Catalina Island

Sunday, April 21, 2024

Out of our full 18 days on the ship, the port of Avalon on Catalina Island was the only place we hadn't visited previously. There were very few excursions offered by HAL and so the plan was to just tender ashore and explore. Or at least that was the plan for all except me. I knew my sore knee would make it hard to walk and rather than slow everyone else down I decided to stay onboard the ship. 

My day actually went by quickly...even though I did very little! The weather was nice so I spent some time by the aft pool enjoying the view of the island. I even saw a pod (school?) of porpoises!

Since my day was not that interesting, Bob has agreed to give a play-by-play description of the time he, Jon & Michelle spent on land.

Blogger Bob's report for the day...

Jon & Michelle waiting in Ocean Bar for tender number to be called.

My intention for the day was to escape the tourist areas and get out and explore a bit. As it turns out, that was not that difficult to do. The three of us agreed we would look around Avalon just a bit before we ventured out. Jon and I left Michelle while she hit the shops and we chose to walk the back streets.

Housing in this small community is tightly packed together, small, and very expensive. From what we saw, Avalon is it for Catalina Island. There are small pockets of people here and there but if you can't get what you want there, well you better head to the mainland. We were only gone an hour and we hooked up together again.

Jon and I had checked on renting a golf cart to get away from town. Renting a car was not an option. The city only allows so many vehicles on the island, and the waiting list to have a car is 25 years out. You walk, bike, or golf cart to get around. We discovered the golf carts were not allowed out of town, and even if you could, the steep mountains around the town would prohibit it. We chose the only feasible option: Eco Tours. This was going out with a guide in open vehicles that carried 8 people. They were like big dune buggies. Since they were operated by the Nature Conservancy, and much of the island is nature conservancy, it made sense. We booked a time slot and off we went.

Leaving on the tour...

As we headed out of town we went by an interesting hotel that was built by a famous western author, Zane Grey. I have read several of his books and enjoy his writing. He is also responsible for the ranch and buffalo on the island. After passing the hotel we had a long steep climb up and were treated to a beautiful view of the ship below.

The island is home to a small variety of wildlife, but due to the isolation and careful regulation of other species, the animals take on some unique characteristics. They are currently doing some study on a species of bat that may be unique to the island. The plant life is the same way. The Conservancy has worked hard to keep non-native plant life in check. Parts of the island that have not allowed the Conservancy to help have trouble with invasive species. As we traveled through the hills we crossed hiking trails several times. There are lots of trails for backpackers if you have the time. Some of the trails are miles long and involve multiple overnight camping stays.

We went by the ranch, which is not a large operation by any means, the two vineyards, which aren't large by any means, saw an old church, and down on the coast, saw a beautiful "oasis". This was on the opposite side of the island from Avalon. I believe they called this a beach, but it looked fairly rugged to me. It was here we learned a Clark Gable film, Mutiny on the Bounty, was in part filmed there.

Also on this part of the island, up high on the hills, were some old concrete boxes used in WW2 to overlook the pacific.

As we made our way back we saw bald eagles nesting at the reservoir that is used for Avalon's water supply. There is also a small horse stable in the valley there, if you are wealthy and can afford such luxury. You can also see old wagon wheels from early days when the only transportation was wagons. We managed to see one buffalo as well. The herd is closely managed because of overpopulation problems in the past. Our guide told us what took days in wagons years ago we just did in 4 hours.

I don't know that I would call this an incredible tour, but it did get us away from the usual tourist affair. I'm glad it worked out for us and we did have a great time together. We all went back to the ship feeling like we had experienced what Catalina Island had to offer. 

Back to Mary...

   

Bob, J & M texted me when they returned to the ship and I met them at the buffet. I sat with them while they ate a late lunch and listened to the stories of their escapades on land. (Mostly about how bad they needed to use a restroom but the tour operator refused to stop...) 😄

In spite of the late lunch, we decided we wanted to eat in the main dining room since we hadn't made it last night. It was nice having a table by a large window so we could watch as we sailed away from Catalina Island.

The four of us attended the main stage entertainment, guitarist Mark Donoghue, and then played cards. I have mentioned that my card playing ability is very limited so when J & M kept introducing new games I was even more befuddled. Most of the time we played at a table in the buffet area but a few times we went to the library instead. The library on the Zaandam is so nice, but the lido buffet usually won out because it was nice to have a cup of tea while we played! As the cruise continued, several of the buffet crew got to know us and would stop by to check on how our game was going.