Thursday, May 21, 2015

Anniversary Trip to Avalon on Santa Catalina Island

I can't believe that in less than a month my husband and I will have been married for 40 Years!  It only seems like yesterday.

Our children wanted to have party for us or send us on a trip.  We are a bit "tripped" out since we have a big trip planned for later.  My daughter came up with the perfect solution; a trip to Avalon. We had visited Avalon before via a cruise and only had a few hours on this beautiful island.  We were excited to spend an extended time and explore theses lovely surroundings.

We boarded the Catalina Express from Dana Point, CA in the morning for the one hour and twenty minute ride to Avalon.
Upon disembarking we stored our luggage at a facility since our check in wasn't until later in the afternoon.
It was lunch time so we headed to one of the first restaurants we saw.  The fish and chips were delicious.
Here's the view from the restaurant.
Avalon is such a pretty little place but the hills are so dry due to the drought.
Our children booked this accommodation for us on Airbnb.  It was very easy to find as the name "Grisham" was prominently displayed.  We stayed on the top floor of this 100 year old home.
My husband loves the water! So, he soon found his place on the deck with his shoes kicked off and his iPad in hand ready for his "work".

The following afternoon we walked along the waterfront to the Casino.  It's not a casino in the gambling sense but a historic building from the 1920's that houses a large ballroom and movie theatre.
Another historic building with the Casino behind.
A plaque outside the Tuna Club.
We took the Avalon Trolley up to the Wrigley Memorial Garden.
 
William Wrigley, Jr  from Chicago (yes, the same Wrigley who makes the chewing gum) came to Avalon in the 1920's.  He was responsible for the conservation of the island.  Mrs.Wrigley started this botanical garden of native plants.
This is the Wrigley Memorial where Mr.Wrigley was originally buried.
Here is a plaque commemorating Mr.Wrigley' s effort in conservation.
There are a large number of steps leading up to the memorial.  These bronze doors were specially cast for this memorial.

A plaque about the bronze doors.
Here's a close up of the art deco frieze of Catalina ravens inside the memorial.
Look at the view from the memorial.  Can you see the ocean out there?
Walking back down from the memorial, I walked through the gardens.  Here's a prickly pear flower.
I love this huge cactus...
Here's a pine tree.  I loved walking though this area as the scent of the pines and surrounding greenery was heavenly.

I thought you might enjoy a bit more information; here are five facts about Catalina Island:

1.   William Wrigley, Jr. (1861-1932) purchased a controlling share in the island back in 1919 for $3 million dollars.
2.  Wrigley's Chicago Cubs used to hold spring training on Catalina Island until 1952.
3.  The population of the island in the census of 2010 was just over 4,000 people.
4.  Bison roam the hills of this island.  They were originally brought over in 1924 by a Hollywood film studio for the purpose of use in a film.  They are still there today.
5.  Close to one million people visit this island each year.  Cruise ships bring in many of these tourists.

I hope you have enjoyed this little look into this amazing island.  Next time I'm going to share with you some more facts and photos about the Casino (pictured above).

I wish you a wonderful weekend and a wonderful Memorial Day holiday.  Be safe.

My best to you,

Pat

Linking to the Following Parties:
Five on Friday....
Handmade Monday... 

24 comments:

  1. Well I was wondering how an island called 'Avalon' ended up off the coast of California and then I saw the fish and chips - did King Arthur go off to sunny California instead of gloomy Wales to spend his time while waiting to come back and rescue Britain? It's an interesting idea. Thank-you very much for taking the photos of all the different places on the island - it's so different to anything you get over here. I love the huge cactus and the views of the ocean are fantastic. All the best, Judy.

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  2. I wondered if you'd seen King Arthur as well! It looks like you had a lovely trip, Pat, and thanks for showing me parts of the world that I never even knew about! xx

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  3. What an incredibly beautiful and interesting place to visit!!!! I haven't heard of Avalon before, but it was wonderful to see!! Thank you for taking us with you on a virtual tour!!! What a wonderful gift from your children. Happy early anniversary!! I hope that you have many more happy years together!! xx

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  4. 40 years - that's very impressive! What a lovely trip - I love watching boats bobbing about and the prickly pear is amazing. Have a great week. x

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  5. Congratulations for your forthcoming 40th wedding anniversary and wishing you many more happy years together. Looks like a great trip, a lovely place to visit.

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  6. Happy Anniversary! Sounds like a lovely time. Thanks for sharing the beautiful pictures.
    Lori

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  7. I've ever heard of Avalon, but it is absolutely gorgeous! I can see why you took so many pictures and had such a wonderful anniversary getaway there! Forty years? Amazing. Hubby and I just had our 13th and we look forward to making it to 40, too. Congrats to you both!
    www.queenbcreativeme.blogspot.com

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  8. Happy Anniversary to you and yours!! :-D
    What a wonderful trip!
    Many many BLESSINGS, Linnie

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  9. Happy anniversary, time really does fly doesn't it. thank you for sharing your trip, I did not even know this place existed and how beautiful and interesting it all seems x

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  10. Happy Anniversary to you! It looks like such a beautiful place, how kind if your children too! Have a lovely weekend x

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  11. What a great trip!
    Happy anniversary and a nice weekend for you

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  12. It looks like a lovely place, I'm glad you had such a wonderful time. Happy anniversary! have a great weekend. :) xx

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  13. Thank you for taking me with you on your trip. It looks absolutely beautiful. I hope you had a wonderful time and many congratulations on your anniversary. X

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  14. Happy Anniversary to you! Hubby and I were just saying how we'd love to visit Catalina...

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  15. Happy anniversary! Looks like it was a wonderful trip.

    Such beautiful photos and thanks for the great info too! I'm getting itchy for a trip!! Lol

    Happy weekend to you. xoxo

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  16. A very happy annivesary to you both! That looks like a very interesting place indeed, thanks for the tour. I'm looking forward to getting a peek inside the Casino.

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  17. Congratulations on your anniversary, how exciting! Looks like you had a lovely trip, you took some fab photos x

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  18. congratulations. How lovely to have such a great trip to add to your list of fabulous memories x

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  19. Big congrats - looks like you had a fabulous trip.

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  20. Happy 40th Anniversary! Thank you for sharing your photos of this beautiful island. And i love the list of facts down the bottom!

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  21. Happy Anniversary! A wonderful place to celebrate - lovely views. Interesting information, too! Hope you have a good weekend. xo Karen

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  22. What a wonderful gift for you both and Happy Anniversary. Avalon looks a perfect get away with plenty of interest to see. The view from your balcony is perfect

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  23. Happy Anniversary, 40 years together is such a wonderful thing. I think I'm in love with Avalon, it looks so beautiful.

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