We're back! We have been out for a few weeks; due to rain, weekend trips, office work and house work. We have gone with Tico to parks and other dog-friendly places; but it's mostly the usual - - Huntington Dog Beach, Redondo Dog Beach, Venice\Abbot Kinney, farmer's market, and so on.
But it's Saturday morning, it was a great day. We decided to take a nice drive up on the Pacific Coast Highway, and drive to Point Dume/Malibu, near Zuma Beach. It's been ages since I've been on this side of town, but I love the drive, the nice beach-side homes, and of course - great Malibu restaurants and bars such as the
Gladstones, Chart House, and
Moonshadows.
Directions to
Point Dume State Beach: take the 10 freeway to Pacific Coast Highway/CA1 north, and make a left on Westward Beach Road, and take that all the way to the left until you reach the last parking lot area with a separate guard shack at the entrance. Dogs are not allowed on the beach, but the walk up and down the road is a great exercise for your dog, and offers amazing view of the sandy beach and the blue ocean.
Point Dume is busy today. There was a surfing competition that day, which means there were chock-full of cars up and down the road, which made a limited dog-walking capability because of the traffic; but once we got to the end where the cliff was, that was a nice treat too, because there were a girl and two guys that were doing the rock climbing/rapelling on the side of the cliff which pre-occupied the boys while I made a quick trek to the non-dogfriendly trail upstairs. The flowers were sparse today, but give it another month, and it will be full of healthy spring flowers of yellow, white, purple, blue, etc. varieties. With the cliff-side backdrop to your right and the beautiful Malibu homes to your left, it's a sight to see.
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| We were stopped by the lifeguard truck when were were walking on the beach, so stay on the road instead |
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| The view from the top |
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| The sign points to safe for the cliff-side hike |
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| Surf competition! |
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| House on the hill |
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| 3 li'l pigs! |
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| The 3 rock climbers |
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| Pigs and dog and boy, oh my! |
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| The climbers looked like ants from up here |
Afterwards, we stopped by
Malibu Country Mart because I saw a Banana Republic store sign on the way. I got a green cardigan and a matching top for dirt cheap, and that made my day. The shopping area offers 7 For All Mankind, John Varvatos, Juicy, Ralph Lauren to name a few. There's also great dining options like Malibu Kitchen, Marmalade, and Nobu. Next to Starbucks there was a sculpture of the Three Little Pigs, and the boys and I had a fun time taking pictures next to it.
Speaking of rapelling, I did the same rapelling with my friend Grace and her fitness group 3 years ago, around March 2008. So I remember the flowers being alot more abundant back then. And I remembered seeing a dog, so I knew that the place was
partially dog-friendly. We did run across a couple of dogs up and down the road, so we all had a great time spending a day in Point Dume.
Anyhoo, I used to get into rock climbing a lot, and never followed-through, so I need practice. But nothing like climbing a rock up or down to face your fear of height. Climbing or rappeling Point Dume is a lot of work, so it's best to go there with someone that has done it once before. It's a steep climb, and a slippery, rocky path, and the winds are strong; not to mention vertigo for those who are not used to the elevation and the view, but the payoff is definitely worth it.
So huff and puff all you want, and enjoy the day.
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