Catalina Island

We said goodbye to Girl Scouts with a final field trip to Catalina Island. The girls worked hard selling cookies and this was the big reward. It was a bittersweet, event-filled day. We left home at 7 am to catch the Catalina Express in Dana Point. The girls found seats up top and had fun sitting all together, sharing snacks and summer stories.

They braved the chilly ocean air for some cool dolphin sightings and views of the coastlines.

Emily, Taylor, Savannah and Rachel

Here is a shot of the harbor and town from the boat terminal. The houses on the hillsides were just spectacular.

Whenever we see news stories or weather reports from Catalina, this is the building we always see on TV. It is the Avalon theater and museum that sits just at the tip of the island.

Once off the boat, we headed right to Catalina Snorkel and Scuba for our guided snorkel tour. Many of the girls had never snorkeled before so this was a real treat. Watching them get into their wetsuits was hilarious. I think the process of wetsuits, masks and fins took nearly an hour!

Unfortunately, I couldn't take any photos in the water, but the girls had so much fun at Lover's Cove. We saw hundreds of Bass and Garibaldi (our state fish) and loved when the guide threw in fish food to create a feeding frenzy. We literally had fish surrounding us and tapping on our masks! We made sure to keep our hands in closed fists so the bass wouldn't mistake our fingers for food.

Lover's Cove

After snorkeling we walked into town for a late lunch. The girls couldn't resist this cute photo opportunity with the seal lion.

Some of the kids wanted burgers and fries and others wanted tacos. Coyote Joe's satisfied everyone's wishes and allowed us to put our feet up for a while too!

Coyote Joe's

With the remaining hours on the island, we shopped a little for souvenirs and found this great ice cream shop called Big Olaf's of Catalina. Delicious! Then it was off to the beach for an hour

on the sand and in the water. Taylor and Emily will sure miss each other in Girl Scouts.

Catalina '09

A few last shots before the boat took us back to Dana Point. We were all exhausted and a little sunburn, but we had a ball and will miss doing these kinds of events. Girl Scouts has certainly allowed both Taylor and I to experience so many things we would have never done otherwise. I think I will actually miss it more than Taylor will!!