Dad's Life 3D: Skipping rocks and new memories in an old familiar place

Spending spring break on Catalina Island, and experiencing it through the eyes of my kid's, brings back so many fond memories from my youth. My sister and I had so much fun here together when we were kids. I think this was the first place where our parents trusted us to run off and roam on our own. After all, this was the '70s...

Regardless, we definitely had some ground rules. We had to stay together, first and foremost. We also had to stay in the pedestrian only portion of the boardwalk, and on the adjacent beach that is in the center of town. By the way, the sticking together thing my mom instilled in us is something that I carry with me to this day when traveling. Always stay together!

The sights, sounds and smells on this sleepy little island are the same as they were 40 years ago. Now, $10 for two kids won't last all day in the arcade like it did in the '70s... But the salt water taffy tastes as good as I remember it! There are definitely a few more cars on the island than there used to be, and probably three times as many golf carts. The sound of gas powered golf carts fills the air as you potter down the small streets and corridors.

Getting here didn't come easy, however. For the last two years, my kids went to different schools and had different spring breaks. I would take one of them to a destination of their choosing during week one, and would take the other the following week. It was great! Traveling to San Francisco in a convertible muscle car to see the Full House house vs. camping in the mountains and freezing. Overnight to the San Diego Wild Animal Park, manicure and Benihana vs. father/son overnight dirt bike riding adventure!

This year, however, it literally came down to the day of travel. I had given them many options, but the catch was that they had to agree on one destination. Big Bear, Catalina Island, Mammoth, Lake Tahoe, San Francisco, Four Corners, Santa Barbara, San Diego, Grand Canyon... They finally somehow came up with Las Vegas. Really? Sorry guys, Las Vegas is not on the list. It has to be somewhere with at least a little cultural value. After much deliberation, they both agreed on Catalina Island. Thank God. Within an hour, I booked our ferry and hotel and we were on our way!

The charm definitely still exists here. People are kind and helpful, unlike some other touristy places I've visited. Some folk are slightly "off," as you might expect from those who live full time, and slightly isolated, on an island off the coast of Los Angeles... But genuinely friendly, they seem to be.

Catalina Island does offer resort-style amenities, but it's definitely not like sitting poolside and ordering strawberry daiquiris while the kids frolic in a massive pool. Don't get me wrong. That's cool too, but something amazing happens when you stroll down along the boardwalk from town to the casino after dinner. You chat. You hold hands. You talk about old memories, and about growing up. You talk about the future and who they have crushes on. Who you had crushes on when you were their age. You tell stories about the Great White Steamer, and how it mysteriously vanished from Avalon harbor one night. And how you can still hear the captain blow the horn every night when the fog rolls in... OK, I made that one up, but I just wanted to make sure they were still listening! Actually, the Great White Steamer that we used to take from San Pedro to Catalina when I was a kid now sits in Ensenada harbor rusting away into history. At least that's the last time I saw her.

And by the way, the casino isn't a casino as the name suggests. It's the name of the iconic, round art deco building that sits on the southern point of Avalon harbor. Casino comes from the Italian word, casinò, which means gathering place. It was built in 1925 by chewing gum mogul, William Wrigley Jr., as a dance hall and the very first movie theater that was engineered specifically for movies with sound. Tomb Raider is currently playing in the theater... Wrigley had purchased the island in 1919. In 1975 he put 90% of the island in a trust that conserves and protects its natural and cultural heritage. And that is why Avalon will never become Abbot Kinney, and the rest of the island will never become Malibu!

Wrigley also owned the Chicago Cubs, so from 1921 to 1951 they did their spring training on Catalina Island! I'm sure after those Chicago winters, spring training on Catalina was about as good as it gets!

The pace here is such that you can sleep in and not feel like you've missed anything. Mazzy definitely took advantage of this. While the boys were up at seven every day, she got up at the crack of nine. The 'tween is right on schedule... Soon it will be the crack of noon.

That said, once she was up, she gave the boys a run for our money. You would've thought she was on the paddling team as she pushed her kayak gracefully across the water. We took a break on our own secluded rocky beach before heading back, one hour away, to our launching point. Mazzy went even faster once she realized she could see fish, big fish, in the clear water below. It was like a scene out of Jaws. Of course it was little bro who pointed this out to her with a sinister laugh! Thanks, little bro. I sure hope I can get her back out on a kayak. She was really good at it. Sigh.

The pace of the day isn't the only thing that's slow on the island. The internet is slow island wide. Seriously, even the WiFi in our hotel is like dialup. I may not even be able to post this blog up until I get home because the pictures I took on day one are still uploading from my phone... The upside? No YouTube for my mini gang for four days! Woot woot!

And back to the charm. Our cute, pink Victorian style hotel sits one block up the hill from the main part of town. We have our own balcony overlooking the town and bay below. Catalina is very mountainous. It's not Positano, but can definitely get your heart rate up if traveling by foot. We've all logged some steps this week! It's very European in that sense here. Yes, Jaden brought his trick scooter, and yes, we did rent a golf cart one day, but otherwise it's been all about walking and enjoying this funky little island!

And just like the great times my sister and I had here with our parents, one day my little loves will be able to share this experience with their kiddos. I know this to be true, because skipping rocks on the quiet side of the Pacific Ocean is timeless. It just has to be done.