Around this time last year, my sister and I ventured down to Palos Verdes to scope out a few beaches and coves. In all the years I’ve lived in Los Angeles, this was my first time in the area. We had an excellent day and I wrote about our trip in two parts — Making the Rounds in Palos Verdes and Palos Verdes Tide Pools.

It’s been on our list to return ever since. Two of my sister’s college friends are in town visiting, which is the only excuse we need for another trip to Palos Verdes.

We first stop at this overlook next to the Trump golf course.

Here’s Kerrie, Sally, and Bethany — Kerrie wrote about our day on her blog, too.

The sky is so clear — that is Catalina Island in the distance.

We press on towards to Abalone Cove, easily the highlight of our first visit to this area. Parking is $5 in the lot above the shore. There’s a series of tide pools by that cliff in the distance, full of nifty underwater creatures.

Here’s my pretty sister:

FYI — nude sunbathing is prohibited. Darn.  (That yellow sign under it warns of rattle snakes. If there’s two things that DO NOT go together, it’s nude sunbathing and rattle snakes. Good call, California State Parks.)

This angle shows off the tide pools below. We forgot to check the tide before our arrival, but it seems just right. Perhaps at certain times of day this area is covered in deeper water.

We only spot two starfish this year, and both appear different than the ones we saw last time. I think these guys are so fascinating.

There are sea slugs everywhere. We didn’t notice them on our last visit.

These three girls are holding giant sea slugs. They’re the size of KITTENS. How are these girls so calm?!

A closer shot of the sea slugs, probably glad to be back in the water and out of the hands of pre-teens.

I spy another starfish… it’s unlike any I’ve seen before, in all of my marine-oriented travels.

Every single one of these tiny shells is home to a crab. They are all moving.

We make our way around the cliff, farther than we ventured last year. There’s a cave-like area which people attempt to navigate, but the waves show no mercy.

Love these shots of my sister:

After sitting on the rocky beach for a half hour or so, we drive five minutes up the coast to Point Vincente. There’s a short path along the cliff with spectacular views of the lighthouse.

Love the “don’t even think about it” at the bottom of this sign:

There’s a whale club (American Cetacean Society — L.A. Chapter) parked at this lookout; we remember them from last year. A sign says that binoculars are available to borrow inside the main building if you’d like to look for whales.

This group updates the number of whale sightings; on this particular day they’ve already seen 21 of them.

There’s a tiny marine museum inside. This is a whale eye (EWWW).

Scuba Barbie!

Here’s one last glance at Point Vincente Lighthouse. This area can be rented for weddings or parties.

There’s a lovely sunset on display as we return to the Valley and we wonder if we should’ve stayed longer for an unobstructed view at Point Vincente.

Until next time, Palos Verdes.