Land of 1,000 Golf Carts

I'm not sure of the exact location of the Land of 1,000 Dances everyone sings about, but I did find the Land of 1,000 Golf Carts, 22 miles off the coast of Southern California. Catalina Island. Kyle and I may have seen a few trucks and maybe a smart car or two, but golf cart seems to be the transportation vehicle of choice in this small island town. We saw "(golf) car seats" for babies, pimped out rims, the works. But I suppose if the farthest you have to go today is the beach or the golf course, who can blame you?

We took the Catalina Express ferry from Long Beach to Avalon on a chilly SoCal Sunday morning. Saw seals frolicking on the ride over.

 The old Casino definitely provides some character to the Island landscape. 

We decided to take a hike to see the sights. I'd mapped it out online. A short walk to Lovers Cove before climbing the slope of Mt. Ada. for a look over the bay.
Well Lovers Cove was beautiful. Crystal clear water that would be perfect for snorkeling in the summer. The sign as we enter Lovers Cove reads "Conservation Area: This is not a petting zoo." I believe they don't want the visiting lovers to handle the marine life, but it could very well mean "Conservative area, don't pet each other." We played it safe and skipped rocks instead. 

We played it safe with the next sign too. Along our mapped path to get up to Mt. Ada, we saw a sign that reads "DANGER: FALLING ROCKS." Not an uncommon sight, really. Lots of places warn you that rocks COULD fall, but most of the time, it doesn't require you to make a u-turn and find a detour. It means, stop texting for the next 100 yards in case a boulder rolls down the hill so you can swerve and miss it in true car commercial fashion.
Well, this wasn't one of those signs. This was a "Danger: Falling Rocks" sign that meant passage equaled certain death. It read, "ABSOLUTELY: NO PEDESTRIANS, NO BICYCLES, NO SCOOTERS, NO MOPEDS, NO GOLF CARTS BEYOND THIS POINT UNDER ANY CIRCUMSTANCES. Only full size vehicles may use Pebbly Beach Road at their own risk and only if they are fully enclosed with a metal cab." Since we had left our fully enclosed metal cab and will to die at home that day we backtracked to find an alternate route up Mt. Ada.

It was A HIKE. I know the Mt. part should imply that it wouldn't be a leisurely stroll, but about halfway up, we re-considered not renting a golf cart for the day as the smirking moms breeze by us at 5 mph. But life isn't always about the destination - its the journey, the experience. The stopping to admire the flowers that bloom bright crimson against the deep lush green mountains. Kyle making fun of me re-applying my lip gloss before my photo (but don't my lips look shiny and nice). Plus, had we rented a golf cart, we may have never noticed the dog cemetery. Literally, a cemetery dedicated just to former pets, probably every Fido and Sparky who has ever lived in Avalon. A bunch of bone and fire hydrant shaped gravestones. Kind of a little morbid.

 The view was beautiful from Mt. Ada was beautiful. There was an inn at the top. Could you imagine this being your first sight when you wake up in the morning? 

We overlooked the city of Avalon - and the backyards of several Avalonians. We hiked all the way up Mt. Ada - past the inn and out to overlook the coast. The water with its many colors reminded me of the Australia and the shades of teal, blue, and turquoise that surround the Great Barrier Reef.

Because January is a little too cold for fins and snorkels, Kyle and I opted for a more wild than wet adventure in Catalina: parasailing. The one nice thing about off-season traveling - not a lot of pesky tourists to compete with. We were the only two going up that day. 3, 2, 1... Lift off.

 We just getting farther and farther away from the boat - and going higher and higher. 800 feet high to be exact.

 Kyle and I had great overhead views of Avalon. It was a peaceful and relaxing way to spend an afternoon. (If only that one cloud would go away - of course, the only time its cloudy in Cali are when you have plans for outdoor adventures. BUT considering the rain we had in December, I suppose I should be thankful for no precipitation).

And when the sun did come out, eventually, the island was even more beautiful.

A perfect afternoon for homemade ice cream, deliciously rich old-fashion vanilla chocolate chip, while overlooking the sand and surf. :)

Another adventure checked off of my LA bucket list - parasailing off of Catalina Island. :)

Ain't no mountain high enough

I haven't been on a horse probably since I was maybe 10 or 11, riding Lucky, my little Shetland pony around the acres behind my parents' house, so I was excited when I learned there were great trails in Malibu to ride.

Kyle and I decided to go on Friday up to Zuma Canyon. It was just the two of us - with two trail guides from the Malibu Riders - so it was a perfect personal trip up the trail. It was really nice because we could take as much time as we wanted to enjoy the scenery - the mountains, the breathtaking view as we overlooked the ocean and the valley and the expensive Malibu celebrity homes beneath us. It is unbelievable how vibrantly green the landscape is, especially considering it is early January. I think (even for SoCal) it was even more beautiful than usual - probably due in part to the several weeks of rains that moistened the soil and nourished the plants.

Because it was just the two of us, we could also spend an obnoxious amount of time trying to get a picture of the two of us together on the horses.

It sounds easy right? You just have the horses walk up next to each other.
Except it isn't. Kyle's horse wasn't a huge fan of mine, and the trails weren't very wide so we tried to direct the horses over to this little clearing slightly off the trail, but then you had to turn both horses around to face the camera and then get them to stand next to each other and not move, and then both of us had to be looking up and smiling at the camera, not looking down trying to control the horse. Honestly, our guides probably should have recorded it. I'm sure it was quite the spectacle. The awkward picture below is about the best shot we got together. It would actually be pretty cute if it wasn't so bright.

The mountains were just beautiful. We just kept climbing and climbing. I wish I knew the elevation we eventually got to. I can't imagine how much work it had to be for the horses. Better them than me. Though, on our trip down, my horse slipped into a hole and limped for a few steps as we continued the descent. I was very concerned I was going to be hiking the Malibu mountains that afternoon - though hiking down would be preferable to hiking up! Nevertheless, it was a relief when he livened back up and started voluntarily trotting.

On our drive back home, after picking the ticks off our clothes, we saw a sign for a beach cafe off PCH (Pacific Coast Highway).

Both hungry, we decided to stop, and we couldn't have picked a more perfect place had we yelped it. (I'm not sure if yelp is ready to be a verb like google, but in my book it is).

It was called Bob Morris' Beach Cafe and it wasn't lying when about the beach part. We sat outside but not on an outdoor deck or patio - literally the tables are set out on the beach, the sand beneath your feet. (This was our table).

You can sip strawberry margaritas overlooking the ocean, waves crashing against the shore.

It was a beautiful little secluded beach called Paradise Cove. Saw dolphin fins not far from the shore - a perfect evening, and I couldn't have asked for a better finale to a breathtaking day.

The one day florist shops in Pasadena celebrate more than Valentine's and Mother's Day

I remember growing up watching the Rose Bowl Parade on TV. This year I watched it on Colorado Ave. in Pasadena.

It kicks off with the Grand Marshall. According to tournamentofroses.com, "The position of Grand Marshal has been reserved for those who are role models for lifetime achievement and goodwill. Past Grand Marshals have included actors astronauts, writers, artists athletes and political figures." This year, it was Paula Deen. Television cook.

Kyle and I bought tickets in the grandstands. The view was great - plus we didn't have to spend all night camped out. Yes, it is California, but it was COLD that night. Even when Kyle and I pulled up around 6 in the morning, we were bundled up and still chilly. Hats, gloves, jackets. A lot of those who did camp out had little fires or heaters.

I think the smartest parade viewers, however, were the RV people. Warm, comfy sleeping, roll out of bed in the morning right as the flyover kicks off the parade, grab a cup of coffee and climb up to the top of your RV for easy parade watching.

The parade was great. Lots of bands: Wisconsin's and TCU's bands - neither of which, of course, could hold a candle to TBDBITL, in my personal opinion; huge high school bands; even international bands - the North Japan Honor Green Band from Japan and the Banda Musical Delfines of Xalapa, Veracruz (Mexico). Surprisingly, marching bands in Japan are just like marching bands in the U.S. I don't know how I expected them to differ, but I did expect some sort of differences.

Then there were the floats... Every inch of every float must be covered with flowers or other natural materials, such as leaves, seeds or bark. Husbands sending their wives a bouquet of a dozen roses on Valentine's Day couldn't compare to the orders the Pasadena florist shops must receive for the creation of the Rose Bowl Parade floats.

The floats were simply beautiful. It seems impossible to describe - or even fully capture in a photograph - the vibrant colors on the floats or the unique and stunning flowers that together design such impressive displays.

There was such a variety in themes - from Hawaiian...

...to Native American...

...from trains...

...to water surfing dogs...

....from the 30th birthday of Pacman...

...to the 40th anniversary of Uno.

Even a little bitty pirate ship, which I think was my favorite float of the entire parade - purely on cuteness factor.

(It actually complemented a slightly larger float).

This float came in second place in my book. Not for the bright orange butterflies, the eye-catching purple flowers, both of which I like...

But because (put simply) it was unique - the only float that could no longer propel itself by the time it reached us.

One thing that is really impressive about the Rose Parade is that all 47 floats are designed to drive alone - not your typical parade with trailers being dragged by trucks. And 46 did make it through the entire parade... but there was one with a little engine that couldn't.

There had been a long pause between floats. Maybe 15 - 20 minutes of just sitting and waiting after the last float and band had passed by. A little while later we learned the cause of the delay - a broken down float that had to be towed for the final leg of the parade.

Upon the Rose Parade's conclusion, once all of the floats and bands and horses had passed, we had a second parade of tow trucks of all shapes, colors and sizes that had been waiting in the wings in case the floats had broken down. That itself was quite the spectacle, and something you'd never think about watching it on TV. The what-ifs, the plan B - 47 tow trucks following the parade. The towing companies in Pasadena are probably the Rose Parade's second biggest fans after the florists.

When I went to the Rose Parade, I went in expecting the dazzling floral floats and the booming marching bands. What I didn't expect were so many equestrians. So many, many, many horses in one parade - each one followed immediately by a crew of pooper scoopers.
There were people riding horses...



And mermaids riding horses.

Girls standing on horses.

And guys standing backwards on horses.

And a guy riding a bull?

Horses pulling Cinderella's pumpkin carriage.

Horses pulling old-fashioned fire engines.

And horses "pulling" floats. (The Clydesdales ever-so-faithfully "pulling" the Budweiser float - no tow truck required with this horse-power).

There were even horses - made of flowers and seeds and bark, of course - on floats.

I guess I shouldn't be surprised by all of the equestrian units. The parade started with horse-drawn carriages filled with brightly colored blooms. The Tournament of Roses started as an equestrian parade to precede Pasadena's Valley Hunt Club's mid-winter games, which included chariot races, jousting, foot races, polo and tug-of-war.

"In New York, people are buried in snow," announced Professor Charles F. Holder at a Club meeting. "Here our flowers are blooming and our oranges are about to bear. Let's hold a festival to tell the world about our paradise."

(Read more about the parade's history here).

Overall, the day was perfect - and Pasadena, a paradise. The sun was shining, the skies were blue. The recent rain had dissipated the usually low-lying smog.

That is one of the few advantages to rain in Los Angeles. It is unbelievable how clear the sky is after the rain - the smog gone and visibility at its highest. It is even more unbelievable to finally see what is normally hidden behind the opaque cloud of pollution. Like seeing the downtown skyscrapers on my drive in to work or the mountains in the distant east.

Or the Hollywood sign from the 105 highway in El Segundo. I had told Kyle prior to his visit that I just couldn't handle another trip to Hollywood to see the Hollywood sign. On our drive home one afternoon, I noticed it - a white dot on a distant hill and excitedly pointed out the Hollywood sign. Kyle smirked and said he'd have to tell his parents he saw the Hollywood sign from 20 miles away. I think its actually impressive that you COULD see it from however many miles in the distance - because usually its a stretch to see it through the white smog clouds from less than a mile at Grauman's Chinese Theater. :D

Nevertheless, Kyle and I had a beautiful morning with impressive floral and equestrian artistry - and an experience of a lifetime.