A Cruise to Catalina on Lahaina Roads

After spending the night at Dave and Kristi's, Dave and I drove to the Oceanside Marina, where Lahaina Roads is docked. After loading our provisions and gear, Dave and I shoved off. It was around 11 a.m. and the GPS was giving us an ETA of 10 1/2 hours to Two Harbors. 

The warm Sunday afternoon, brought out lots of people to enjoy their kayaks, paddle boards, canoes and boats.  

We were very fortunate to have a southeasterly wind. It gave us an opportunity to sail for several hours. Very unusual since typically the area gets northwesterlies (which was our course). Along the way we spotted a number of dolphins.

By late afternoon, the wind had dropped and we started the engine and motored the rest of the way to Catalina. We got to Two Harbors later in the evening, picked up a mooring and were settled in by 9:30 p.m. 

In the morning, I got up in time to see a picturesque sunrise. The unique smell of Catalina struck me. It's a blend of the vegetation and the fresh ocean air. It was nice to be back after an absence of over forty years.

Dave and I first came here together on our Columbia Challenger, a 24 foot flush deck sailboat, when we were still in college (circa early 1970's). We had come from the L.A. area and maneuvered our way into the harbor in the dark. In the morning, we discovered that we had been very fortunate to have missed a reef. We had made a small navigational error when entering the harbor. We didn't make that mistake this time - we had GPS.

Moored nearby us was this handsome Seawolf 41.

In the evening, the ship's bar was open for business.

Every day Dave and I went ashore for a walk. This is Cat Harbor on the south side. 

                    

                       

                      

A view of Twin Harbor from above.

4th of July cove.

The community of Two Harbors is small. The houses surrounding the harbor may be little but offer spectacular views.

Time to wind down after a hard day of relaxation.

Campers may not get a lot of shade but get a spectacular view of the harbor.

Some people take relaxing to an extreme.

An evening meal at the bar.

We observed this family getting all decked out as pirates. Got to keep those kids amused. Argh!!!

Another boater brought a small Hobie outrigger to sail in the harbor. Looked fun!

Part of the entertainment was observing the fumbling and stumbling of boaters trying to moor their vessels. It was only a concern when it was happening right next to us.

The days went by fast and suddenly it was time to head home.

Homebound, we weren't as lucky with the wind. We motored the entire way.

With a little help from the current, we made the trip back in 9 1/2 hours. 

 Once home at Dave and Kristi's, the weather was warm. One of Great Pyrenees (I think Scout) enjoyed the fan for a little heat relief.

Kristi's horses come closer to get some attention.

The next day, it was time for the drive home to Shell Beach. It had been a fun adventure and I was glad to have seen Catalina again with an old friend and revisit old, happy memories.

A Quick Road Trip to Boulder Creek, California

                

In 1984 Diane and I found new jobs and moved from Long Beach to Boulder Creek (in the Santa Cruz mountains). We lived there for nearly seven years and truly enjoyed life amongst the majestic redwoods. We had not been to the area in quite a few years and decided to plan a visit to Debbie and Linda, who still live there.

A note: I'm writing this blog several weeks after we made the trip. Since then much has happened and some of the areas we visited were burned by the enormous fires that have been plaguing California. Fortunately, Debbie and Linda's house was sparred, although they've been evacuated for over two weeks. Sadly, Big Basin State Park, with some of the state's oldest redwoods, was not sparred and likely sustained severe damage.

Santa Cruz beach view.

We spent an hour in Santa Cruz before we checked into our hotel in Ben Lomond. The weather was beautiful, and the town and the beaches were busy. 

Afterwards, we drove up the curvy but beautiful Highway 9, checked into our hotel (cabin accommodations) and decided there still was enough time left to visit the house we lived in on Quigg Way in Boulder Creek.

Our old Quigg Way house is barely visible through the trees.

     

Quigg Way

Debbie and Linda visited us at our cabin.

The next day we toured Big Basin Redwood State Park. Home to ancient redwoods, the park is the oldest state park in California (established in 1902). Unfortunately, as I mentioned earlier, the park is located in one of the areas most impacted by the Santa Cruz fire. As of now, we know that the visitor center was completely burned down. Determining the damage to trees will take time. We were so fortunate in our timing to have taken the trip when we did it.

The next day, we drove south to the Monterey area and stayed at an Airbnb in Pebble Beach. Although it wasn't one of the houses directly on the 17 Mile Drive, it was a nice home and afforded easy access to the scenic drive.

After the scenic drive we went to Pacific Grove and visited the wharf area around the aquarium. The town's center is quite charming and colorful and its waterfront is lively. 

Masks were required - $100 fine for not wearing one.

 The following day, we opted to take Highway 1 homeward. It was a good choice because the weather was clear and the traffic was light. We only stopped once to take a brief hike to the beach area shown below. A tunnel led to another small but picturesque cove. After the walk we stopped briefly at Ragged Point before continuing home. A fine ending to a quick road trip.