LAGUNA BEACH

Activities: Swimming, skim boarding, sunbathing, beach walk

Thousand Steps Beach is not far from Ninth Street and PCH, South of Table Rock Beach. Although it is a long staircase down to the beach it isn’t really 1,000 steps although at the end of a great day at the beach carrying all of your stuff back up it may feel like it.

The long staircase is a tunnel enclosed by foliage that not only supplies shade, but is pretty. Once at the bottom there is a big broad beautiful beach, one of the largest in South Laguna. There is a restroom and shower, both of which always have a line, lifeguards and acres and acres of glorious golden beach. The bluffs have multimillion dollar homes and there is wonderful vegetation on the bluff/steep hillside that gives it a tropical vibe even though SoCal is actually a desert on the beach. Besides bluffs and sand there are rocks, and jagged points to checkout.

One of the reasons that we came to this beach was to explore the sea cave and the hidden pools. This exploration requires scrambling around a point of land. Unfortunately the tide was high and the surf was a pretty good size, both of which had the life guards closing the southern point. This is the only way to the hidden pools and sea cave unless you happen to own one of the multi million dollars homes above them. What to do? Oh, how about kick back and enjoy the beach all day taking in the sun and surf, go for a swim, a walk, watch some first rate skim boarders and just enjoy the day. At the point was a pool, but not the pools that we were seeking.

Funny thing was after spending the day waiting for low tide nothing changed that much. The surf was still a good size, the water did not go out that much. I guess the wind and waves were keeping the water pretty high and I suppose it was not that dramatic of a low tide. Regardlessly the south point area was still not accessible and the lifeguards did not open it on that day.

That’s okay because 1000 Steps beach is a wonderful beach and although there were plenty of people enjoying it, even on a weekday, it wasn’t crowded.

We did explore the northern point of the beach which at low tide we could scramble up on the jagged rock and around the point to a hidden beach. A beach that has no public access other than at low tide. This little cove is called Totuava Beach and it had only a few people on it. Once again there were beautiful expensive homes on the cliff above. This little beach had a Condo Complex. It was a tall apartment looking building on the beach that has private access to it via an elevator from above. We talked to the lifeguard who said there is hardly anyone ever on Totuava beach so it is very secluded.

I have to say that even at low tide be careful making your way around the point back to 1,000 Steps Beach. I was trying to make the transition from the rocks to the beach taking a small leap down and attempting to time the waves. It did not go quite as I planned. I jumped into the shallow white water. I guess I miss calculated the steepness of the beach or perhaps it was a bit soft and I sunk into the sand? At any rate, in my haste to make it before the oncoming wave I took a stumble and rolled in the surf soaking my phone and submerging it. Thank goodness the new iPhones are actually water proof to that degree, lol.

Who doesn’t love the beach? I love everything about the beach, the salty air, the golden sand, a little breeze off the ocean, the tasty waves, cool water, people watching, just plain relaxing, chilling and recharging. Beach lovers subscribe to this blog by doing these easy to follow directions: FOLLOW, SHARE, LIKE and COMMENT.  We all need to rebalance the mixture of our busy, pressure filled, frenzied existence- let’s balance the recipe out a bit by adding a pinch of harmony, a cup of peace and a dash of tranquility. Put it in the oven and voila! Nourishment for the soul. Adventurous outings in nature can give you the subsistence that does a body and mind good. Go to the menu above, get off your duff, turn off the TV, lay down your tablet, (well, don’t lay it down yet- you have to click menu first, lol). The menu has ideas and inspiration to get you off to your own adventure in nature. Each location is a separate website and thus needs to be FOLLOWED independently. Next you will need Adventure Wear, but don’t worry I got ya, just visit:  SHOP APPAREL It has the latest and greatest hats, beanies, and shirts with the mantra printed right on it, ‘Pursuing Balance Through Adventure’.

Life’s a Beach-

Roger Jenkins 

Pursuing Balance Through Adventure