Golden Shore RV Resort, Long Beach, CA:  Had a relaxing day today.  Met some friends of Mike’s for lunch in Long Beach.  They live in Tustin, CA.  Had a great lunch at The Yard House right on the water.  They have an RV also but have done a lot of traveling all over the world.  They’ll be in St. Louis in October for Mike and George’s 50^th high school reunion.  Will be nice seeing them again.  After lunch we fueled up the truck and headed back and relaxed the rest of the day.  Tomorrow we leave for Valencia, CA, which is close to Hollywood, Beverly Hills, etc. 

George and Janet

Golden Shore RV Resort, Long Beach, CA:  Took the Catalina Express fast cat out to Catalina Island this morning.  Really wanted to get a hotel and stay for a few days, but we had to be out of this park by Saturday.  Just didn’t have the time.  We took a short tour of this rugged island but didn’t even scratch the surface.  Wrigley, of Wrigley chewing gum fame, owned the whole island at one time.  He still has several homes on the island.  But in the 70s he donated 70% of the island to the Island Conservancy, which he set up, and guarantees that the island will remain in its natural state in perpetuity.  He also built the Casino, which isn’t a gambling establishment, but houses one of the largest circular ballrooms still existing in the US.  It also houses a beautiful movie theater.  Back in the day, all the big bands played here and it was a favorite playground of a lot of celebrities.  It’s also a favorite diving spot because of the crystal clear waters surrounding this beautiful place.  It’s very mountainous and rugged.  Wish we could have seen more.  Left on the 6:00 fast cat to go back to the mainland.  By then the marine layer was moving in again.  

Took this picture as we walked over to the ferry terminal to show how close we are to downtown--in fact, right in the middle of downtown.  The entrance to our park is on the left.  The park office is the grey building on the left.  We're surrounded by high rise office buildings.  Very different.  And there's a bike path right out of the park that goes along the Los Angeles River.

The fast cat as it's pulling into Catalina.

One of the little streets in Avalon.

The harbor at Avalon

The historic casino in Avalon

The yacht club

Took this picture as we were leaving on the fast cat.  Kind of fuzzy since I took it through the window, but it shows the ruggedness of the island and the "marine layer" moving in.

Golden Shore RV Resort, Long Beach, CA:  Took the short drive over to where the Queen Mary is docked.  Only a few blocks from us.  I figure it’s the closest I’ll ever get Mike to a cruise ship (sigh).  She took her maiden voyage in 1936 from England to NYC.  She was considered the grandest ocean liner ever built at the time.  And the list of celebs and notables that sailed on her was quite impressive. I was disappointed though.  It’s now a working hotel and a lot of the salons and other historic areas are off limits.  Had lunch at one of the restaurants on the ship and then headed over to the Catalina Island ferry office to get tickets for tomorrow’s ferry.  Then we decided to drive back to San Juan Capistrano on the Pacific Coast Highway, but the mission closed at 5:00 and we didn’t get there in time.  This whole area is one huge urban sprawl.  The pretty hills just inland are littered with houses all over.  Too many people, too many cars, too much smog—other than that it’s a great place to live.  Looking forward to getting away from LA.

The Goodyear blimp flying over the Queen Mary--Long Beach

Deck chairs aboard the Queen Mary

Long Beach shrouded in what they call the "marine layer" which keeps the temps down and then dissipates by early afternoon.

Mission San Juan Capistrano--built in 1776

Mission San Juan Capistrano

Santee Lakes, Santee, CA, to Golden Shore RV Resort, Long Beach, CA:  Left Santee at 10:15 this morning and arrived in Long Beach and were set up by 1:00.  A short drive on major freeways all the way.  Mike did all the driving.  The park we’re in is right downtown and near the water.  We have high rises all around us.  Very different.  Nice park though.  We were going to drive up to Mission San Juan Capistrano, but I was up all night last night with a queasy stomach and not much better today.  Hope tomorrow is a better day.  

Santee Lakes, Santee, CA:  Today was spent mostly doing some housekeeping chores.  After I got up I cleaned the bathroom and changed the sheets.  Then we went over and did the laundry.  Came back and put that away.  Relaxed a little.  Then we cleaned the front of the fifth wheel.  Made a Walgreens run and then came back and had a cocktail under the awning.  Tonight we actually dined in.  Grilled up some fillets, accompanied by Southwestern rice and corn on the cob.  Tomorrow we leave for Long Beach.  Really enjoyed our stay here in Santee.  A cute little town in the mountains about 15 miles northeast of San Diego.  And it’s really easy to get around here.  Lots of freeways and they have a great rapid rail system which leaves from right here in Santee.  We never took advantage of it however. 

This guy was doing an amazing balancing job with these rocks
Seaport Village--San Diego

Amazing balanced rocks
Seaport Village--San Diego

Santee Lakes, Santee, CA:  Drove over to Point Loma and Cabrillo National Monument today.  Both are on a hilly peninsula of land south of the city that forms the bay.  Beautiful views of the Pacific and the bay from this high point.  Cabrillo discovered what is now San Diego bay back in the 1500s.  The little town of Point Loma is very nice with older homes clustered in the hills.  Cute little homes very close together with lush vegetation which affords privacy and most of the homes have neat little manicured yards.  From their high vantage point they have beautiful views of the marinas, the bay, and the city of San Diego beyond.  After exploring around Point Loma we drove over this very high bridge to the island of Coronado which is in San Diego Bay.  Most of the island is a Navy base.  We went there to see the historic Hotel del Coronado which was built in 1887.  A huge wooden structure, it is one of only a few still standing.  Had lunch there in this elegant hotel and walked around the grounds for a while.  Drove back to Santee and relaxed the rest of the day.  Mid-70s today.

View from Point Loma

Good day for a sail.

Point Loma Light

Really high bridge going over to Coronado Island

View of San Diego from the high bridge

The beautiful Hotel del Coronado

View of Point Loma across the bay from the beach at the Hotel del Coronado

Santee Lakes, Santee, CA:  Went down to Seaside Village on the San Diego Bay waterfront today.  Got down there about noon and had lunch at the Bay Café right on the water.  Then went aboard the USS Midway aircraft carrier which was enormous.  The USS Carl Vinson was docked across the bay.  That’s the aircraft carrier where Bin Laden’s body was taken and where they performed the burial at sea.  Also toured the historic ships at the maritime museum.  A beautiful, clear day with temps in the mid-70s.  On the way back home we drove through the historic Gas Lamp district.  I really like San Diego.  Very nice city.  Back to Santee Lakes around 8:00.  Did a lot of walking today along the waterfront.  Felt good. 

On board the USS Midway--San Diego, CA

Star of India--built in 1863 in San Diego.  Sailed around the world 21 times.   A merchant ship that also took passengers--mainly immigrants to Australia and New Zealand.

HMS Surprise--replica of a late 18th century Royal Navy frigate--used in the production of "Master and Commander"

San Diego skyline