Catalina Bell

The big bell sings out to the california coast, daily giving thanks for a setting so beautiful and serene. As you stand and listen, you can feel your heart jump with every stroke, as if the very roots of your being were crying out to the universe, allowing an incomprehensible gratitude to overtake you. As the tears of joy begin to dry you summon up all of your strength and press the pedal of your golf cart, returning as quickly as you can to your home before dinner gets cold. Catalina Island, or just Catalina, is a rocky island off the coast of the U.S. state of California. The island is 22 miles (35 km) long and 8 miles (13 km) across at its greatest width. The island is located about 22 miles (35 km) south-southwest of Los Angeles, California. Prior to the modern era, the island was inhabited by people of the Gabrielino/Tongva tribe, who, having had villages near present day San Pedro and Playa del Rey, regularly traveled back and forth to Catalina for trade. The Tongva called the island Pimu or Pimugna and referred to themselves as the Pimugnans. Archeological evidence shows Tongva settlement beginning in 7000 BC. The first European to set foot on the island was the Portuguese explorer Juan Rodriguez Cabrillo, sailing for Spain. On October 7, 1542, he claimed the island for Spain and christened it San Salvador after his ship. Over half a century later, another Spanish explorer, Sebastian Vizcaino, rediscovered the island on the eve of Saint Catherine's day (November 24) in 1602. Vizcaino renamed the island in the saint's honor.