Walkin' California
by Elizabeth Mitchell
A fine May weekend found us walking some of the most beautiful territory in Southern California. The California Volkssport Association convention was the occasion (or excuse) for a trip from the grey Pacific Northwest to sunny California.
Volkssport clubs in Southern California selected four marvelous sights for convention goers and for walking tourists like us. My husband Bill and I began our sight seeing at Balboa Island, the site of the first event. We registered for the walk and were issued a map and instructions - where to park, where to walk and even how to cross the water via a short ferry ride and how much change we should take with us.
Balboa Island was a 10km walk route. It should have taken us approximately two hours to traverse the flower lined streets of vacation homes and yacht harbors. However, after we walked along two piers that were not on the route, stopped for ice cream, marveled at beautiful yachts and homes, and went shopping for Bill's wild shirt (see photo), we found our little walk taking us four hours!
That evening we returned to the convention hotel in lovely Dana Point. The hotel was right in the yacht harbor area and was within walking distance of some very fine restaurants. We especially enjoyed El Torito and Bill got us a window table where we could enjoy the sunset.
Saturday found club members from all over California gathering in Dana point for walking and the afternoon meeting. I had fun greeting old and new friends (I used to live in San Jose), and selling Volks-Ware T-shirts. As the meeting began, I slipped out and joined Bill for walk #2, a great tour of seaside Laguna Beach. We walked the streets and beaches enjoying the galleries and chic boutiques. We especially were interested in remaining storm damage and how the village was repairing damage from slides and floods. Toward the end of the walk, we stopped for a snack at the trendy Las Brisas and had a view of rose gardens overlooking the ocean.
Sunday walkers, unless they had completed all four walks and a bike event already (yes, there were some!), were found dallying along booths at a street market in San Clemente or enjoying the historic sights at beautiful San Juan Capistrano. We chose to take a long walk and stop to tour Mission San Juan Capistrano. We parked at a recreation area where we saw lovely green hills. The walk, along a bike path, was refreshing and quiet. We approached the old mission and decided to pay the fee to spend some time enjoying California history. As we entered the mission grounds we were met with a burst of vibrant floral splendor and enjoyed pigeons bathing in the mission fountain. The mission was full of exhibits, beautiful adobe architecture and purple bougainvillea hanging down weather beaten walls. We spent over an hour there and found it a highlight of our trip.
Volkssporting is a perfect way to see the sights of our great country. We both found Southern California to be quite the opposite from the negative image of crowded freeways we so often hear about.
Thank you to the clubs of the California Volkssport Association for hosting these events.
California Volkssport Association
