GREEN SPRING ON SANTA CATALINA ISLAND

Picnic table in Avalon Canyon

Catalina Island has had a winter of wonderful, welcome, nourishing rain. After a very long drought, the Island earth and plant life soaked up the rain. For a brief time, our Island plant life was green again. There were actual puddles of water to be seen. Before the moment passed, we decided to photograph an island greener than it has been in a long while. We photographed Avalon and we went into the interior of the Island as far as Airport in the Sky. We thought we would share our pictures with you before the memory fades:

 

 

 

Wild Oxalis blooming on the hillside and by the forgotten foundations of the long gone St. Catherine Hotel at the Descanso Beach Club.

 

 

 

 

 

 

The rains have brought a new freshness to the Hermit Gulch campground.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Buffalo running free in the interior of Catalina Island, showing fresh green against the red clay of the Island earth.

 

 

 

 

 

Haypress full of water along the stagecoach road in the interior of Catalina Island. The Catalina Island Conservancy has been importing water  from the mainland for the animal life. Now, with the rains, this is a place for Buffalo and other animals to drink.

 

 

 

 

Buffalo herds roam wild through the interior of Catalina Island. They are not native to the island. Their great grand-parents were brought to the Island for a film shoot during the silent movie days and just stayed when the movie company left.

 

 

 

 

 

Big puddle on the side of the road to Airport in the Sky. Green hills, too. It’s not going to last long, but it’s a nice memory.

 

 

 

 

Green hills in the interior of Catalina Island. The road in the foreground was built in the 1880’s by the Banning family, who provided stagecoach service. It has been smoothed and taken care of, but it is basically a historic stagecoach road. There are not many left in the West.

 

 

 

 

Please don’t feed the fox. This rare little Catalina Island Fox hangs out on the dining patio at Airport in the Sky, hoping for a handout. He is hard to resist.

 

 

 

 

 

Aeroplane hangar next to the runway on the top of a green mountain. Air passengers flying into Catalina Island’s Airport in The Sky travel down to the City of Avalon by the old stagecoach road.

 

 

 

 

Out of the interior and into Avalon Canyon, where our  Catalina golf  course hasn’t looked this green in years.

 

 

 

 

 

 

The green hills around Avalon, shot from the Bahia Vista Condominiums, where are home is located.

We took this picture from our patio.  We are hoping  for rain next winter so we can see this again.

 

 

CATALINA ISLAND’S WILD INTERIOR

Where do the wild buffalo of Catalina Island go?  Anywhere they want.

Where does the wild buffalo of Catalina Island go? Anywhere he wants. I shot this as he casually walked passed our jeep

 

Catalina Island is an incredible world with mountains, the ocean, fascinating plant life, animal life, hiking trails, back country roads, surrounded by 44 miles of beautiful coastline with hidden coves, sandy beaches, underwater gardens, and a fascinating history. Then, when the sun sets, there are plenty of good restaurants, music, entertainment. We’ve been Catalina Island enthusiasts for over 30 years and we still love it.

We’d like to share some photographs from a recent trip into the interior of the island.

On the Track of the Wild Buffalo in the interior of Catalina Island

On the Track of the Wild Buffalo in the interior of Catalina Island

 

This was the first time we took the Catalina Conservancy Eco Tour and, as you will see, it was special. Because we had explored the interior of the island many times before, we requested, if no one objected, that the tour start on the east end of the island, above Avalon. We wanted to see the ruins of the old Renton Mine, the beginning of the Trans- Catalina Trail, as well as the view west to the Pacific from a high ridge.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Catalina Island Fox. Smaller than a normal fox, they were almost extinct 15 years ago. The Catalina Conservancy has patiently increased their numbers on the Island. This little fellow was posing for me, but I had to use a telephoto lens.

 

 

 

 

 

Red dirt roads allow travel by four-wheel drive across the mountainous terrain. Many of the roads were originally built for stagecoaches. For a time, Phineas Banning owned Catalina Island. He made his fortune running stagecoaches in California and as far east as Phoenix. He was also one of the developers of San Pedro.

 

 

 

View of the Casinoa very few people see- from the Interior of Catalona Island

 

 

A View of Avalon that very few people see: looking down from the interior mountain at Avalon Bay with the Catalina Casino on your left.

 

 

 

 

 

Eagle hospital interior Catalina Island

 

 

 

 

This Bald Eagle is a patient at the Eagle Hospital of the Catalina Conservancy.

The Conservancy is increasing the number of Bald Eagles on the Island

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Eco Tour Jeep on the road in Catalina’s Interior.  The tour begins and ends at the Catalina Island Conservancy in Avalon. The length of the tour varies, depending upon your time, schedule and interests.

Winter scene- Catalina Interior

 

 

 

 

 

 

Island in Winter, waiting for Spring

 

 

Road to Airport in the Sky

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Colorful gardens at the entrance to Airport in the Sky, where private planes visit.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The amazing thing about Catalina island is that after an exploration of the interior, you

can wrap up the day with a fine meal. Here’s a view table at the Bluewater Grill.