A Newport Beach Tour

A tour of Newport Harbor, Newport Beach, and Balboa Island in California was a fun way to spend a beautiful day.

A boat tour of Newport Harbor not only allowed visitors like myself to view the many multi-million dollar homes that line the shores but also to view some other inhabitants that live in the water. And although the narration of the tour guide as he described the homes, the various owners, past and present, and their celebrity status I must say that I enjoyed seeing the sea lions in their habitat even more.

The boat I was on left the harbor for a short time and circled a buoy that was a favorite spot for the sea lions. The buoy did not seem like a spectacular sight as we approached it but as soon as you could see the outline of the sea lions that changed. How strange to see so many sea lions trying to find a place on the buoy. It looked like the buoy would sink with so many sea lions jumping up and finding a spot to sun for a short time. The sea lions seemed to accommodate each other as they jumped out of the water and shared the space. What a sight!

As the boat circled the buoy you could see sea lions jumping into the water and leaving as more approached the buoy for their turn to spend a little time in the sun. I tried to take as many picture as I could. I knew I would not see this sight in Ohio. I have enjoyed looking at the pictures and almost feel like I am back on that boat circling the buoy.

As the boat left the buoy area and headed back to the harbor the guide again began to point out the beautiful homes on the other side of the harbor. The homes are beautiful. The harbor is beautiful and the tour was fun. We even saw a number of people standing on surf boards and paddling across the harbor. That was a sight I had not seen before also. I can't say I would be attracted to that sport.

We headed back to the dock to depart the boat. The harbor tour was fun and I saw several unexpected sights. As we left the boat we were met with the view of the amusement rides of Balboa Island. I enjoyed strolling past the Ferris wheel, carousel and various food stands. I walked through the many gift shops of the island and enjoyed looking at the many types of shops available. I did purchase a few gifts to take home to Ohio.

There were several piers available to walk onto. The water was beautiful and a much different view than the island or harbor. The water just disappeared into the horizon and seemed very peaceful and calm. The beach was covered with white sand and looked very welcoming.

The tour bus was waiting and I had to hurry. My short time at Newport Harbor, Newport Beach and Balboa Island was time well spent. I enjoyed every minute. What a range of things to see and do. In the short time spent here I toured the harbor, saw beautiful homes and heard histories of them, circled a buoy covered with sea lions, walked through an amusement park, strolled through many gift shops, and walked out onto a very long pier. Now it is time to travel on.