Day Trip #1

Went with 3 friends on the nicest day trip. We went to the Palos Verdes peninsula. It was wonderful. Right on the beach and an hour's drive from home, but light years different from our semi desert area. Our first stop was the Trump National Golf Club - not for golf (LOL) but the the public seashore access that is there. Here is the start of the trail. I was worried that it would be gravely and hard for one of our members to handle but it was all like this. The total way is 2 miles round trip and what a view! That is Catalina Island you can see about 26 miles from shore. We were right by one of the tees, although we could not go out on the course. As we walked along enjoying the coastline and the beautiful flowers (they have made it into a wildflower reserve) we were just enchanted with the walk. And as it was a Monday, we didn't have a crowd surrounding us which was a blessing - parking space you know. The trail ends at the clubhouse. If you are adventurous enough, you can take the gravel trail down and find yourself at a nice beach area - alas too steep for me. From there we went to the Wayfarer's Chapel - a Swedenborgen Christian church built in the 60's. Isn't this fabulous?! Many weddings and other services are held here and the gardens surrounding are so serene and inviting.

Our next stop was the Terranea Resort Hotel that has another great walk along the cliffs and a wonderful restaurant named Nelson's - after Mike Nelson of Sea Hunt tv series. Food was great and the outdoor seating's view fabulous. Here is a beautiful succulent planting just to the right of the entrance to the restaurant.

That's a lighthouse in the distance beyond the fence and just a few hundred feet from it was the Point Vicente Interpretive Center where we learned about the old Marineland, the lighthouse, the Indians of the area and we saw a whale!

Our last stop was to the Malaga Cove Library built in 1930 and has fabulous furniture still from that period still in use and is one of the fine examples of peninsula architecture still open. Outside they have this wonderful fountain - my kind of library.