This Self-Care Sunday (SCS) is dedicated to the day trip. A quick little adventure to reset and refresh both physically and mentally.
Our recent day trip was to Catalina Island, which is about a one and a half hour boat trip off the coast of California.
The boat trip there was an easy ride, and some local dolphins provided entertainment by jumping in the wake from the back of the boat. Unfortunately, it happened so fast that I didn’t get any photos. Once we arrived, we disembarked along with 400 other passengers to enjoy a beautiful day of adventure.
Brief History
In 1919, Catalina Island was purchased by William Wrigley, Jr., who developed it into a tourist destination.
Yep, that Wrigley.
The population is just over 4,000, and tourism is their main source of revenue. Most of the tourism is centered around the only incorporated city of Avalon. Throughout the city, you can see beautiful tile work with some of the most striking examples at the landmark casino building (which is no longer a casino).
Since the 1970s, most of the island has been administered by the Catalina Island Conservancy. We got a private tour of the Conservancy property from one of the locals who drives tourists around in his jeep. It is best to have four wheel drive when touring this barely developed part of the island.
After looking at some beautiful scenery, we made a stop at their understated airport.
They also have a souvenir shop that sells big, delicious cookies. Our tour guide had a good time telling us about his sitings of Harrison Ford and his plane at the airport.
We continued on our tour and caught a glimpse of the Wrigley mansion, a.k.a. Mt. Ada, named after Mrs. Ada Wrigley. When you own the island, you definitely get the biggest house. It’s now a luxury bed and breakfast with amazing views and rooms priced at about $1,000 per night.
After that tour ended, we took our own self guided tour in a golf cart. The sites were mostly houses and shops. Before we left, we picked up some souvenirs, including this fun Christmas ornament.
It’s become a thing that every time we travel somewhere, we get a Christmas ornament. That way we relive the memories every Christmas. Now, it was time to set sail home.
The boat ride back in the afternoon wasn’t the same smooth sailing as in the morning. The winds were stronger and the waves choppier. We sat on the level where the bar was located, and with the boat rocking around, people were already stumbling around as if they had one too many. I even had the pleasure of someones‘ drink splashing onto my arm. Fortunately, it was a young girl who was drinking what appeared to be 7-up, so it didn’t stain my shirt.
We arrived back safely and no one in our party got seasick. Not sure if that was true for everyone else. But we felt good and had a great time on our little adventure.
Hope all of you get a chance to have a little adventure this summer. Take care.
Great pics! So great you got to go away! We went for a mini getaway this past weekend and it was so quaint and beautiful! Loved every minute of it!