The last full day was spent in the City of Avalon on the island of Catalina,
floating around beyond the Los Angeles coast like a red-headed step-child.
I split my time on the island between taking a semi-submerged tour of
the harbor (didn't get wet like snorkeling, and better than a silly, traditional
glass-bottomed boat). The other half was spent wandering around
the touristy area, complete with golf carts (in lieu of cars), lots of
quaint shops, and of course, a Taco Bell and KFC.
Catalina as seen from Deck
11 of the ship... (same place the sunset picture was taken later)
As we took the tender from
the ship to shore, you begin to soak in the charm of this little
town.
Just soaking in more charm...
My seat on The Starlight,
a semi-submerged
boat, before we got underway.
Like all things, there's
no guarantee of seeing fish, just tons of kelp, unless...
They cheat and feed the
fish to bribe 'em to come closer; alas, it was an impressive showing.
The beaches weren't bad,
either, but this place was too far from Taco Bell...
But from the right place,
you can even see the Viking Serenade
floating out there.
If nothing else, Catalina
is good for great sunsets. Look at the vibrant colors!