather (we had a big winter storm on Monday), the Monday ship - the Carnival Elation - came in for the very first time on Tuesday. And the Tuesday ship, the Carnival Paradise, came in today.

The ship must have passengers from someplace cold and snowy like Alaska, Iceland or Maine. There are a couple of kids in swimsuits frolicking on the beach. It's 54 degrees at our place!!! No ice on the shoreline, but the water temp has to be less than 60 degrees. Those people must be crazy.

The truth is, I would have been down there on the beach with those kids when we first moved here. But I've adjusted to the warm California weather. Call me surfer dude. I won't even think about sticking a toe in the water until it warms up a bit in July. For right now, we're suffering through a cold spell. Brrrrrrrr!

When the cruise ship is in port, some brave souls always sign up to go para-sailing. Their parachute is a bright, rainbow-colored thing, and it's looks great against the snow-capped peaks in the distance. And I bet once they're up there they have a fantastic view of both the Catalina and mainland coastlines!

Ravens Steal Cat Food

Avalon has a lot of feral cats; some people see it as a curse, others like having them around. People get hot under the collar about the issue. This afternoon we went for a walk up the hill, and on the way we stopped up above a condo complex where we can usually look way down a steep bank and see a half-dozen or more cats by a shed and big storm pipe/sewer drain. No cats. Not a single one.

We walked up to an overlook near the Inn on Mount Ada, took in the gorgeous view, then headed back down the hill. On our way home, we noticed a friend walking out toward the cat spot with a small bucket in hand. It was filled with dry cat food. In just a minute or two, cats were coming out of the woodwork, or the bushes to be more exact, until there were at least a half-dozen kitties.

Then we heard a raven squawking and spotted it flying through the trees. It landed on a tree branch above the cat-feeding station and started making a different sounding call. Moments later another raven arrived. They dropped down to the shed’s roof. They hopped down to the edge. The cats scattered. Then one raven landed on a flat board sprinkled with cat food. It tipped its’ head to the side and started gulping down the dry cat food.

A minute later it took off and the other raven replaced it. A hurried meal, then that raven flew away and the cats finally got to feed. We watched for a moment, and then headed home. We hadn’t gone far when Arthur spotted two more cats way down below us in the bushes. It took us a minute to see that they were . . . ah, making more feral cats.

Catalina Island's golf cart of the week

Since golf carts are street legal in Avalon, people dress them up a bit. This beauty is from the Historic Hermosa Hotel.

Avalon - Community Bulletin Board

All the community news is posted at the bulletin board in the Post Office Arcade - an enclosed passageway between two buildings. The post office with everyone's mailbox (there is no mail delivery to your home), the hardware store and vacation rental and real estate offices are located in the big hallway.

Today, Lupita lost her stuffed animal. Lupita posted a picture on the bulletin board of her stuffed animal – a small gray creature with dark beady eyes (species undertermined). Her handwritten note says “It’s very special to me.” If anyone finds it, please return it to her.

Stranded and starving on Catalina Island

A slight exaggeration perhaps--but the passenger boats didn't run yesterday afternoon and evening because the wind was whipping and the water was rough. Temps in the high 40s, winds over 30mph. People who expected to get on the boat and head back to LA got stranded. Last night we went out to dinner at Steve's Steakhouse, and a group of about 30 stranded folks were there having dinner. Turns out they were in Avalon doing a photo shoot for Airwalk shoes. They really didn't seem to mind having to spend one more day on the island. I guess it's all part of the job.

The barge hasn't been able to make it here either, and when that happens, it doesn't take long before you start seeing empty shelves at the Vons grocery store. Bread disappears first, then fresh produce and dairy products.

One red flag this morning, but the clouds are gone and the sun is out. The snow on the mountains across the channel looks beautiful.

A Two Red Flag Day

Living in Catalina, you learn to pay attention to the weather flags out at the Cabrillo Mole and by the Harbor Master’s office at the Green Pier. With one red flag, the winds are up but passenger boats may still be going across the channel—although you can expect a bumpy ride. With two red flags, there’s little hope. Since today (Feb. 9th) marks the birthday of the U.S. National Weather Service, nature’s weather is partying hard. Right now the wind is up to 50 mph gusts, blowing misty rain, whitecaps outside of the harbor. Not the “sunny California” we all think about. Button down the hatches, bring the lawn furniture in, stay inside. Red flags, hot chocolate, and tea. But who knows, it could change at any moment.

Hummingbirds in Paradise

We love to watch the hummingbirds flutter from flower to flower--when they're not busy fighting. There are two species of hummers on Catalina Island -- the red headed Anna’s and the rusty colored Allen’s. Both are tiny – abut 3 ½ inches long. We put up a hummingbird feeder and it took the hummers about 20 minutes to find it. One hummer (a male Anna’s) has now claimed it for his own and guards it with his life. Just to let all other hummers know who's “king of the feeder” he sits on a lower branch where he can see in all directions and loudly makes a chi-chi-chi-chi-chi sound to pronounce his rightful territory. If another hummer comes in – he zings toward it with reckless abandon, sword-like beak at the ready. The hummers sometimes zing alarmingly close to us as if we weren’t there. You instinctivly pull away--Arthur spilled coffee on himself one morning. It’s a good thing hummers are small – if they were as big as ravens, we’d all be in trouble.

Catalina Island-style dog bed

Yesterday while walking up the long and winding road to the Inn on Mount Ada (formerly the Wrigley Mansion), we noticed an odd looking ATV headed our way. It just seemed way to big and bulky. As it got closer, we could see that there was some some of plywood box rigged on the front of the thing by the handlebars. When it got closer, we saw that there was no lid on the box, and the sides were only about 6"-12# high. It was a doggie bed, complete with a relaxed and happy golden lab, ears flapping in the breeze.

Rain to rainbows on Catalina Island

The day started out with rain, fog, and clouds that had me singing, "gloom despair, and agony on me, deep dark depression, excessive misery," but by mid-morning the rain and fog had let up, and we were treated to a rainbow over the Avalon harbor.

Flowering pear trees are blossoming

All over Avalon, flowering pear trees are blossoming. Walking up the street if there's a slight breeze, it looks like its softly snowing. Yesterday, I walked up the street to a meeting and someone had to pick the pedals out of my hair. Winters are sure tough on Catalina Island. The photo shows the view on Sumner Street. Smells as good as it looks.

Feathered fishermen on Catalina Island

For the past couple weeks or so, there's been an abundance of bait fish and bonito in Avalon Bay, and it's fun watching the brown pelicans catch fish. They've been fishing in the shallows, sometimes just 20 feet from the shore of sandy beaches that are filled with people in the summer. Pelicans are big birds with a 6 to 6 1/2 foot wingspan. They have a long, massive bill with an expandable pouch underneath. They're great gliders; it looks like they're skimming along just inches about the water's surface. As they're skimming along, they'll suddenly dive head-first into the water. Then they sit up, shake their heads, and, if they've caught a fish, it's one big gulp and down the hatch.

A leisurely weekend in Catalina

Aaahhh. . . the weekend. With nothing planned it becomes a day of leisure. Sleep late, enjoy a latte grande on the deck (made at home, no Starbucks here), savor the reading of the newspaper. We buy a USA Today on Friday - the weekend edition. It's the only newspaper we read - once a week - and I make it last by reading every word thru coffees on both Saturday and Sunday. Our typical routine on Sat. is to head down the 209 steps to town and to the library and post office -- maybe take a longer walk to the Casino. Roaming along Crescent Ave. (the pedestrian promenade that parallels the shore) we run into a number of locals, strolling along, taking in the day. It's not very crowded in town but we do watch the 11am arrival of the Catalina Express and express hope that the boat is bringing people to enjoy the Island. It's been a rough few months for the local shop owners, restaurateurs and hotel owners. It's Super Bowl weekend. Maybe people are staying home to watch the game. But once again, the weather in Catalina has turned sunny and warm. Paradise!

Gas prices on Catalina Island

I'm sure it's expensive to ship gas to the Island on a barge, and prices reflect that--I filled the golf cart yesterday and regular gas was $3.69 a gallon. But that's much better than the almost $6 it was when gas prices were high. Fortunately, it only takes about 4 gallons to fill the tank, and we only need gas about once a month.

It's a scenic drive to Avalon's one and only gas station. You climb up and up a steep twisting road and then make an equally precipitous drop down to the the gas station, which is hidden away in sort of an industrial area called Pebbly Beach. Here's a shot from along the way - note the ravens soaring on the edge of the picture.

Climbing the hills home on Catalina Island, 209 steps

Everyone living on the Avalon hillsides knows their number. Our number is 209. That's the number of steps from our doorstep into town. Not the number of paces - that's much more - but the number of vertical steps. We walk it every day. It's 52 steps from our house to the road below where we park our golf cart (one for every household is allowed). But we don't use the golf cart much except for a "big" food shopping expedition or to play golf. It's much better exercise to walk up and down those 209 steps. (To be more accurate, Lynn walks up the steps. Arthur slowly drags himself up the steps.)

Catalina Island's Amazing Avalon Theatre

Last night we went to a movie at the Avalon Theatre in the Casino Building. We don't do this often enough! We had a nice evening stroll along the harbor and got to the Theatre about 6:40pm. The ticket booth outside is adorable and the lobby inside is made of curving rich mahogany wood with the popcorn and candy sales at one end. The theater is huge--over 1100 seats! There are incredible art deco murals on the walls, and twinkling gold stars on the ceiling. (Click on the link below for a picture.) On Friday and Saturday nights there's a Page organ concert at 6:15p before the 7pm show. It's really something to hear. It puts you in a theater mood. And pick a seat - any seat...the movie theater is rarely crowded. It's amazing to see first run movies in such a grand theater. Even if it's not a movie you want to see (in this case it was - The Curious Case of Benjamin Buttons), it's a treat to go. The movies change once a week - every Friday. And they're shown every day of the week at 7pm (and usually twice in the evenig on weekends)

For more info on the theater, go to http://www.visitcatalinaisland.com/avalon/acti_casinoTheater.php

A rainy day on Catalina Island

Rain today, and my feeble brain tells me the moisture is a blessing for the Island, but my heart wants sunshine and blue skies. Gray and gloomy all day. I've been humming an old country-western song I learned years ago: "gloom, despair, and agony on me. Deep, dark depression, excessive misery. If it weren't for bad luck I'd have no luck at all. Gloom, despair, and agony on me."

Light rain, temps in the 60s, things aren't that bad on Catalina Island; you just get spoiled by the good weather.

Community Bulletin Board--need a dog walker?

Everybody has to go to the Post Office to get mail, so there's a community bulletin board where Islanders put up signs about yard sales, boats for sale, bake sales, and other events. Today I noticed a brightly colored sign done in crayon. Nice drawings of flowers and dogs. $5 an hour for a dog walker. Monday through Saturday, except Tuesday. Something tells me this dog walker is a child who would give your puppy a little exercise and a whole lotta love. I can just see a little boy or girl with 5 dogs on a leash being dragged down the sidewalk and getting licked by dogs every time the group stops.

Miniature Golf

Lynn and I decided to play miniature golf last weekend. In addition to having a real 9 hole golf course, Catalina Island has a great miniature golf course in Avalon. All you do is putt, and the tricky holes make playing mini golf here a combination of putting and playing pool because you have to figure the angles to bounce the ball off the walls and various obstacles into the hole. The course is 2 blocks from the beach in a beautiful grove of eucalyptus trees. Smells great after a rain. There's a tiny stream that meanders through the trees, so it's like you're in an oasis. When we came up to the little booth to pay and get our putters, there were two "watch dogs" guarding the place. They were asleep on the window sill. They weren't pit bulls or rotweillers; you could say they had a mixed pedigree. They're mutts. Nice mutts. They must have decided we weren't a threat, because each dog opened one eye, looked at us for a moment, and went back to sleep.

Lynn's a good golfer, but putting is her weakness. I don't golf at all, but I do have a certain knack for putting. Guess who won at mini golf? We're big-time gamblers, and after Lynn's crushing defeat, she had to buy the ice cream. Hah!!!

Catalina summer in January

The weather here this week on Catalina has been spectacular. I know the mainland (or overtown, as we Islanders call it) has been blowing hot and dry Santa Ana winds and yes, I know there is always a fire threat with the winds and yes, I know we need rain -- but I'll take this weather any day! It's in the 70's during the day and crystal clear with little or no wind. It's summer in January! As Jimmy Buffet says, "the weather is here, wish you were beautiful." From the Avalon harbor you can see the sparkling lights of the cities on the mainland at night and the snow capped mountain peaks during the day. In the distance you can see the freighters and cruise ships from LA and Long Beach go by. Our little harbor in Avalon is full for the holiday weekend. Smart boaters!

Raven envy

We live on a steep hillside--it's about 250 steps to the shoreline--so I kind of envy the ravens when they take off and glide downtown in a matter of moments. When the Santa Anna winds blow and there are red flag warnings for LA, here on Catalina Island you'll see ravens soaring, diving, doing barrel rolls and generally dancing on the wind. They're vocal birds, and when they land nearby like this pair on a power pole, we hear them squawking, quorking, and making all sorts of wild guttural sounds. Sometimes we can see them opening their bills and making quick clicking and clacking calls while they ruff up their feathers. They've got to be talking; it's just a language people don't understand.

Catalina Island Dogs and Golf Carts

There are lots of small towns where people go to the Post Office to pick up their mail, but on Catalina Island, people go to the Post Office on golf carts. Here's the line-up. Dogs love riding around in golf carts. Mr. Biggie has it made in the shade.

Cruise ship day

Catalina Island had lots of visitors today--Carnival Cruise Line's 2000 passenger "Paradise" is here. It's fun watching people amble around Avalon and take things in for the 1st time. They point at an LA County Sheriff patrolling on a Segway. They admire the tile work on store fronts. They peer over the railing on the aptly named Pleasure Pier into crystal clear water and talk about all the "goldfish," which are actually Garibaldi, the state of California's official marine fish. They rent golf carts to tour the town, and as they pull out of the golf cart parking lot, their faces show a mixture of trepedation and pure glee--I can't believe I'm going to drive on golf cart on city streets.