Last fall my sister and I hiked across part of Catalina Island (more on that another time) and then used a Groupon for parasailing, an activity we tried for the first time. We loved the experience so much that we wanted to share it with our parents on their next Los Angeles visit. So when I saw another Groupon pop up a few months ago (this time with a different company — Parasail Catalina), we snatched up two tandem parasailing rides and presented it to our Mom and Dad as a 34th anniversary gift. They visited LA the week before their actual anniversary so the timing was perfect.
On the day of our Catalina adventure, we get up early to catch the first ferry out of San Pedro. It’s the Tuesday after Labor Day so the ferry schedule has just switched to off-season and our choices of times and ports are somewhat limited. But leaving from San Pedro (as opposed to Long Beach) works just fine, and we enjoy walking around a near-empty Avalon.
We grab lunch at a Mexican food joint overlooking the harbor. My sister and I insist that our parents try Catalina’s specialty drink Buffalo Milk, a tasty concoction of coffee liqueur, creme de cacao, creme de bananas, vodka, and milk. We also share a lava flow (pina colada with pureed strawberry), which Beth and I indulged in almost daily during our Hawaii trip last spring. Clearly our parents enjoy both:
As we walked along the water, we catch a glimpse of our upcoming afternoon: parasailing around this huge cruise ship.
After logging in some beach time, we meet up with our parasailing group. Beth and Dad bravely go first.
Our parasailing guides (who also drive the boat) slow down enough for everyone to dip their feet in the ocean.
Incoming…
Now it’s time for me and Momma…
The view from 800 feet in the air is pretty spectacular.
Check out this video of our parasailing trip:
As we board the ferry back to San Pedro, we notice the next group is already on the boat.
Good-bye for now, Catalina!
San Pedro is a major shipping port (and was subject to a strike last December), so it’s not uncommon to see gigantic boats loaded down with shipping containers en route to or from Asia.
What are your favorite activities on Catalina? In addition to parasailing, I can highly recommend the Zip Line Eco Tour from past experience!
What a fabulous experience it was, with our awesome daughters!!! Erica, you did an amazing job with your photography – capturing such a wonderful day!!!!!
It was so special to share it with you guys!