September 4, 2024
The aptly named Peninsula neighborhood in Long Beach, separates the ocean from Alamitos Bay. It is only a couple of hundred yards wide but stretches for over a mile. There is a boardwalk running in front of the houses that line the ocean side. Unfortunately, the nearby port makes swimming on Long Bay beach only for the foolhardy.
As we walked along we could see the usual lineup of cargo ships waiting to dock at the largest container port on America’s west coast. Along with the waiting ships, we could also see one of Long Beach’s four Astronaut Islands. This one is named Chaffee Island for the astronaut Roger Chaffee who was selected as one of the astronauts to fly on Apollo 1. Tragically, he and the two other crew members died during a pre-mission test when the command module caught fire. Although the island looks like a beautiful tropical isle lined with palm trees, it is in fact man made and the trees disguise what is in fact a rig drilling for oil from the large reservoir that lies beneath Long Beach.
There is an interesting variety of houses lining the shore ranging from this little shack.
To this large modern home right next door.
On the bay side of the peninsula, the water is swimmable and there were a number of people out enjoying the sunshine.
The houses also appeared, perhaps not surprisingly, a little less weather beaten.
Today we have not one, not two, but three classic cars. Two American
And one British, A Rolls Royce, no less.
Mal and Lauren 