Part 3: Avalon, Catalina Island - East End Tour , our Other Adventurous Tour

The morning was over and we had conquered our fear of heights. Now, we were going on a sightseeing tour of the island. There was nothing to fear about.  We shall find out!

The East End Tour began at the Tour Plaza where we boarded our open, canopy-covered vehicle, good for 12 people. The open hummer that we were expecting to ride was out on maintenance service. 

This type of vehicle is customized, to make sight seeing and taking pictures easy for us, tourists. First, we were driving on asphalted road, then on pebbled, dirt road. The higher we drove up, the colder it became. It was an icy chill that we were feeling to the bone. The blankets provided on the seat pockets helped, somewhat.

We were on our way and Christine, our driver and tour guide, had interesting bits of information to share with us about Catalina Island.

This grove was cleaned up to reveal the cemetery, after it was discovered that there were people living in the premises. A good number of people were buried here between 1904 and 1972.

The next turn brought us to the vista point to see some of the most spectacular views of the town and Avalon Bay.

This was the breathtaking view from the Wrigley mansion, where William Wrigley and his family had lived. 

Before the Wrigleys came to Avalon, there were a couple of  pre-settlers, European settlers, and developers who had settled on the island. In the 1830s, the native population seemed to have either died or migrated. 


California became a part of Mexico when she was ceded over to Mexico, when Mexico won her fight for independence from Spain. In the 1840s, Pio Pico - the Mexican governor gave Catalina Island as a grant to a certain Don Jose Cornuvias of Santa Barbara. It became Camp Santa Catalina Island, during the Civil war. In the 1860s, James Lick took over control of the island for a quarter of a century. In 1887, George Shatto from Grand Rapids, Michigan purchased the island for $200,000.00 from Mr. Lick. 


George Shatto developed a part of the island that is now known as Avalon. His sister Etta Whitney came up with the name which means "bright gem of the ocean." Shatto worked on making this a vacation destination, bought a steamship to ferry the passengers from the mainland to Avalon and back. Unfortunately, after a couple of years, the business faltered and the land went back to the Lick estate, as he defaulted on his loan.

In 1891, another family got into the picture. The children of Phineas Banning bought the island and organized the Santa Catalina Island Company to develop the island as a resort. However, their efforts were thwarted by a fire that destroyed much of the developed areas of Avalon. With several factors and World War I going against their plans, they started to sell shares of the island in 1919. And next came the Wrigley family.

The Wrigley Mansion, where the Wrigleys had entertained some famous guests.
This was donated to the University of Southern California in 1970 to be used as a conference center. In 1985, it was turned into The Inn on Mt. Ada.

William Wrigley, Jr. (1861 - 1932) made it on his own after several attempts, after working for his father selling soap. He developed his own marketing strategy by always selling something with something as a give away. At 29, he moved his whole family to Chicago to start his own business with his cousin, after securing a loan from his uncle for $5,000.00. With baking powder as the giveaway for the soap, he realized that it was more desired by the customers rather than the soap. He, then, concentrated his efforts on selling baking powder with chewing gum as the giveaway. You guessed it. The chewing gum became the reason as to why the baking powder was selling. After grasping the taste of the people for the gummy products, he  concentrated his efforts at selling gums. 

Inspite of the competition, he was very successful after launching two product names - Lotta Gum and Vassar. He discovered the wonderful consequences of advertising and the giving away of premium gifts, that soon he produced a premium  catalogue for people to choose their gifts from. His advertising motto was "Tell them quick and tell them often."

It was in 1893 when his chewing gum business shot to fame with the introduction of "Juicy Fruit" and "Spearmint Gum." Although the origins of gum making was attributed to New Yorker, Thomas Adams, who had introduced "Chicle" in the 1860s, the title of "Father of Chewing Gum" went to Wrigley. He became the biggest gum company. He went international, opening gum plants abroad and selling his products in 30 languages. 

With his profits of into the millions, he bought the Chicago Cubs - at first, buying some shares in 1919 and then he became its majority stockholder in 1921. He was an avid baseball fan and was always watching the hometown games. He also bought the Cub Park which later became Wrigley Field, the Los Angeles Baseball Club, and a team in Reading, Pennsylvania.

At the same time, he invested in the west, buying Catalina Island off of the California coast, and made it into a family retreat. He turned it into a resort, developing the island - making great improvements in the provision of public utilities, commuter transportation, lodging for visitors, bringing in fauna and flora, and constructing a Casino that was not a casino as you would expect it to be. 

He also continued his investments in Chicago, pumping money for the construction of the Wrigley building that was to be the headquarters of his gum company, as well as int Arizona when he bought a winter resort - the Arizona Biltmore. He had accomplished much while spousing a simple philosophy of "To be always pleasant, always patient, and never argue." He repeatedly told his son that they had a "five-cent business, and nobody in the company can ever afford to forget it."

 William Wrigley, Jr. died at the age of 71. His son, Philip, took over the reigns of the SCIC.

A side gate with hundreds of steps leading up to the house 
The Chicago Cub team used to come to the island for their summer training. They were said to have ran up and down these steps to build their stamina.

The driveway entrance

A side view of the bay and the round-shaped Casino Building , which has been the focal point for entertainment and culture since it openend in 1929.

A view of another town on the island - Lovers Cove

The Avalon Water Treatment Plant

Our very able driver, Christine, maneuvered in and around the mountain dirt road with such precision or...

we would have gone down fast, off the roadside! Several of us had focused on looking straight ahead when our fear of heights got triggered, as we looked down the canyons.

We made it to almost the top of the island, close to 2,000 above sea level. I had to sort of stand up during the ride, with my seat belts on, to protect my lower back condition from being jarred. Some parts of the ride were violently bouncing us. 

After that rough ride to the top, it sure felt it was worth it. From here, we were able to see the town of Avalon, the Pacific Ocean, a panoramic view, and felt the warmth of the sun. We also saw some hikers along the way - how gutsy of them, I thought.

Somewhere up there, we saw these two bisons.

The bison herd is not local to Catalina Island. It was when a silent movie was being filmed in the island that a herd was brought over. When the filming was over, and the Zane Grey production company was packing up, 14 buffalos refused to board the boat, so they got left behind and multiplied. In the course of time, they got too many and overpopulated the island, causing damage to the eco system. Today, the herd is kept to a maximum number of 150 to 200. There is a program for the females that keeps them from overpopulating the island.


The conservation and preservation of the wildlife in the island is now under the supervision of the Catalina Island Conservancy, a nonprofit organization. The children of William and Ada Wrigley - Philip and Dorothy, had donated 42,135 acres of the island and 48 miles of the coastline to the conservancy in 1975. A balance between the recreational uses of the island and keeping nature in check is being worked at. This gives the assurance that the island's natural beauty and charm can be enjoyed for generations to come.

From here, we were back on paved roads. Heading down was a more relaxed ride. 

The water reservoir with a protective cover to keep the animals and other things from getting into the water.

Called the Rose Garden, after the person who tends it, there is no rose plant in this garden.

Traces of last May's fire, which started as a brush fire behind the yacht club, leave a tell tale sign of  bare, charred branches. Some 30 acres were scorched to the ground.

A water basin for catching rainfall

This is a view I captured with a random click. I had my camera aimed at all times.

The woodpeckers have made storage holes on the tree trunks - note the black dots in line formation.

Part of the winding road was lined with eucalyptus trees. They were originally imported from Australia in 1941.

Memories of our morning adventure came back when we saw this zipline platform.

A view of Descanso Beach Cove

As we made it down on the other side, we saw the interior landscape of the island where the residential areas had been established. We passed a house that now belongs to a descendant of Shatto, another one which was once the resident of a Hollywood actress, and a mansion belonging to the grand daughter of WIlliam Wrigley.

As picturesque as this place is, for now there are signs about no swimming in the bay. A budget has been earmarked to address the pollution being caused by an antiquated sewage system. As the conservancy strives to retore the island's natural equilibrium, we can all look forward to having a nice visit to this beautiful "gem in the ocean."

Part 2: An Adventurous Day in Avalon, Catalina Island - Going on the Zipline Eco Tour

We had been preparing for this day - with two adventurous activities scheduled, we were psyching ourselves that we could do these. The first on the agenda was the Zipline Eco Tour. My friend - Jaye,  and I, both, have a fear of heights. But, I was daring myself to do this, and I had to encourage Jaye to join me to do it, too.

The requirements to take this tour were to want to have an adventurous experience and to wear tight-fitting clothes and closed shoes that would not fall to the ground. I brought  my gym clothes and athletic shoes. Somehow, Jaye forgot her socks and shoes. But that was not a problem - she bought a pair of socks and she was able to rent the shoes.

We had to figure out how to get there. We were assured by the hotel's front-desk personnel that it was about a twenty-five minute walk via the Descanso Beach Cove. Since we had not been there, we left much earlier and gave ourselves some extra time to get lost and to do more sightseeing.

Starting off on Crescent St., we headed to to our destination. We were passing more shops and places to eat. I was keeping my eyes open for unique things, along the way.

I was so impressed that even the seagulls here can follow the directions!

It's a sundae and sweets bar! Noted. We were going back soon for some ice cream on hand-made waffle cones and "chocolate con churros."

What a catchy name - Afishinados - featuring all "original American fish art"...

 

and as you can see, everything looks fishy!

The sign reads "SORRY WE ARE OPEN." That made us laugh.

At this point, we had to veer to the right... 

to go towards the direction of the Casino Building, which is not a real casino.

 

The Yatch Club

The retaining wall on this walkway is decorated with tiles in the original Catalina patterns and tile murals depicting scenes from the years gone by.

The Casino Building is across from the Boat Landing on Avalon Bay

Unfortunately, we were not able to take the Casino Walking Tour, as this was being prepared as the venue for the Jazz Trax Festival's last weekend. In the Casino walking tour, you will see the Art Deco murals, a 1929 pipe organ, the Avalon theater (the only movie theater in town), and the Casino Ballroom.

We got to Descanso Cove well ahead of time, which begins from the Casino Point Dive Park...

up to where the mountain juts out into the bay.

In just another 50 steps or more, we found this place. We met our two guides - Charles and Denny. First thing we had to do was to tie our hair back, then don our helmets. After, we put on our harnesses and walked over with the metal contraptions, to watch the demonstration.

Denny gave us an overview of the Zipline Eco Tour - we were going to travel a distance of about three quarters of a mile, over five ziplines laid out over three hundred feet  above the canyons, at a speed of, approximately, 45 miles per hour, in about one and a half hours. Then, a demonstration of the different positions and signals were shown to us.

After the leap off from the platform, go into the basic zip line body position (sitting position)...

then into the cannonball position, with arms straight and legs crossed and pulled up towards the elbows. This is to gain speed on the ziplines.

Charles explained the landing procedure - how to read his signals to slow down, then to prepare for the final approach at the landing.

 Should there be a fast approach, there is a block of wood that would go on the wire to slowdown the zipliner; or, a sack to grab just in case one suddenly stops ziplining in the middle of the course, to be pulled into the landing platform.

It was time. We were a group of four and we were bussed up to the Zipline Eco Tour gates, at the highest point of the zipline course. At this point,  there was no turning back.

 Denny was going to be our pitcher and Charles was to be our catcher. Charles went down first to await us at the first landing.

With our hearts pounding, we were relieved that the only man in our group volunteered to go first. He just took that first step into the air, literally walking into thin air,  and took off. Watching him helped us to recall the steps we had to do.

Jaye took that leap of faith...

and there she went! 

I was the last one to go as I was the one taking most of the pictures. I had to put my camera inside my jacket as I prepared to zip down the wires. I started with good, positive thoughts  and prayed. Then, I took that step. All went so perfectly well.  

After our first zipline, we thought it was a piece of cake. With four stations still to get to, we all got confident and had no more fears after that initial cable ride. 

We asked about the origins of ziplining. Our guides noted that Walt Disney used this means of travel in some of his Disney stories. They also told us a story about how it could have started in Costa Rica. 

Once back in the mainland, I researched about it and discovered that a historical timeline cannot be pinpointed. It was a means of getting to inaccessible places among high mountain dwellers, like in the Himalayas. It is still used as people movers and as a delivery system for rations and materials in populations where moving about and transporting goods can be difficult, due to rugged and mountainous terrains, and water ways.

Perhaps, it came about  from the technics and means used by climbers in the late 19th and 20th centuries in the Tirolean Alps, who used "pitons, rapelling, tension traverses, aid climbing, stirrups, pendulums, and the Tirolian traverse" that were "developed by the Bavarians, Tirolian and south Tirolian climbers," to have efficient movement between "rock pillars and cliffs."

The cable-and-pulley system found some strategic uses in industries and in World War II. In the 1970s,  "canopy tours" were born out of this cable system among graduate students who were researching the world beneath the forest canopy . The forest canopy is formed by the meeting of the tops of very tall trees that blocks almost 95% of the light. It is like the roof over a  forest area, creating a habitat for the plants, the birds, mammals and other creatures in diverse sizes, colors, and shapes. This is critical to the well being of the forest. 


The forest's ecosystem is quite unique, with several microclimates that sustain the different organisms under the forest canopy. Thus, this makes for a very interesting research site for graduate students in the fields of botany, zoology, entomology, and ecology. It was in the 1970s when it became the scene for these scientific-research in Costa Rica. The students figured out how to set up their means to traverse under the forest canopy with ease and without much disruption to the environment below. Employing the Tyrolean traverse, the researchers could go from tree to tree, and make their observations without having to go down to the forest  floor.


Soon, someone thought of how fun this activity could be, similar to the canopy tours, and that's when it became commercial. With little to do with scientific exploration, ziplining is now an adventurous, exhilarating trip, flying down the cables from platform to platform (I call them stations) on the mountain slopes. It has been made safe and secure for the daring, fun-seeking people, with the use of durable materials in a studied design, adapted to the local setting. 

Back to our tour...

With regards to landing, our other group mate was a petite lady. Her light weight exempted her from doing the slow-down, star fish position (stand-up position), prior to landing. She stayed in the cannonball position from take off to landing.

Charles signaled us to slow down by spreading his arms wide open, and then the zipliner pulled the handles towards his chest and assumed the star fish position. Once slowed down, the catcher, who is Charles, gave another signal to assume the cannonball position for landing.

St. Catherine's Lace

Though we had no forest canopy above us, we sort of had a chance to explore the ecosystem here in Avalon. In between ziplining, we looked around the surroundings in each station. Our tour guides showed us some of the flora and fauna indigenous to Catalina Island. 


We found this flowering, mounding bush: St. Catherine's Lace. The clusters of off-white flowers bloom in late spring and turn to brown in the summer - beautifully contrasting the grayish-white, felt-like leaves. Scientifically called "eriogonum giganteum," this plant grows six to eight feet tall and wide. It thrives even in this rocky, desert-like setting and near the coast.

Here, my gear was being engaged onto the cables, for my third zipline. For my connecting-to-the-cables metal contraption to reach the wires, I had to tiptoe.  We were given instructions and a demonstration on how to zipline sidewards, to see the view.

I was able to maneuver and assume a sitting position with my legs stretched out, to side zip down the wires...

to catch this view of Descanso Cove.

That lasted for a few seconds. By the time I reached this dense section with the very tall trees, that was my cue to get back into the cannonball position.

Lemonade Berry Fruits

Another plant we saw up in the hills was a Lemonade Berry bush-tree. Charles took a branch so we could taste the fruits. To taste, we used our finger tip and rubbed the sticky residue on the red fruits - we discerned a very strong and sour flavor. The fruits from this plant, "rhus integrifolia," were used by the native Indians who once inhabited Catalina, to make a refreshing drink. 

This is the souvenir I have from Catalina Island. I bought a small potted plant and brought it back to the mainland. I will be relocating it to a planter, instead of planting it on the ground, to control the growth. I hope it survives the lowland conditions.

We also saw this dug out in the ground - the home of the Catalina Beechey Ground Squirrel.

The ecosystem in Catalina Island has been affected, negatively, by human activities. The   overgrazing and the bringing in of non-native species have contributed to the soil erosion and affected the soil compaction on the slopes. Mining, film making, and landscaping have all added, too, to the deterioration of the island in the last decades. To counter this, the Catalina Island Conservancy (CIC) is at the helm of reversing the trend, to restore the island to a healthier state. CIC takes charge in protecting the rare and endangered species through their various programs. It's a balancing act to do this, especially, with the arrival of an estimated million visitors a year. 

We did it! We were brave and we conquered our fear of heights. Our tour guides were very professional and  highly entertaining. They graciously gave us high passing marks. This experience was truly exhilarating. I am looking to zipline anywhere I go now.

 

 As our adrenaline levels started to go down, we retraced our steps to go back to town, but taking a detour to go through the Casino Point Dive Park walkway, on the side of the Casino facing the bay.

We noticed someone painting Descanso Cove. He reminded me of how Claude Monet painted - in the outdoors, on location.

Passed the Casino building and before the Yacth Club is a floating gas station, to service the boats. For land vehicles, we found out that the gas cost was over $6.00 per gallon. We wondered how much the fuel for the boats were.

As soon as we were back on Crescent St., we were figuring out what to have for lunch. We thought we deserved to indulge and have a hearty meal.

We also window shopped and checkout some souvenir shops.

At El Galleon, we sat down and ordered our hearty meal: French Onion Soup, Clam Chowder, Caesar's Salad, and Barbecued Pork Ribs - Texas Style. I think we ordered too much! We didn't have room for dessert.

We had our second adventurous tour, after lunch: the East End Tour - this was a tour on rugged terrain, in an open-air Hummer that brought us to the highest points on the island, to see spectacular views of the canyons, the coastline, and the animals that inhabit this place. We'll tell you all about that, too.