Back to Humidity

Feb 27-28, 2006
After the trying day yesterday with those perilous mountain roads, we elected to take the most major highway to the coast through Oceanside, then north on I5 to Dana Point and Doheny State Beach, near San Juan Capistrano. We had reserved a couple of nights right on the beach with the surf crashing on the sand right in front of our motorhome – what a view! Mind you, they made us pay for it - $30 a night and no services but it was worth it. We chose Doheny because of its proximity to our friends (D&D) who live in Laguna Niguel.

We barely got settled when the rains came. We hadn’t seen rain since January 9th (50 days) so you’d think we might have welcomed it but we cursed it expecting it would last for days – Vancouver style. But – California style, it stopped by the following morning and we awoke to a glorious day.

Waking to the smell of the ocean and the crashing of the waves was a thrill – it always is. I stumbled out of bed and threw back the curtains. Our huge front window framed the fabulous sight – hundreds of gulls, soared and squawked and massed on the wave-beaten beach, the tide was in, the sky was azure with nary a cloud and Catalina Island could be seen silhouetted on the horizon. WOW!

Couldn’t wait to get out and walk on the beach – but a big sign with a picture of a dog and a slash through it “No dogs on beach” ruined that. We would feel so guilty going without Caesar, so we walked through the tropically vegetated park and along the strand beside the beach. The rain from the previous night had extracted the most amazing aromas from the tropical plants and flowers; the intensity of the perfumed air made me giddy. I felt all my senses were heightened.

As usual, we drove around searching for unsecured wifi signals and as usual, found several almost right away. It boggles the mind to try to estimate exponentially how many wifi spots are in the country – billions? It never takes me long to find one in any built-up area, particularly in an area of small business or commerce. I wonder why anyone would go to Starbucks or other pay Wifi spots.

Early afternoon, D&D picked us up. It had been twelve years since we’d seen them but we started chattering as if it were yesterday. They took us for a tour of the area – Dana Point, Laguna Beach, etc. The properties along the coast are superb, but many of the homes are humble abodes while being worth millions. At one small park on a high bluff overlooking a sandy cove that sheltered about a dozen homes, they told us Diane Keaton lived in one – quite fitting that quirky woman would not be in a mansion in Malibu. California (like Mexico) does not allow the beach areas to be owned – they must remain public lands. I find it amazing that in a city full of billionaires they can’t own the beach in front of their houses – but because I’m not a billionaire, I approve. Next time I’m in Southern California, I’ll tuck my folding chair and beach umbrella under my arm, pack a picnic lunch and maybe dinner complete with wine and beer and hike down Malibu Beach until I figure I’m in front of someone famous’ house and plonk down and get comfy. Oh – and I won’t forget my binoculars. It must drive them crazy if that’s what people do.

There are some great little shops and galleries in Laguna Beach that beg us for more time – next time, I guess. We went back to D&D’s for drinks, high up in an aerie of a perch in the mountains above Laguna Beach. As we entered their front door, the eagle’s eye view of endless sky and sun-kissed ocean arrested our attention – it was other-worldly (some would say ‘heavenly’). I don’t think we’d ever visited Southern California at this time of year before because I’d never seen it so green – the hills were a velvety emerald. We finished the lovely day with dinner at a little Austrian restaurant called Mozart – crab cakes (are they Austrian? I don’t think so) for me that were better than Emeril’s – a perfect day.

I think I could easily live in this oceanside area just far enough away from LA that has no smog.