I've been wanting to go to the beach. I want to walk in the sand and watch the ocean. I haven't been in ages. After yoga and my chiropractor visit, I decide to try going to the beach. I have several hours before I need to be at work. I don't look up any schedules. I know the 55 can take me to a point where I can catch the 1 and the 1 can take me down to Laguna.
The 55 dropped me off right at PCH and Dover. This is the bus stop I know it shares with the 1. I text OCTA to see when the 1 is due. It turns out the 1 isn't due for 40 minutes. That's frustrating! Now, what do I do?! I could have ridden the 55 farther, but I hadn't thought about needing to. I decide to head off down the road for a bit. I'm sure I'll come to another bus stop I can wait at and that way I get to see what's here.
There's a big bridge next to the bus stop. It goes over the river to the bay. As I'm walking over it, I'm watching the water. Wait! There's something in the water! It's an otter! How cool! He comes up several times! By the time I have my phone out, turned on, and ready to take a picture, he makes his last dive. A lovely bird swims around in the water and comes over to pose for his picture. I watch the water for awhile longer and then head on.
Here's the next bus stop. Right next to it is a Starbucks. I've still got lots of time. I've also got a Starbucks gift card left over from Christmas. I get a smoothie and sit outside, enjoying the sunshine while waiting for the bus.
It turns out the 1 stops at a few of the same stops the 5 does. I can make the transfer somewhere else next time if I want. I'm debating where to get off. Where do I want to go in Laguna? I'm not going to have very much time there. I know I want to go to the beach and walk in the sand. Do I want to go to the cliffs too? Or the rose gardens? I might want to stop at Whole Foods Market and pick up something for lunch. I don't know where the bus stops are, but it's a town. I'm sure there several bus stops.
As the bus nears cliff drive (the road I always used to park on when I went to Laguna,) I realize I want to go there. I pull the cord and wait for the bus to stop. The bus keeps going. We are down the hill now. Oh well, getting off at this beach will be fine. The bus keeps going. Now it's turning onto main street. That's ok. I'm sure there's a bus stop right here that's still close to the beach.... the bus keeps going! It finally stops at the Laguna transit station! Oh well! We passed Whole Foods Market on the way here. I'll stop there on my way to the beach and get some food for a picnic!
I'm at the beach now. There are lots of people here, enjoying the wonderful, sunny day. I sit at an empty bench and pull out one of the muffins I bought at Whole Foods. A movement in the water catches my eye. There are two dolphins out there playing in the water! You can see their back fins occasionally. The one tries playing with a pelican, who gets disgruntled and flies off. Wow! Two water sightings in one day! That's amazing!
I consult Google Maps and it says I don't need to catch a bus for 40 more minutes, but it also says I'll be late for work. Arrrgggghhh! I hadn't thought about it maybe being a problem getting buses back in time! I'll have to be more careful in the future. In the meantime, I'm going to enjoy being here!
I take my shoes and socks off and go walking in the sand next to the water. It's absolutely lovely here.
It's time to go back. I pick my backpack and scooter back up and head up the stairs barefoot. I'm enjoying being barefoot. I wait till the last minute, right before the road, to put my shoes and socks back on.
My backpack is fairly heavy. I have items in it to return to the library. I haven't figured out how to work that into my schedule. There is a library near one of the bus transfer points. While I'm sitting, waiting for the bus, I check the bus schedule for the trip to Avalon. It turns out there is a long wait at the bus station near the library. I'm going to try getting off the 1 at the stop near the library, dropping off my dvds, and then heading up PCH until I come to a bus stop the 55 stops at. That should work and there is enough lag time in the trip that I can do it!
On the way from the library, looking for a bus stop, a woman "hey scooter!" from the passenger seat of a car and gives me a thumbs up.
At the bus stop, there's a tree with pink flowers. I hear a hummingbird and look to find it flying around, visiting the flowers. It's a tiny one! I go to try and take a picture of it, and find it sitting on a branch. It's so cute! Oops! It turns out there are two! One sitting on the branch, and one flying. The flying ones leaves for a bit and then comes back. The one sitting stays there for quite awhile, with me watching him. Then, he exercises his wings while sitting and finally takes off. All of a sudden the first one is there with him and they both fly off together.
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