Tag Archives: Things to do in Laguna Beach

Shaw’s Cove

January 19, 2021 Roger Jenkins Leave a comment

LAGUNA BEACH

Activity: Swimming, snorkeling, scuba, sunbathing, tide pools, beach walk, exploring.

Shaw’s Cove is a striking beautiful spot, with blue-green protected waters. It is a small cove with a sandy beach and rocky tide pools on both ends. Because of the beach’s angle it has rather calm gentle water making it great for snorkeling, or even scuba. This also makes Shaw’s Cove a nice spot for families with little kids, and the access is easy.

The palm strewn cliff at the northern end is the backside of Crescent Bay the neighboring larger cove. The cove to the south is Diver’s Cove, both beautiful and wonderful coves as well.

Spending the day in this gorgeous area is an mild adventure, when your are ‘Pursing Balance Through Adventure’, but the ocean has such a calming affect that it is sure to bring you to the harmony and tranquility that you seek.

**Beach: A place of relaxation, rest, and tranquility**.

Awww, the salt air, the balmy blue-green sea, the gentle waves lapping at the rocks, and the warm sun drenched beach. I sure love the beach, and if you are a beach lover then you will want to subscribe to this blog by doing these easy to follow directions: FOLLOW, SHARE, LIKE and COMMENT. If you love adventure and nature, and feel the need to rebalance that dial between our crazy existence in this too busy, too stressed, so hectic world we deal with day in and day out- then let’s put a little counter weight on the other side for a change, the side with harmony, peace and tranquility, the side where you souls says awwww… now this is more like it, then go to the menu above. Get off the couch, turn off the news, lay down your tablet, (well, don’t lay it down yet you have to click menu first, lol). The menu is chalk full of ideas and inspiration to get you started in this first month of the new year. Each location is a separate website and thus needs to be FOLLOWED independently. Next you will need a new outfit for this new year and this undertaking, but don’t worry I got you covered, literally. SHOP APPAREL has the latest and greatest adventure wear and it has your new mantra printed right on it, ‘Pursuing Balance Through Adventure’.

Life’s a Beach-

Roger Jenkins

Pursuing Balance Through Adventure

Pirate’s Tower

December 15, 2020 Roger Jenkins 4 Comments

VICTORIA BEACH – LAGUNA, CA

Activity: Beach Stroll, Tide Pools, Tanning, Body Surfing, Skim Boarding, Sight Seeing

Laguna Beach has a treasure trove of beaches, a Treasure Island, sands of gold, and coves that are hidden gems around every point, so it should be no surprise that Laguna Beach has a Pirate’s Tower. This spectacle is found South of Main Beach and North of Treasure Island Beach.

Victoria Beach is a long sandy beach adorned with rocks, and cliffs. It’s not easy to find and parking is very limited, but it is a really nice beach. As far as public beaches go it is a little more private mainly because the parking is hard to come by.

What sets Victoria Beach apart from other great OC Beaches is ‘La Tour’, French for tower. This 60’ spire known by locals as Pirate’s Tower is almost camouflaged due to it matching so well the sandstone cliff it practically adjoins. What is the story behind Laguna’s Mysterious Tower? The house at the top of the cliff along with La Tour were built in 1926 for Senator William Brown. The house is known as Norman House and both the house and the tower are heavily French inspired. The Browns had spent time in France at the end of WW1 and had a love for all things French. The Tower is actually a means for them to get to the beach from their Norman House perched on the cliff above. Near the tower is a mysterious pool made of rock now filled with sand and at high tide, sea water.

Adding to the “shiver me timbers” pirate mystique Senator Brown sold his home and thus the tower in 1940 to an Old Sea Captain, Harold Kendrick. Captain Kendrick had a love for “a Pirate’s Life” yo ho! He would dress the part on occasion and tell tales of the Jolly Roger and swashbuckling scallywags sailing the seven seas to the neighborhood children. The Old Capt sometimes would hide coins among the rocks of the tower for the kiddies.

***Loot be first and de wimmen second, if ye have de first ye’ll have de second, but if ye have de second ye won’t have de first fer long.*** – Old Pirate Proverb

Ahoy me hearties and much oblige for setting sail with me on this voyage to Pirate’s Tower. One thing I have learned ‘Pursuing Balance Through Adventure’ is that not all the treasure is silver and gold, the greatest bounty is natures. Also it’s the voyage not the destination. So follow me along to the next port for more adventure on the high seas by doing a few simple tasks: FOLLOW, COMMENT, LIKE and SHARE. If the high seas is not your cup of rum, then perhaps the High Sierra, the dry desert, or the canyon deep? It’s all in the Cap’n Log (Menu above). If you need a pirate hat like mine walk the plank to SHOP APPAREL.

Cast‘n off ye‘ scurvy dogs-

Roger Jenkins

Pursuing Balance Through Adventure

Treasure Island Beach & And More

March 25, 2020 Roger Jenkins 3 Comments

ALISO BEACH – TREASURE ISLAND BEACH – MIDDLE MAN COVE – GOFF COVE- CHRISTMAS COVE

LAGUNA BEACH

Activity: Beach Stroll

Date: 9-25-19

Laguna Beach is the Crown Jewel of Southern California Beaches. The most popular Laguna beach is Main Beach right in downtown Laguna Beach, and it is superb, but there are more diamonds along the way and that is exactly what I set out to experience on this day, more diamonds along the way.

Sometimes referred to as the Montage Beach, because it rests below the 5 Star Montage Resort in Laguna Beach, rests some of those diamonds. To get to these jewels there is limited public covered pay parking just adjacent, to the South, of the Montage Resort or a little further south is Aliso Beach Parking.

Coming from the South there is Aliso Beach Park. This is a broad beach with a rocky outcropping at the most southern end. Connecting to Aliso Beach is Treasure Island Beach, they are only separated by a stream, otherwise they are basically the same beach. Great place for all beach activities: strolling, jogging, sun-bathing, swimming, skim boarding, surfing, tide pool exploring, and so forth.

Once you get close to the Montage Resort there are three coves. The first is Middle Man Cove, then Goff Cove, and the most Northerly cove is Christmas Cove. Even though they are close in proximity they each have their own identity. These coves between Treasure Island Beach to the South and Victoria Beach to the North are maintained by the city and the Montage Resort. The bluffs above are breathtakingly beautiful not only because of their abundance of natural beauty, but the glorious enhancements of the landscaping of a 5 Star Luxury Resort. There is also a resort style public washroom maintained by the Montage on the path in front of the resort.

Middle Man Cove is accessed through a natural arch from Treasure Island Beach. There is some climbing over rocks that would be required to go further and that pretty much depends on the tide.

Goff Cove gets it’s name from a rock that protects the cove at the point called Goff Island. It serves as a natural breakwater. Depending on the tide it may or may not actually be an island. There is a stairway that accesses the beach from the walkway above. This is a good spot for snorkeling and scuba diving.

There is a breakwater wall between Goff Cove and Christmas Cove to the North. This is a better area then the other coves for swimming, but as with any beach watch out for high surf or rip currents.

“I could never stay long enough on the shore; the tang of the untainted, fresh, and free sea air was like a cool, quieting thought.”
– Helen Keller

You just gotta’ luv’ the beach! This has been another beach adventure while ‘Pursuing Balance Through Adventure’. We are in search of balancing our busy lives, breathing the sea air, and freeing our soul. The beach can do just that salt on your lips, wind in your hair, and a smile on your face. For more OC beach adventures stay tuned right here. And so as not to get burned you will need the proper equipment see SHOP APPAREL for all you top quality beach ware needs. If you are in search of additional adventures in other places and settings see the menu above for other ‘Pursuing Balance Through Adventure’ sister sites, (all of which need to be followed individually). Please, please, please for your own sake COMMENT, LIKE, SHARE, and FOLLOW.

Crescent Bay Beach

July 20, 2019 Roger Jenkins 1 Comment

Crescent Bay Beach ’Pursuing Balance Thru Adventure

Laguna Beach, California

Activity: Beach’n it: Sun, Fun, & Surf

Date: 7-20-19

Laguna Beach has a lot of little coves and beaches it’s not all about Main Beach. There is much more to explore and enjoy. Crescent Bay Beach feels like a little neighborhood beach. It has sort of a private beach feel. It is beautiful, rocky outcropping on both sides, nice (expensive) homes overlooking the beach. There are tide pools if you are there at the right time. Besides that you have swimmers, boogie boarders, sun bathers, the occasional surfer, in other words beach goers

To the North on the cliff above is Crescent Bay Point Park, and to the South is Shaw’s Cove. You can’t go wrong in Laguna the beaches and coves are all fantastic.

Crescent Bay Beach Map

Crescent Bay Point Park overlooks the beach

Looking at Crescent Bay Beach from the point

Crescent Bay Point

Crescent Bay Beach Pursuing Balance Thru Adventure

Crescent Bay Point Park

Alec with his goofy seal impression.

Boogie Boarder waits for the outgoing surge after the waves hits the rocks.

Beach goers frolicking in the surf at Crescent Bay Beach

The beach scene at Crescent Bay Beach

The northern portion of Crescent Bay, this is the point that looks back over the beach from the park.

The End

Life’s a Beach

DCD82A05-67F4-434D-9DE1-F91145C34D5A — “For her ocean was more than a dream, it was a place she needed to visit to find herself, and when she returned to the city you could see the sun in her eyes, the wind in her hair, and taste the infinite salt on her lips.” -Jose Chavez

The day I was there the surf was high and the couple lifeguards were busy keeping a eye on the surf, the swimmers, and the rip tide.

You can have a bird’s eye view of Crescent Bay Beach from the Crescent Bay Point Park. But you cannot get to the beach from there due to the rugged drop off.

“Beach Rules: Soak up the sun. Ride the waves. Breath the salty air. Feel the breeze. Build sandcastles. Rest, relax, reflect. Collect seashells. Bare-feet required.” Crescent Bay Beach is a great beach loved it!

Join me again for another adventure, but first please COMMENT, LIKE, SHARE, and FOLLOW. And please check out the newly added SHOP APPAREL.

Life’s a Beach-

Roger Jenkins, ‘Pursuing Balance Through Adventure’

Moss Point

July 13, 2019 Roger Jenkins 1 Comment

Laguna Beach, California

Activity: Exploring, rock scrambling

Date: June 24, 2019

Laguna Beach is a very special place so much to do, see and enjoy. Lots of fun shops, restaurants and things to do. But my favorite thing to do is to go to the beach. Laguna has so many fabulous beaches it is hard to choose which one to explore and that is the fun of it. Another outing, another beach, cove, or tide pool.

Parking in Laguna in the summer is difficult, to say the least, and the city makes a living on parking tickets so you are forewarned. No matter when you go through town there is always traffic. So a special tip is to park where you can and then take the free Trolley.

The Trolley is fun, open air, has lots of pickup spots, and did I mention FREE?

We parked North of famous Hessler Park, which by the way, is one of my favorite places anywhere, walked through part of the park and then took the Trolley through town. The bus drivers, as this is really a bus that looks like a Trolley, are friendly and informative. We got off at Moss Point.

There is an historic mansion there and a plaque about it really being like the first Western White House, but beyond looking through the gate at how the other half lived not a lot to see.

Once you ramble down the street and take the staircase down you spy a lovely cove with a little beach and a lifeguard stand. There are rocks to the left that we took out to the point. It was a heavy June Gloom marine layer, but even that was delightful. There is an arch to go through and a wonderful vista looking south with coastline filled with mansions with views that we can experience as well, but from the rocks.

Moss Point- simply delightful, and a good place for snorkeling and scuba.