catalina island: la isla bonita

About an hour’s trip from the California coast is a little gem of an island called Catalina (actually it’s Santa Catalina, but no one calls it that). In my opinion, it is the best thing California has to offer (and Cali has a lot of good things to offer). All they need is a good vineyard and it would be the perfect little vacation spot.

Anyways, Catalina has a special place in my heart so I was devastated when wildfires ravaged the tiny island back in May. Nearly 4000 acres were burned. The island is only 22 miles long so that’s a good chunk of land. I nearly cried when I found out about the fire. Obviously, Cali has been very dry lately and is almost always susceptible to fire practically yearly. But I knew for a fact that Catalina had been in a drought for quite some time. The last few times I had visited, the mountains and hills were mostly brown because of all of the dry brush.

Because Catalina is heavily dependent on its tourism industry, I was more than happy to schedule a day trip during my vacay. I wanted to help the island any way I could. Apparently, I wasn’t the only one who felt this way. My boat leaving Balboa Pier was packed with vacationers.

There are no vehicles allowed on the island (for residents, there is a 5 year wait for vehicles) so Jesse and I rented a golf cart (the transportation of choice for Catalina residents) and drove around the island. It was a gorgeous day and we were able to see some amazing views.

But before Jesse and I rented the golf cart, we had to have a mini golf rematch. Catalina has the most beautiful mini golf course I have ever seen and it is incredibly difficult (as a mini golf connoisseur, I feel that I could speak to that with some certainty). On our first visit together, Jesse and I played the course and I beat him. This year, we had a rematch. It was a close game!

Here’s Jesse after his hole-in-one.


Here’s Jesse at the 18th hole.


It was down to the wire. I needed to get a hole in one to tie.

I missed and Jesse won!

This sleepy, chunky kitty greeted us at the last hole.


After lunch, we got the golf cart and drove around.




Here is a view of Avalon (one of two cities on the island) from a hill.


Another view of Avalon. You have to click to enlarge this picture to see how clear the water is.


Here I am with Jesse.


Here is a view of Avalon from the dock


Here’s another view from the dock with the Casino on the right.


Here’s my favorite photo subject on the dock.


In case you were wondering, we did see where the fires had burned the island. It was very, very sad to see. Naturally, I made sure the burned parts didn’t show on any pictures.

It was hard to leave the island, but it had been a long day. We had plans with my family for dinner that night. I am happy to report that dinner went fairly smoothly.

You just never know when my family’s going to get all crazy on ya.