First light reveals Catalina Island off the bow of National Geographic Venture. It is easy to see that the geology of Catalina is quite different from its northern brethren as the sun’s first rays illuminate the green schists of the Little Harbor region. The rolling swell prevents our landing here, and we begin our transit to Avalon for the afternoon. Mid transit, we find ourselves in the midst of a large pod of common dolphins who delight everyone in their bow riding antics and acrobatics in National Geographic Venture’s wake.
The town of Avalon is our afternoon’s destination and we explore its streets, its history, and discover the charms that drew the Wrigleys and countless others, like the great western writer Zane Grey, to the island. It was a fitting final afternoon of our voyage to the California Channel Islands.
