Leonland - Leon Barnard
Chapter 6 > Catalina Island
Catalina Island is a magical place. It's an 21-mile long by 8-mile wide island that sits about 20 miles off the coast of Long Beach, California. The only real city on the island is Avalon, which has about 3,200 full-time residents. You can get there by hydrofoil ferry or helicopter. There's also an airport, but it's only used for getting goods on to and off of the island. It's a 45-minute boat ride, but feels like a thousand miles away from LA. Cars aren't allowed on the island, so many tourists rent bikes or just walk to get around in Avalon. There's also hiking, golf, and glass-bottom boat tours. Even though it's a tourist destination, it's remote and mellow enough not to be tacky or over-the-top. We were there for a day and a half and had a fantastic time. I highly recommend the trip if you ever get the chance.
The seas were very choppy on the way there, so the sight of land was a relief.
More of the island comes into view.
Avalon. Yep, that's pretty much all of it.
A view of the harbor from land.
More moored boats and the casino (no longer used for gambling) in the distance.
The walkway to the casino.
A view of town from our bike trip around Avalon.
Biking was so much fun. We biked until sunset on the first day.
The next day we took a bus tour up the mountains to the airport.
More nice views from the bus.
The airport wasn't much of a destination. The view on the ride up was the best part. But the airport was a nice restroom and food break.
The radio station, back in Avalon.
Cars aren't allowed, so golf carts of all varieties are used.
Another way to get on and off the island.
The view from the (fortunately calmer) ride home.
Posted by Leon on January 16, 2006 06:42 PM [Top of page]