Catalina Island, Avalon to Two Harbors

[Extreme1]

My wife and I, and another couple, are taking the ferry to Catalina Island next weekend and biking across the island from Avalon to Two Harbors. We’re spending two nights in a hotel at Two Harbors, then returning. It’s only 22 miles each way, but it’s very hilly, and we’ll be carrying our things in pannier bags.

We‘re looking forward to it, been planning this for 3 months. I’ll keep everyone posted on how it went.

 

[chunk]

I'm planning a trip to Catalina Island sometime later this summer. I haven't been there since I was a lad. It reminded me of this.

 

[Jeremy McCreary]

My wife and I, and another couple, are taking the ferry to Catalina Island next weekend and biking across the island from Avalon to Two Harbors. We’re spending two nights in a hotel at Two Harbors, then returning. It’s only 22 miles each way, but it’s very hilly, and we’ll be carrying our things in pannier bags.

We‘re looking forward to it, been planning this for 3 months. I’ll keep everyone posted on how it went.

We expect a full report!

Thanks for cluing me in on the bike-friendly ferry. My odds of finding romance on Catalina may be nil, but I'm planning on going now just to tour the rock outcrops by bike.

By geologic standards, SoCal's been a thrill-a-minute kind of place for most of the last 160 million years — especially right now. Catalina's rocks, faults, and topography (above and below the water) tell key parts of the story. You can't make this stuff up.

 

[Extreme1]

We expect a full report!

Thanks for cluing me in on the bike-friendly ferry. My odds of finding romance on Catalina may be nil, but I'm planning on going now just to tour the rock outcrops by bike.

By geologic standards, SoCal's been a thrill-a-minute kind of place for most of the last 160 million years — especially right now. Catalina's rocks, faults, and topography (above and below the water) tell key parts of the story. You can't make this stuff up.

If you plan on taking E-bikes, the batteries must be removed and carried in your luggage to get on the ferry. If you’re not taking e-bikes, hope you’re in great shape, the climbs are extreme. Also, a bike permit is required by the island conservancy if you’re going out of the city. The permit is $35 for a year.
We’re taking our Vados, which should work well there. We’ve got Ortlieb panniers to put all our crap in. My wife just asked about a blow dryer, just shoot me.

 

[Tars Tarkas]

I keep thinking I'd like to go back to Catalina. It's been a long while. I got to meet Duke Fishman, aka the Duke of Catalina, aka Mr. Clean.

TT

 

[Doggyman1202]

I rode my first ebike on Catalina Island. That was 2008. I rented one as I came off the ferry. I actually had no idea what I was in for on one of these new-fangled contraptions, but I absolutely loved it. When I returned to the big city a week later I was raving to friends and family, saying "these things are going to be big"! I do not remember the brand I rented except that it was European and sported a big clunky battery. The only other manufacturer on the horizon was Schwinn, at least as far as I can remember.

I really didn't like the idea of riding any kind of bike in the city where I lived at the time, so it wasn't until I returned home to my rural roots some years later that I took an interest in owning one. My prediction proved prescient, but it took damn near ten years for the e-bike to catch on. There are more than one or two brands now of course. In fact, I only know a few guys that are not manufacturing e-bikes.

I'd like to return to the "island of romance" where I fell in love with an e-bike, sometime in the near future . I wonder if they're still renting them on the wharf in Avalon.

 

[chunk]

If they do rent them still, my G/F and I will be renting a couple. That seems easier than bringing ours along. When we go to Ventura they get loaded into the truck though, since that's easy to do. Anyway you slice it, it's a great day to ride your e bike, wherever you are.

 

[Doggyman1202]

If they do rent them still, my G/F and I will be renting a couple. That seems easier than bringing ours along. When we go to Ventura they get loaded into the truck though, since that's easy to do. Anyway you slice it, it's a great day to ride your e bike, wherever you are.

It looks like there are a half dozen shops now that rent e-bikes, and at least two near the ferry. Here's one:

Catalina Island Bike Rental | Catalina Tours

Cruise through the scenic streets of Avalon on your own electric bike! Catalina Island bike rentals let you make the most of your time on the island.

www.catalinatours.com

 

[Taylor57]

My wife and I, and another couple, are taking the ferry to Catalina Island next weekend and biking across the island from Avalon to Two Harbors. We’re spending two nights in a hotel at Two Harbors, then returning. It’s only 22 miles each way, but it’s very hilly, and we’ll be carrying our things in pannier bags.

We‘re looking forward to it, been planning this for 3 months. I’ll keep everyone posted on how it went.

Never been there but going in early May. Looking forward to your report. We are taking a tour through a local bus company that does random tours in So Cal and Mexico. $125 per person for the day includes the bus ride to and from Long Beach and the boat ride to Catalina. Probably will only have time to see a couple of sights and grab some lunch so a bike ride is probably not in the cards...

 

[nublar]

Definitely stop by the airport, Little Harbor, and Parson's Landing. If you're feeling adventurous you can try Starlight Beach (bikeable)

 

[Extreme1]

Definitely stop by the airport, Little Harbor, and Parson's Landing. If you're feeling adventurous you can try Starlight Beach (bikeable)

Thanks, we’re stopping for lunch at the airport for a bison burger, then to Little Harbor. We’ll have plenty of time on the first day because we went to buy our ferry tickets and they are all sold out except for the 6am boat. Ugh!

 

[Taylor57]

Definitely stop by the airport, Little Harbor, and Parson's Landing. If you're feeling adventurous you can try Starlight Beach (bikeable)

My GF wants me to see the Casino. I will be attending on May 6th which happens to be the day they run the Kentucky Derby. Am I going to be able to get a bet down on Catalina Island?

 

[Tars Tarkas]

I keep thinking I'd like to go back to Catalina. It's been a long while. I got to meet Duke Fishman, aka the Duke of Catalina, aka Mr. Clean.

TT

 

[Extreme1]

My GF wants me to see the Casino. I will be attending on May 6th which happens to be the day they run the Kentucky Derby. Am I going to be able to get a bet down on Catalina Island?

As far as I know, there’s no gambling at the casino. It’s a movie theatre now.

 

[Doggyman1202]

As far as I know, there’s no gambling at the casino. It’s a movie theatre now.

That's good. I did not know there was ever a casino on Catalina Island. (I know a lot of folks love casinos, but I'm not one of them).

Catalina Casino History | Visit Catalina Island

The Catalina Casino has been the focal point of Santa Catalina Island entertainment and culture since it opened over eighty-four years ago.

www.visitcatalinaisland.com

 

[Dorkyman]

No, the Casino in Avalon has/had nothing to do with gambling. In the 30's it was the site for the Big Bands and an enormous dance floor. My dad as a young man worked for one of the Avalon hotels as a busboy one summer and met lots of big showbiz performers.

I myself grew up in SoCal and lived on a sailboat in my 20's in Marina del Rey (near Santa Monica). Seriously entertained being a tourbus driver in Avalon for one summer; the challenge of taking a large bus on the narrow twisty and steep road from Avalon to Two Harbors appealed to me and I almost took the offer.

My other avocation was flying. I flew from Santa Monica to Catalina Airport numerous times back then with friends in little rented Cessnas. It was great fun to sit out on the veranda in the sun, eating our Buffalo Burgers while watching some distant relatives (buffalo) grazing down the hill from us a hundred yards away. Just don't mingle with the herd, especially during mating season. Those critters are BIG and unfriendly.

Final note was that during Spring Break while going to grad school I sailed over to Avalon, tied up to one of the mooring buoys, and took the dinghy in to the pier. Walking in on the pier I saw a tall but thin guy who said "hi" as a walked by. I did a double-take and went back. It was a very emaciated John Wayne, who had taken his boat from Newport Beach over to Avalon also. I found out later that this was his last appearance in public. He hung around Avalon for only an hour or so, but felt lousy and told his crew to take him back home, and immediately checked into the hospital, where he remained for about two months before he died.

Final final note: my mom and dad honeymooned in Avalon back in the late 40's. Now their hotel is a parking lot. Nonetheless, they celebrated their 40th anniversary by having their whole family stay in the Wrigley Mansion, the huge white home on a bluff overlooking the town. The Wrigleys, of chewing-gum fame and owners of the Chicago Cubs back then, brought the team to Avalon for spring training. But they eventually sold the mansion and it lived on for a while as a B&B. We loved the luxury of the place.



Lots of fond memories of Catalina. Haven't been back for amost 40 years.

 

[Tars Tarkas]

 

[smorgasbord]

 

[Jeremy McCreary]

Looks like I'm going to fit right in.
;^}

 

[Extreme1]

We’ll we’re back.

We had an eventful trip and had to make some modifications to the trip plans to get
back to where we parked our trucks.

We parked at the Long Beach Catalina Express terminal and boarded the boat with our Ebikes. This wasn’t a problem because we‘d removed the batteries and put them in a day pack And carried them with us. We arrived in Avalon, got breakfast, hit up Vons Market for some supplies (Tito’s Vodka for when we got there lol), then got on the road to Two Harbors. The first 3 1/2 miles was a brutal climb, we all were in max assist and 1st gear to make it up the hill. At the top we met two guys that had flown their airplane into the airport and were riding their “one wheel” skateboards down the hill into Avalon and meeting their wives who had taken the ferry.

For the next 10 miles it was rolling hills and dirt/asphalt roads. The roads were very rough and had been patched multiple times so it felt like riding on a cobblestone road. I’d put 75 psi in my tires to help extend my range. We then arrived at the Catalina Airport and found an electrical outlet on the outside dining patio. My wife and I were able to add 10% more battery at this time. After lunch we got back on the road and faced several more brutal climbs that required max assist and 1st gear. The airport was our halfway point at 12 miles into the ride.

We arrived in Two Harbors and found our hotel at the top of a hill. The last thing I wanted to do was ride up another hill!!! We were at 18% battery so I’m glad that we charged a little at the airport.

We just hung out on the beach the next day, recovering. We then changed our plans from riding back the next day to taking the ferry back, it the ferry didnt go to Long Beach, only to San Pedro. We decided to go to San Pedro then leave the wives with the bikes, and my buddy and I take an Uber from San Pedro to Long Beach to get our trucks. We arrived home about 4pm last night.

My wife and I were riding 2020 Turbo Vado 3.0’s and our friends were on fat tire e-bikes with dual batteries. We’re planning on going back next year, but only going one-way again.