California Beaches

...number of beaches up the California coastline. Rather than concentrating on one, I thought I would write up a bit about our experiences along a few of them.

It is sad for me to see news of all the fires along this beautiful area and I'm hoping that they won't have spoiled things too much although I have recognised some of the areas on the latest pictures in the Malibu region. I realise that fires often break out because of the temperatures ...
...sand soaking up the hot California sun or surfing in the Pacific Ocean, there really is something for everyone in this area. I have to say that we prefer to wander along in quieter areas, spending quality time together and watching out for wildlife and birds rather than the busier sections of beach but we wanted to experience the atmosphere of both and we could not believe how one area could be so hectic and another a few miles up the coast, so quiet ... more

***Background***

This is sadly for me the last of my series of reviews on my honeymoon travels in the USA. It is one that helps me reflect back on my time there and I felt it was quite important, as there are quite a number of beaches up the California coastline. Rather than concentrating on one, I thought I would write up a bit about our experiences along a few of them.

It is sad for me to see news of all the fires along this beautiful area and I'm hoping that they won't have spoiled things too much although I have recognised some of the areas on the latest pictures in the Malibu region. I realise that fires often break out because of the temperatures in this area and there were warning around the parking areas about fires, but to think that some people are going out and deliberately starting fires like this is beyond believe.

Our first experience of the beaches was when we were travelling up the coastal road from San Diego and joined onto the Pacific Coast Highway at Dana Point and headed on along Laguna Beach and Newport Beach before heading into Hollywood, where our hotel was. Our next day of exploration was on the last day of our honeymoon and we drove out to Santa Monica and then up the coastline where we spent some time just past the main area of Malibu beach, before sadly heading back to the airport.

Whether you are into lying on the sand soaking up the hot California sun or surfing in the Pacific Ocean, there really is something for everyone in this area. I have to say that we prefer to wander along in quieter areas, spending quality time together and watching out for wildlife and birds rather than the busier sections of beach but we wanted to experience the atmosphere of both and we could not believe how one area could be so hectic and another a few miles up the coast, so quiet and still.

***Laguna Beach Area***

Laguna is around 7 miles long and is a truly beautiful area. There are a number of coves along this area and each one seems to be more stunning than the previous. There are lots of places where you can park on the street for free and walk down although the main areas have large car parks where it will cost you.

One thing that is quite special is that the beaches are mainly far down below the cliff edges and the views from the tops of these cliffs are magnificent. As you drive through town areas, keep your eyes peeled for signs that point you to vistas, where you will find the best views around. Looking down from one such vista point along this area we were able to see out onto a small rocky island and had amazing views of seals basking in the sun and sea birds nesting and feeding from the ocean. The sound of the ocean waves crashing against the rocks tried to drown out the noises from the wildlife but we could clearly hear the seals crying out to each other.

We also found a strange looking bug on my hubby's shoe whilst visiting this garden area. It was a green beetle and was almost one inch long. We had never seen anything like this before but I've since found out that it was a June beetle and is from the same family as the Scarab beetle. Luckily I found out that it isn't poisonous as it bit hubby when he was removing it. It prefers to eat rotting fruit. It was quite a noisy little bug when it flapped its wings and we could hear similar noises around us so I imagine there were quite a few around there.

To the left there was a lovely little cove where people were relaxing on the beach, swimming in the clear blue water and learning to surf. This was obviously one of the quieter areas though and a few children were safely playing with Frisbees or buckets and spades. It all looked immaculately clean and the sand looked beautiful.

To the right there were views down the coastline of mansions, built on the cliff edge for privacy. It reminded us of a few of the houses you see in films or television shows based in this area. Palm trees and lush vegetation surround them to give a real desert island feel to it.

Laguna Beach gets its name from the Ute-Azteca Indian, who thought this area resembled a large lake or Lagona. From then it became known as the Canyon of the Lakes by the Spanish settlers and finally became widely known as Laguna Beach in 1904. It isn't difficult to see why this area is so popular with tourists who want to relax in the sunshine, although many years ago this was more popular with painters who captured the area so well for all to see.

***Newport Beach***

This main area we visited at Newport Beach was down at Reef Point, which is part of Crystal Cove State Park. When we turned off here, we literally had no idea what we would find and we were a little bit surprised to discover that there was a parking fee of $5. However the guy in the booth assured us that the views were worth it and that this beach was a lot quieter than most so we paid our money and parked up.

I will say straight off that it is essential that you take something to drink with you, as the temperature in August was sitting at around 95 degrees and that was at the beach. With the breeze at the top of the cliffs you could be forgiven for thinking it was cooler but sun protection is a must for anyone, as your skin can burn so quickly in these conditions. The second thing to be aware of at Reef Point is that if you want to get to the beach there is quite a trek down to it. Although the path is paved, there is obviously a lot of sand and it can get quite steep at times. This makes is a bit slippery on the way down and difficult to get a firm grip on the way up again.

There were lots of birds nesting in the surrounding shrubs and plants and although we rarely got a glimpse of them, we could quite clearly hear their shrill calls, as we passed nearby. A lot of these areas are protected by fences so that people will not disturb the wildlife.

Down on the beach we found it be both quiet and peaceful with very few people around. The main noise we could hear was the crashing of the waves on the sand and looking down we could see that there were lots of shells lying around that the tide had obviously brought up with it an hour or so before. The ocean was so clear that we could see from a distance that there were many rocks under the surface and I imagine that is why this area is so popular with sea birds, which will obviously feast in the rock pools when the tide is out.

We saw a few curlews walking along the sand but the most amazing site was that of a seal sitting on a rock by the edge of the water. We obviously didn't want to go so close as to alarm it but managed to stand quietly around 5 yards away and watch it stretching out in the sunshine without a care in the world. This really made our day and it was even more special by the fact that there was no one else around except a lifeguard up the beach a bit. He was a lovely specimen too but unfortunately my hubby was more interested in taking pictures of the seal at that point.

I really did feel like I had to drag myself away from this beautiful stretch of coastline. This secluded area is popular with divers, as the reefs are many to be amazing, but we found that there were only a handful of other people around the whole beach and it was lovely to be able to enjoy the wild waves without any distractions.

The main area of Newport beach is much busier and has a variety of shops and even a funfair along the pier. We decided against visiting this area, as it was exceptionally busy and parking was very difficult despite various car parks. There are also harbour cruises available so if that's something you think you would be interested in, then this is the place to go.

***Santa Monica***

This busy but beautiful part of L.A. is home to another amazing beach area. We drove out of Hollywood, through Beverley Hills along Santa Monica Boulevard to get there and marvelled at all the mansions we passed, as we did so.

Santa Monica is well known for the pier where teenagers love to go and have fun on all the rides including the Ferris wheel that stands out above everything else. The beach area thrives with activity and has lots of shops ranging from beach hut style where you can pick up buckets and spades or sun hats, to galleries with amazing works of art displaying their walls.

One thing that we noticed at this beach was that most people seemed to be obsessed with fitness and men and women alike jogged along all the time. Rollerblading and cycling are also popular activities here. This seemed too much like hard work for us as we struggled to eat an ice cream before it melted away.

There are lots of things to do in this area though and as well as the pier you can visit the aquarium or one of the many museums. You can find out all about the history of this town and we also found out that this is actually the starting point of the famous Route 66 that we drove along between Kingman and Lake Havasu.

Despite it being busier in this area, we thoroughly enjoyed strolling along the promenades and looking at many of the fascinating items for sale in the strange gift shops along this beach.

***Malibu***

The home of many of the stars, Malibu is well known for mansion houses and beautiful people. Of course, as we have seen on the news lately, a lot of these houses have been burned to the ground by forest fires. This is because the area is set with a backdrop of the Santa Monica Mountain Range and the winds that can turn a small spark into an uncontrollable blaze within minutes.

Despite all this the beach areas are quite quiet and untouched by man. Although the pier area is slightly busier, the majority of the beaches here are quiet with men sitting fishing on the rocks and small families enjoying the sandy beaches without having to worry about losing children in the crowds. Small parking areas are available free of charge alongside the main road, which is adjacent to the beach.

This area seemed particularly wild and the houses built right down on the water's edge seemed very vulnerable with the waves crashing against the pillars holding them up. I love the shore and this area really did get to me. I also knew of course that this would be the last stop for us before heading to the airport and I did at one point say to my hubby that we should just sell up at home and stay out here. I'm probably quite pleased now that we didn't, in light of the recent fires but it felt so good to sit on a rock taking in the scenery and then walking along the beach, letting the waves lap around my ankles that I really didn't want to go home.

What we loved about this area was the utter peace and quiet. You would think that Malibu would be constantly busy but in fact we found it to be quiet the opposite.

***And Finally***

It is with heavy heart that I end this review, as it signals the end of my tales of our time spent on our honeymoon. Walking along a gorgeous sandy beach with the wind blowing through my hair was the perfect way to end our two weeks away and the thought of sitting on a plane for 10 long hours was something neither hubby or I was looking forward to, despite it meaning that we were going to be seeing our kids again after missing them whilst we had been away.

I would dearly love to return to this area and explore it more someday, especially the area round some of the canyons near LA. We had managed to have a trip up Mulholland Drive and through Laurel Canyon but it would be lovely to see a bit of Topanga State Park at the rear of Malibu and the Crystal Cove State Park near Reef Point.

I have thoroughly enjoyed reliving my experiences over the past couple of months with you all and hope that you have enjoyed reading them as much as I have writing them. Looking at our photos helped remind me of so many things that I probably would have forgotten about and I'm pleased that I snapped shots of information boards along the way so I could be as informative as possible when telling you all where we went. 

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