Our destination was Capistrano Beach which is right outside San Clemente in southern California. We stayed a week at the Beach Spa and Resort... A whole week! The resort was beautiful, the only thing separating us from the beach was the Pacific Coast Highway. The day after our arrival, the resort held an orientation to inform us about the surrounding area and activities. There were people advertising everything from whale watching to city tours. They also raffled off fishing packages and dinner-for-twos and such. Jon and I kept our fingers crossed so tightly but no luck...
After scrounging up a million brochures, we decided to try our hand at deep sea fishing. We headed over to Dana Harbor, literally two minutes from the resort, and bought a 5-hour fishing package through a company called Dana Wharf. We boarded the San Clemente, went out to sea, and began fishing. Jon was a gentleman and baited both our hooks with squid the first couple casts before I got the courage to handle the slimy bait... Right off the bat we were getting nibbles and bites! Between Jon and myself, I caught the first fish! It was a bass and it was big, but the all deckhands were already preoccupied with the other fishers, and my fish wiggled its way off the hook and back into the water. And figures, Jon was on the other side of the boat getting bait and didn't see my catch. However, thankfully the elderly man fishing next to me said he would vouch for me. Overall, the fishing trip was a lot of fun and a great experience. We both caught some fish and watched some others catch things from sand sharks to pelicans. We got to see the open waters and even a pirate ship! Or at least what we thought was one...
Aside from fishing, Jon and I walked the shores of the ocean, went for a ride on some beach cruisers, watched the sunsets from the deck, and basically relaxed. We had the opportunity to witness a few dolphins swimming along the shoreline, that's one of my favorite memories of the trip! Also, one of the days we made our way into San Deigo. We ate lunch at The Hard Rock Cafe and then headed over to our friends Brantly's and Melissa's place. It is always a good time with them and boy oh boy, their daughter Kade is growing up sooo fast!
As our trip came to an end, we had one last breakfast at the resort Skyview restaurant before hitting the road. It ended up with the waitress giving both of us hugs goodbye and promises to come back... Did I mention how nice the people are there? Everybody was so sincere and friendly, probably another reason Jon and I had such an amazing time.
