Dana Point

Last weekend, after a business meeting, I found myself in Orange County. My meeting ended a little past noon on a beautiful sunny day. Having the whole day ahead of me, I decided I wanted to do some exploring. I asked around and was recommended to check out the city of Dana Point.

I set in my GPS coordinates to “Dana Point Headlands Conservation Area,” because you know…, those are always the most scenic areas. I arrived at my destination and was delighted to see my favorite things: plenty of street parking and no parking meters (free parking). There was also a sign at the end of road that reported the time of sunset. This time it was 4: 45pm.

INITIAL THOUGHTS:

Before I stepped out of the car, I looked around and I felt a little out of place. Dana Point was a beach city and I was definitely not dressed for that. I rolled up my chinos, took off my hiking boots, changed into boat shoes, and proceeded down the road. The beautiful views, vast amounts of hotels, and the beach was an immediate clue to what a tourist attraction this place was. Surprisingly, after reaching the bottom of the steps that led to the beach, I was happy to discover how little people were actually there… well compared to other Californian beaches that is.

I walked around and soaked it all in. There were people lying on the sand napping or reading a book, surfers riding waves,  runners jogging down the coast, and others taking leisurely walks. It was quiet and it was beautiful. By the time it was 1:30pm, I reached an area where I decided to catch sunset at. I put down my things, sat on rock, took a breath of fresh air, and waited.

THE PHOTOS:

Usually, I prefer clouds or an interesting sky when I’m taking landscape shots. I don’t bother when there isn’t, but today was an exception. It was very relaxing sitting on the rocks, listening to the ocean air, and watching the surfers tackling huge waves; so, I waited patiently to see how everything would turn out. I’m glad I did, because I was greeted with a very rewarding and beautiful sunset.

As the sun started to fade away, I made my way back to my car. Instead of taking the loop back, I went through the hotels in order to try and save some time. They were steep and tiring, but I wanted to get back to my car asap. I have gotten so many parking tickets before, so I’m always paranoid about leaving it on the street for long periods of time. I also remembered reading a sign that said something closed at 5pm. I’m still not sure what that sign was about; because, when I got back to my car, it was already 6pm, and I was happy to see there was no white piece of paper on my windshield. Dana Point is a place I would extremely recommend visiting. It’s quiet, relaxing, and a great place to catch sunset. I will definitely be coming back with Russelle.

… also, here’s a link to the proper way of using lie, lay, laying, lying, lied, and layed. I’m definitely still confused, and I’m still unsure if I used that right, but this was an interesting read. Haha.

Address: 34558 Scenic Dr, Dana Point, CA 92629

-Christopher