Shipwreck Trail & Wayfarer's Chapel

Shipwreck Trail and Wayfarer's Chapel
Location:
Paseo Del Mar & Flat Rock Point

Rancho Palos Verdes, CA 90275


Entertainment: Free
Food: San Pedro's Best Sandwich in Town $7.00 for a Meatball Cheese Sandwich

Four miles west of Rancho Palos Verdes is its regal neighbor, Palos Verdes. Traveling through the two cities via the winding ocean coast road of Palos Verdes Dr. is like witnessing richness at it's finest. Palos Verdes has the mega million mansions, the crisp cool ocean breeze, the seventy five degree sun bath, and the peninsula view.

Our destination is Palos Verdes' Shipwreck trail--the danger behind its name is telling of the trail itself. We started off on a plateau that insidiously gave us a view of the horizon abruptly delineated by the ocean. At the starting vantage point, it looked more like Christopher Columbus's theory come true--we were at world's end.

And so it seemed, for the trail immediately started with a sharp drop, steep and wrought
with rocks. Nature was a devil in red dress, for its beauty and danger bid us forward with its breathtaking view and its many fatal scenarios playing through our minds with each step down the treacherous cliff. The thought of pseudo rock climbing without any rope was exhilarating--I could feel my blood pump harder, my hand clamming up, and the same time that I told myself not to, I kept looking down. Periodically, I would slide down, like a cat on a leash, and let the gravity inch me downwards towards the rocky shoreline.

Once we (Josh, John, Tank, Kathy, Cynthia, David, Lisa, Gus, and I ) set foot, nature did not want to give us a break. We immediately started skip skopping on jagged rocks, sizes that ranged from boulders to pebbles, while trying to avoid kelp, litter, and insects. There were these particular insects that looked like a mix between rollie-pollies and silver fish with huge antennas that made my skin itch and my nerves on edge while hopping towards my destination. There were a few reflexive squeals that had to be made known to my team, but after awhile I got the hang of hopping on the bigger boulders to avoid the many crawling creatures scattering around like cockroaches in a sewer (Now that is a place I would not mind ever visiting).

We passed by a human made shack built on the piedmont surrounded by native flowers and shrubbery; our friend, Lisa, was the only one who dared to make the mini-climb and take a picture of it. From the base of the slope looking up, it looked like a surfer version of a fairy tale cottage--a "kissing shaft" for teens to make out.

After a good quarter of a mile of rock hopping (it felt like a video game after the first five minutes), we finally reached our tide pool destination along with a run down rusted boat. Unfortunately, the it was high tide so we weren't able to catch the many rumored sea creatures like octopus, lobster, and other shell fishes that allegedly lives around that eco community.

The hike lasted a good hour and a half, and it wasn't until we on our way to our next destination, Wayfarer's Chapel, that we begin to have our doubts that we were actually on the Shipwreck Trail, since the Shipwreck Trail is slated to be around 2.5 miles long and our 1 mile journey just didn't see to quite add up.

Wayfarer's Chapel is the best place to have your wedding, if you are living around the South Bay area. It overlooks the fluorescent coastal bluff landscape, while surrounded by roses, latana, cape honeysuckle, etc. Once you step foot into the glass chapel, ambient music accompanies the sound of water trickling down the fountain. Wayfarer's Chapel is named for travelers who seek spiritual nourishment--the serenity that surrounds the environment is a blessing for all who wishes for some self reflection and mental peace.

Lastly, we ate a hearty meal and what Lisa likes to call, "The best kept secret of San Pedro Sandwiches", where all the locals and mill guys know of. Get the Belly Buster that includes pastrami, hot links, meatball, and chicken smelted with jack cheese and hearty tomato sauce festooned with as many peppercinnis as your stomach lining can take. It's called Busy Bees and rightly named since there are no dining tables, but only a To-Go line in a liquor store setting.

Overall, it was an adventurous day that started with rocky climbs, beach side coolness, aristocratic casualty, and ended with finding Eden.