Being Sunday, the majority of our new neighbors spent the morning packing up their generators and heading back to resume their daily routines. I sipped some tea surreptitiously watching out the side window through the shrubbery as the noisy crew on the side folded their tents and cleared out of town. By noon, the campground was at about 40% and nice and peaceful.
We took off on the bikes to explore around the harbor area and to see what else the park had to offer. We rode past the lifeguard station and the beachfront concession area where they rent out the quad bicycles and then looped around on the side bike path that curved past a giant lawn area and exited the park to the harbor entrance.
There was a small park along the southern side of the harbor inlet where a few people were hanging out in the shade. We checked the view but it was clear that the area with all of the goings on was across the waterway. We backtracked to the highway and rode salmon like down the sidewalk to the entrance to the main harbor village. This is the busy area with the launch ramps, boat slips and tons of fancy waterfront restaurants.
It was another magnificently sunny day. We pedaled around the wide walkway taking in the views and occasionally stopping to check out paddle boarders, a particularly fine boat or some interesting bird or sea life. I didn’t realize how far back the harbor goes. We passed by more restaurants, shops and places to sit on benches and take in the ambiance. We continued below an undercrossing that took us on to the end where we reversed course and return to the park entrance.
Once back at Doheney, we decided to pay a visit to the interpretive center and see what they had to offer. There was a small butterfly garden we wandered around, but it is past the season for them to be in the area. Inside, a friendly docent pointed out different fish species in their small pond. There were a number of cool glass displays with representations of local wildlife and sea animals. We poked our noses in a few more fish tanks in the back then it was time to get back on the bike trail and ride along the beach.
On the beach in front of the surf break, the concession stand has roped off a section of picnic tables for a sit down restaurant , so we opted for a bench with a view and ordered up a late lunch. Awesome burgers and an order of fries too big to finish. A relaxing way to end our excursion.
Kim, Nick and Amber came over for a visit to catch the sunset and have a look at our rig. We carried a few chairs over to the sand and sat down to enjoy some conversation and another brilliant California sunset. Nick took Maggie for a stroll down the beach. As the sky turned orange, other campers emerged to catch the final moments of a spectacular December beach day.
We returned to camp and warmed ourselves by a crackling fire until it was time for the crew to head home for the night. Quiet evening in site 102 with no other campers near. Weekdays are the key. PJ was feeling her cold a little bit and went to bed early and I wasn’t far behind.
Heart on the Wing 