Dockweiler State Beach

Yesterday we had a beach day over at Dockweiler State Beach with some of our friends. Dockweiler is nice because it's really close to where we live and it has a ton of fire pits. When we went last month we were able to get there around 10:30-11am to claim a pit. This time Chris and I headed over around 9:30am and managed to snag one of the last available spots! I think because it's now officially summer everyone and their mother is heading to beach (plus it's been super warm this past week). So we arrived way before our group showed up and had to wait for Kelly to get there with all the chairs and umbrellas!

Just sittin' and waitin'

The weather was also kind of...bleh.

Overcast (marine layer), very low visibility

Kelly didn't show up until after 12:30pm but she brought all the beach gear we needed. Shortly after our friends Candace and Sean made it from Palm Springs, and Alex arrived with his brother Louie. The weather was still overcast and chilly so we stayed huddled in a circle for a few hours. Candace made some pulled pork sliders and brought her crock pot - we started a small fire, put the crock pot on the logs for a few minutes, sliced up some Hawaiian rolls, and served up lunch :)

Top: A bit of sunshine came out on Kelly; Alex, Louie, Sean, Candace, Kelly, and Chris
Bottom: Kelly and Chrissy huddled together; Kelly and Chris making some drinks

The sun finally broke through the marine layer around 5:30pm. The minute there was a bit of warmth the whole beach went down to the water. Candace, Sean, and Alex actually went in the ocean - it looked way too cold for me, but they said it was fine. Candace even said she got hot swimming! I walked down to the shore when I heard there was a pod of dolphins swimming nearby. I was able to catch some glimpses of their fins, but it was too hard to capture on film (sorry!).

Beach dwellers looking at the dolphins

Crowded beach with the Hyperion Water Treatment Plant in the background

Candace and Sean swimming

As soon as the sun started to set it was a mad rush from our group to go and grab those sunset pictures with their iPhones so they could post them on Instagram!! 

These are all pictures that Chris took :)

Then came the best part: the bonfire! For dinner we brought hot dogs from Costco and this nifty hot dog grilling contraption I bought from the dollar bin at Target. We all sat around the bonfire for the rest of the night, staying warm, playing with the lighter fluid, and listening to the conversations from the groups around us. The beach was packed all day with LARGE groups of people. The two groups next to us included a group of 20 or so younger Asian volleyball players celebrating someone's birthday. The other group must have had near to 100 with them. The weird thing about them was that even though they had a fire pit that they claimed earlier in the morning, the majority of them stayed in the parking lot where they had set up a tailgate party complete with a barbecue grill and a large Lakers flag. Oh, and a strong smell of marijuana permeating the air that would waif over to our spot every few minutes, hahaha...

Our bonfire

Sean entertaining us all with the lighter fluid

Chris and Chrissy

The beach closes at 10:00pm, so we packed up all of our gear and goodbye until our next bonfire!

Entrance/Exit to Dockweiler State Beach

I really like Dockweiler, it's easy to get to - not only for me and Chris, but for our friends it's a straight shot off of Imperial Hwy from the 405. Los Angeles International Airport is directly behind the beach so you get to see all the airplanes take off. Yes, it's noisy, but it's pretty neat to watch (I should've taken some photos!!). Parking is $10 and there are no in-and-out privileges which sucks, because we have to leave halfway through the day to go and take Bruce out for a walk. And by "we", I mean Chris. People from all over visit this beach. There are "vendors" walking up and down the sand selling goods; in the daytime they offer umbrellas, boogie boards, shovels and pails, etc. At night they sell light up/glow items, similar to what you can buy at Disneyland. The bathrooms are kind of gross - just a heads up, there are no doors in the bathroom stalls. Prepare to be watched by small, barefooted children...ew. But even with those issues, I think it's fun. When the weather is clear you can see all the way north to Malibu and south to Rancho Palos Verdes. If you get there early and claim your spot, the hours can fly by. Oh, and also prepare to be asked MULTIPLE times by late beach-goers, "Are you using your fire pit?" "Are you going to be here all day?" My snarkiness meter was so high after being asked over and over, that when someone came by around 2:00pm (they had just pulled into the parking lot) and asked if they could share our spot, I snapped at them and told them, "No! We all got here at nine this morning, you should've come earlier!" o.O

Now time to relax at home and do some chores...

xx Chrissy