“26 Miles Across the Sea, Santa Catalina is Waiting For Me…….” Popular song back in the ‘50s, popular place - and just as much fun today!  Catalina Island is the perfect day escape to an island paradise that doesn’t involve anything more arduous than boarding the Catalina Flyer in Newport Harbor.  The trip itself is half the adventure – from the moment you pull out of Newport Harbor and watch the coastline recede, until Avalon rises up to meet you just a little over an hour later - you might encounter dolphins, grey or blue whales depending on the season, cargo freighters, sailboats and seagulls.  The sea wind whipping through your hair and the salt air create an exhilarating start to any day!

The hardest part is deciding how to spend your time once you arrive as the choices are many, so I am going to be doing a 4 part series blog about the different tours you can partake on the Island.  So, in addition to swimming, snorkeling, hiking, biking, kayaking, or enjoying one of the Island Conservancy’s fabulous Jeep tours, some exciting new tours kick off this summer that promise to make visits even more of an adventure:  One of the is a new GPS Walking Tour enables you to discover Island landmarks on your own, and the one I can’t wait to experience: the Catalina Seatrek Eco Tour where we get to view underwater gardens and a sea wrecked vessel wearing a wetsuit and helmet that looks like something out a Jules Verne novel.  

Visit www.visitcatalina.com; www.catalinaconservancy.org; www.InnOnMtAda.com for more information.