A Panorama View of Paradise

With July quickly approaching, our training walks get a little longer. Saturday’s trek clocked in at just over 12 miles. A good percentage of the route was gradual hills – a prerequisite for San Francisco. We began early, meeting at the Cassell’s lot on Balboa Island. Though there is no house right now, there was a dock for us to gather. We first made our way through the main thoroughfare on Balboa Island which was already teaming with people enjoying their morning strolls, shopping or coffee.  The beginning of a beautiful day in Southern California.  Our walk then took us along Bayshore Drive to Corona Del Mar, turning left on Marguerite Avenue to begin our ascent north.  Carol surprised her friends, Bill and Jill Stellman, with an unexpected early morning knock as the team passed by their home on Marguerite Avenue, forgetting that it was still pretty early on a Saturday.

Next was a left onto San Juaquin Hills Road which we traversed uphill with fabulous views all around until we reached Newport Coast Drive where the Pavillions provided a required “rest and rejuventation” stop. On our way back down to PCH, Terri offered a guided tour of Pelican Hill Estates, where she serves as property manager, but time didn’t allow. Once back on California’s most famous highway, we enjoyed the final leg of our walk through the shopping district of Corona Del Mar and back to the Island. Paula, who had to halt her walk with the group due to a painful leg issue, remained on the Balboa Island and added about 6 miles to her day as she kept busy strolling around, probably stopping in a few shops along the way.

Once back at Carole’s we boarded her duffy for a short tour, complete with a repast of sandwiches, homemade salads (thanks Lori and Carole) and some other goodies. Oh, and of course, there was champagne!  Despite the wind, Carole managed to get us around the bay and back to the dock without a scratch or a downed paddle boarder!

Good Job Captain Carole Thank you for an awesome day.