It's not been the best winter for rain in Southern California so spontaneous bursts of wildflowers in unexpected places are not easy to find. The answer is to head for the coast where the moist breezes give the blooms a boost. Even in a dry year, the Santa Monica Mountains capture the on-shore winds and provide hikers with a show of Lupine, Indian Paint Brush, California Poppies and Gazanias. It's a perfect time for an early season beach outing.
Start your day at Point Dume. It's an iconic spot not far from Zuma Beach, about halfway up Malibu's intriguing coast. At the Zuma turnoff, head south on Westward Beach Road. There's a parking lot, but at this time of year, you can park along the road - especially if you arrive early with the surf crowd. At the end of the road is the rock. You'll recognize it from its many close-ups in TV shows and commercials. Don't be surprised if you see climbers ascending Point Dume vertically via top ropes or abseiling to the sand below.
For the rest of us, it's easy to find the sandy trail to the left. It's a steep, but mercifully short clamber to the top where you'll end up at the junction of Cliffside Drive and Birdview. From here you can roam the tangle of trails that leads up to Point Dume itself. The trails meander through low brush and a cornucopia of wildflowers that changes with the seasons.
Point Dume is the northern tip of Santa Monica Bay. It was discovered in 1793 by George Vancouver and named for a Franciscan friar. It provides one of the best views in California - the magical expanse of Santa Monica Bay and the necklace of beaches that surround it. You'll hear the sea lions barking below and you'll see dolphins and pelicans - even, if you're lucky, a grey whale.
From Point Dume, you can go back the same way or wind your way down Birdview Road. Either way, you'll come back down to the Sunset Restaurant. There will probably be a wedding planner prepping for a ceremony on the beach. Inside is a comfy bar for a beachside Bloody Mary.
When you're ready to move on, head back to the Pacific Coast Highway and go south. It's about seven miles (heavily patrolled, especially on weekends) to Cross Creek. In Malibu, Cross Creek is what passes as City Center. It may have a laid-back vibe but you can still manage to spend a fortune before lunch. If it weren't for Wallis Annenberg, the only wildflowers to be found would be on Dolce & Gabbana sheaths.
Annenberg, heir to the Reader's Digest publishing fortune, has become the fairy godmother to Los Angeles. Her gift to Malibu is the Wallis Annenberg Habitat at Legacy Park. It's a compact area, part park, part whimsical sculpture garden that links Cross Creek's civic center to its shopping center. It's also a mini-botanical garden, featuring local plants and wildflowers. Signs let you use your cell phone to find out more about each species.
For lunch, there's no shortage of sustenance. The insiders know that Tra di Noi and Tony's Taverna are the local favorites - and where you can often see celebrities in their natural habitat. Café Habana in the Malibu Lumberyard is a more recent addition favored by the cocktail crowd.
For a change of pace, head to funky Playa del Rey. Here you can pick up the coast road again towards Manhattan Beach. This is a "no man's land" that the natives love and visitors merely fly over when they're heading back to winter. The bike and walking paths follow the dunes under the flight path for LAX and through an industrial area that includes a power plant and a sewage treatment plant. You may have to be a local to love it, but right now, the dunes are in full flower and one of the best carpets of wildflowers this year surrounds the Chevron Oil Refinery.
The walk path ends at Manhattan Beach's Strand where the wildflowers on the dunes mingle with the rose gardens of the beach-front real estate. It's just a mile or so to the Manhattan Beach Pier where there's a clutch of popular shops and restaurants. Try the Navy Grog at Rock 'n Fish. There aren't any wildflowers decking the drinks, but it should be a great end to a perfect day.
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