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Dana
Point
Cape Cod architecture and evocatively named streets are only part of
the charm this tiny community holds for residents and visitors. It was
named in homage to Richard Henry Dana, who immortalized the area in his
much-adored TwoYears Before the Mast, which he penned after a sail around
Cape Horn in 1835 aboard the Pilgrim. The author wrote admiringly about
the region's windswept headlands, sweeping ocean vistas, steep bluffs,
and the violent smash of the sea against them. In the early 19th century,
the coves along the beach were a haven for pirates raiding the nearby
Catholic mission, San Juan Capistrano. Today you can gaze down from any
of the dizzying blufftop vantage points at the replica of the tall ship
Pilgrim anchored in the harbor below, and imagine those bygone days. Under
the auspices of the ORANGE COUNTY MARINE INSTITUTE (24200 Dana Point Harbor
Drive; 949/496-2274), there are DANA POINT activities aboard the Pilgrim.
The Institute also sponsors marine-mammal- watching expeditions and educational
cruises aboard the research vessel Sea Explorer. DANA COVE PARK, a popular
picnicking spot, is on the left abutting the institute. To the south is
the entrance to DOHENY STATE BEACH (949/496-3627). Managed by the Department
of Parks and
Recreation, the beach park is a 62-acre site with tide pools, a mile of
sandy beach, some of the best surfing in the county, camping, and picnicking.
North of Doheny State Beach at the north end of Dana Point is STRANDS
BEACH, perhaps Orange County's most beautiful beach. Here, the steep and
rocky headlands gently smooth out. Further south, CAPISTRANO STATE BEACH,
followed by PR1MA DESHECHA CANADA BEACH, are both broad, sandy, and exquisite,
with plenty of parking along the way. The DANA POINT/CAPISTRANO BEACH
CHAMBER OF COMMERCE AND TOURIST BUREAU (24681 La Plaza; 949/496-1555)
has a hotline
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