Refreshed from a sleep uninterrupted by rain, quail, coyotes, blustery winds, Koreans, etc., we had until 9:00 pm to see Los Angeles. Impossible, you say? Well, you haven’t had one of my tours! First off, don’t bother yourself with actually going into Los Angeles. The view of LA from Palos Verdes (Spanish for Green Sticks) is about all you need. It’s a beautiful sight, yet it is sanitized for your viewing pleasure. None of the crime, gangs, traffic and pollution you’d get if you ventured into the concrete jungle.
View of Los Angeles from Palos Verdes
This final day turned out to be crystal clear. After the previous day’s rain, the ocean was deep azure and the vegetation was a stunning green. All the colors were so vibrant. It was the perfect day to show Analee my hometown, and we began, of course, at the beach. Unlike the Atlantic, the Pacific has two styles of beaches, rocky and sandy. Due to the relative youth of the Pacific coastline, erosion from waves and wind have yet to whittle Pacific rocks into itty-bitty particles of sand like the Atlantic. Enough science.
The first beach we went to was Lunada Bay. To get to this beach, you have to traverse a steep trail from the cliff above down 250 feet or so to the craggy beach below. As a youth, I remember people carrying their surfboards down this trail, so how hard could it be? Harder than I thought. This difficult trail was even more dangerous because Analee was wearing tread-less flip-flops. Bad idea. I had to go in front of Analee and brace her as she came down. Not our smartest move, but we made it down. At the base of the trail was a memorial marker for a girl who fell off the cliff. A reminder as to how dangerous these cliffs can be. Safely down, we set off across the rocks to the ocean, stopping here and there to search tide debris for bones and shells.
Lunada Bay
It was a neat moment to see Analee finally touch the Pacific Ocean after 30 years of waiting. Actually, Analee didn’t touch the ocean, the Pacific touched her. Analee wanted the moment captured on film, so she turned her back on the ocean for a picture. As she smiled a wave crashed in and got her backside drenched. The frigid Pacific says “Hello!” We then sat and watched the waves, as Analee’s shoes dried. Don’t want slick shoes without any tread going up that trail. No way. After grabbing our fill of shells and now that Analee was a sea salt lick, we headed back up the cliff to head to the sandy beach.
The Wave is about to Crash!
On the flip side, Ratt Beach is a long, sandy beach that runs down the length of Los Angeles until it reaches the shores of Malibu. We enjoyed searching for sea shells, and watching the birds play tag with the waves. Don’t know the exact bird, but a bunch of them would chase the waves out and feast on sand critters, then run for their lives as the next wave came crashing in. It was quite funny. Eventually, we had to leave the beach (time was running short and the wind was hectic that day!). We spent the remainder of the day weaving around the curvy PV streets, and taking pictures of all the beautiful houses.
We stopped by my old house. It was uneventful. I don’t get too worked up over PV, etc. If you knew the people like I did/do, you wouldn’t care much for the place either (obnoxious, rich a$$holes). The only saving grace for PV is the stunning scenery, yet, that comes at an apocalyptic price tag. As the vacation began to wind down, we made our way to Del Cero park at the top of Palos Verdes. From there we watched our first Pacific sunset together. Very romantic, yet as blustery as a hurricane.
The Old Casa
Running out of time, we made our way to a make-your-own sushi place in Torrance. This was an awesome restaurant, and I wish the Triangle had one! Of course, if the Triangle had one, then that would mean MORE ASIAN DRIVERS! Oh well. This restaurant allowed you to choose the ingredients of your sushi (veggies, meat, etc.), and the style you want your roll done. It was quite ingenious, yet, it didn’t appear that the craze was catching on. While we were there though, the chef was trying out new sushi rolls and allowed Analee and I to taste them. Can’t remember the new rolls, but they were tasty!
Neptune Fountain at Malaga Plaza - Do you want cream with your coffee?
At 9:00 pm we made our way to the Avis center to drop off our trusty Trail Blazer. If we lived near a desert, I would consider getting one of these cars. Although the Blazer looks and feels like a Mom/grocery store vehicle, it truly was a good off-road warrior. I’d highly recommend one.
All that was left now was to board our midnight flight back to Carolina. What a journey this ended up being. The flight was delayed, gates were moved, then moved back. All the while, we were treated to the Slippery Rock University’s track team, and all their hormonal shenanigans. Needless to say, we did not get our own row, however, one of the players was nice enough to switch seats so Analee and I could sit together. Turned out, the boy switching seats just wanted to sit next to a girl he liked on the track team. Go hormones! Having hardly slept, we arrived back in Carolina the next morning. As soon as the vacation was over, I wanted to go back!
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