We went to Catalina to spend Christine's birthday, and as a special treat our old friend Steve from Wilmington came to celebrate. We started out with morning pancakes and ended the day with a bbq on the beach! A warm thank you to Steve for making Christine's birthday extra special.
Our initial plan was to spend four nights in Avalon (the city that made Catalina Island famous); it's a quaint, Mediterranean style town whose only mode of transport is golf carts. While we enjoyed seeing the historic casino/theater and walking the hilly neighborhoods, this town is also a bit stuffy for our tastes. After one night on a mooring ball, we asked for a refund and have returned to the Isthmus.
We wanted more island time, so we went back to Santa Cruz for a longer visit. For two nights we anchored in a rocky bay surrounded with eucalyptus trees and cliffs. The views were spectacular. While hiking we kept a sharp lookout for scorpions and snakes. But at night our focus was shooting stars and constellations.
Our last full day with Gretchen and Dave was spent touring the vineyards of Santa Barbara. We enjoyed these vineyards more than Napa and Sonoma due to their quaintness and seclusion; and the wines were better too! After tasting our fill of wine, we found a lonesome picnic table overlooking vineyards and mountains and enjoyed some crackers, cheese and conversation. Thanks again, Gretchen and Dave, for coming out! We really enjoyed your company!!
Roger's older sister and brother in law (Gretchen and Dave) came out for a visit. We took them to Santa Cruz Island to visit the marine sanctuary. While the way over and back were quite challenging, boating-wise, the bright Milky Way at night and secluded anchorage made it worth it.
