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!