Los Angeles County.

http://www.co.la.ca.us

Catalina/Avalon

If you want a vacation away from your car, away from the traffic, away from the smog, and away from what you're used to, this romantic island destination is it. On a clear day, you can see Catalina from the coast, but most of the time it's out of sight, separated from the mainland by a layer of marine fog.

Once you get there, you can forget your life on the mainland, and just revel in the pleasure of each other's company. Avalon and Two Harbors are the two main communities on Catalina. Avalon, on the east coast, is the larger; Two Harbors, at the north end, is more rustic. I won't have space here to include everything to do in Catalina. I recommend that you request a copy of their visitor's guide ($1 charge) from the Chamber of Commerce and Visitor's Bureau, [telephone] (310) 510-1520, and ask them about dates for special events.

When the Spaniards first arrived at the Valley of Smokes in the late 1500s, they found a large island inhabited by Native Americans. The Spaniards named the island Santa Catalina, after the patron saint of spinsterhood. What did they know? Romantic Catalina is as far removed from spinsterhood as I can imagine.

At that time, mainland Native American men traveled to Santa Catalina Island in outrigger canoes made of oak planks, caulked with tar from the natural seeps found in the Los Angeles basin. The canoes leaked despite the caulking, so a young boy always came along to bail. The men made the 22-mile trip on clear days when they could see the island. Once there, they traded their goods, probably meat, otter fur, and acorns, for soapstone mined on the islands. From the soapstone, they made pipes, decorative items, and flat skillets for cooking tortillas. For the return voyage, the women on the mainland would light fires so the men could navigate a safe return to the same part of the coast that they departed from. Today, the voyage is much easier. You won't need to bail.

To get a preview of the island, visit their Web site at http://www.catalina.com.