Catalina Island

California continues to amaze me.

Prior to coming to Claremont as an undergrad, what I knew about California I learned from TV and movies:  San Francisco is hilly, Napa Valley has great wine, and Hollywood is full of movie stars.  That's what makes my new discoveries of the gems that lie within California all the more exciting.  

Avalon Harbor viewed from above

One such gem is the Channel Islands.

Those who pay attention to such things probably have heard of them already.  A long ago getaway for movie stars, places such as Catalina Island grew up on the twin pillars of their beauty and mild inaccessibility.  Today it is still a gorgeous place to visit, with many plant and animal species that only live on one or more of the Islands, and a wonderful harbor lined with shops, restaurants, and the occasional candy factory.

I went there for the first time with my Mom, who was visiting during her Spring Break.  One very exciting thing to do is to take one of the semi-submersible undersea tours:  the next best thing to scuba diving.  We saw loads of fish during the tour, including the easy to spot Garibaldi.

Garibaldi fish in the ocean

The Island ethos of tourism with conservation was put in place by the Wrigley family, and the Wrigley Memorial and Botanical Gardens is a great way to see many of the plants (and animals!) that only grow on Catalina or other Channel Islands.

Mark and Tam in from of a Catalina Mahogany Tree

The trip back is also a lot of fun.  The jet ferry takes about an hour to cover twenty miles of open ocean.  Pelicans and seagulls like to follow the wake churned up behind the boat.

Pelicans accompanying the ferry ride back