Dave's Travel Adventures: A Drive to Laguna Beach -- February 2015

A Drive to Laguna Beach – 20 February 2015

I was in Garden Grove this morning in order to meet with my dealer there, and it was getting close to 11 am. Normally I’d stay until noon, and then head over to my next target for the day, while getting lunch in between. I was a man with a plan this time, as my next visit was in Costa Mesa.

Using the direct measurement of “as the crow flies,” my next destination was about six miles to the south, but I’d planned to take a scenic route. Since I’d already been on Trip Advisor to figure out various places I was going to eat the rest of the week, I’d done that similar bit of research for what I was going to do today. I mentioned this to my contact at Garden Grove (named Raymie), and she thought it was a fun and amusing plan. Being able to share you insanity is always good.

So bear with me as I talk like a native Californian right now, and describe the route that I took. Follow along on a map, if you must, but it’ll give you an idea of what I did to take the “scenic route” to my next locale. Or “long way around,” whichever you’d like to term it.

I hopped on the 405 and cruised east, and then picked up Interstate 5 to take me past Santa Ana’ and Irvine. Heading towards Lake Forest (near where one of my other dealers was located), I debated whether or not I was going to follow I-5 all the way to Dana Point. That would take me a bit farther out of my way, and I still needed to keep this side-trek justifiably short. I turned south on to Route 133.

At this point, I was in the hilly region of Laguna Canyon. This was a nice area of gentle mounds and rises which would be considered “large” in Texas, but were “small” for the area (and similarly “small” for New York where I grew up). The two-lane road didn’t have any pull-over sections to take proper pictures, so I had to hold the camera over the steering wheel, and hope for the best. Keep in mind I’d only snap a shot when there were no other cars around me, and I was on a straightaway so there was less chance of any unexpected things happening.

As I got closer to the coast, then signs of civilization began to return. On either side of the road were the houses and business which made up the settlement of Laguna Canyon. I don’t know if it’s an actual incorporated municipality or not. But it looked like the road was built on the path of least-resistance, and the dwellings were stuck on either side of it. It was a nice, small town feel here.

Soon I arrived in the “not-so-small town” area of Laguna Beach. This was very much an upscale area which drew the tourists and the “pretty people with money” which California prides itself on having so many of. I knew there was an actual beach here, and I wanted to get as reasonably close to it as I could before heading northward up Pacific Coast Highway.

Near where I came in was the Laguna Art Museum, which looked like a great place to check out, even though parking nearby looked few and far between. I went down a narrow side street towards the coast and found some street parking near an odd-looking tree. There was a meter there I could pump change into, if I had some, but choose not to.

The actual beach was down a bunch of steps, with a rapid descent in elevation. On a quick wander around, it would take me time to get down there and back. And since I didn’t have time for anything other than a few pictures, I had to be brief. Also, I was the only one in the area wearing a suit, so I was already out of place. Add taking pictures to that, and I look like either a tourist or CIA or both.

The area appeared to very safe and friendly, without any nasty elements (like what I saw over in Venice Beach months ago). I only went a short distance from the car in order to get some shots of the actual beach. Considering how early sunset happens in the winter months, this was the only beach view I was going to get this trip.

If the beach was closer to the car, or I had more time, I would’ve gone down to get a few more pictures of the area to show a better sense of what the area looked like. It feels odd, and a little creepy, to show up at a place, take a few random photos, and then leave. Trying to keep the creep factor low.

From there I cruised northward up Pacific Coast Highway. Along this section, the road was very close to the coast, so I was able to look to my left and see the ocean. I enjoyed the view as much as possible, keeping my eyes on the road at the same time. There were no pull-off points along the way either where I could frame a decent shot, so I had to be innovative in order to get what pictures I could.

The further north I went, the more distant PCH got from the coast, and my ocean view faded. I could see neighborhoods and housing developments to the west, which I’m sure had a great view.

Because there was construction along the way now, time got added to the trip, and that’s in addition to having to wait through traffic lights. It was a nice drive, but it was taking a little longer than I’d planned. I arrived at Newport Beach, which was a very nice and economically-thriving area. At one of the stop lights, I was amused at the shrubs which had been carved into whale-shapes. I thought that was nice.

My original plan had been to continue up PCH until I reached Huntington Beach, and then back-track a little to Costa Mesa. But once I finally got on the other side of Newport Beach, I grabbed a side road which brought be directly to my dealer. I was able to do this because I had my final destination already programmed in, so I got to keep hearing the route recalculate.

So there was a section of PCH I didn’t drive, but that wasn’t a big deal, because I essentially did what I set out to do. As a side note, once I was done at my dealer, I bee-lined towards Huntington Beach, where I decided to have dinner at Ruby’s Surf City Diner at the end of the Pier.