Our group of about 30 walkers began our hike at about 8:00 AM at the Channel Islands National Park Visitor Center at 1901 Spinaker Drive, the far end of the Ventura Marina. However, we first met at the Museum of Ventura County Parking Lot at 7:30 AM to arrange for transportation to the Marina.
We proceeded to walk around the Marina and picked up Anchor's Way on the Marina's north side, then meandered around the Ventura Keys and ended up walking north on Pierpont Blvd until reaching San Buenaventura State Beach. We continued the trail until reaching the Ventura Pier (incidentally, the largest wooden pier on the California coast from 1938 to 1995, at a length of 1,958 feet).
The Promenade took us from the Pier another mile up to Surfer's Point, then along the Ventura River (that was raging due to the recent rains) up to Main Street where we turned right and headed toward the Wall Street Murals via Ventura Ave. (aka the Avenue) and up Ferro Dr. (one of the three ways to hike up to the Cross). After a brief photo op at the Cross, we headed down a different way that took us behind the Ventura City Hall and down Main Street to the Mission, ending at Peirano's for lunch.
About 30 of us had lunch at Peirano's Restaurant after the hike, and then we conducted a book signing of The California Mission Walk, The Hiker's Guide to California's 21 Spanish Missions Along El Camino Real (a fully-revised second edition)--all six of us who authored this Guide were there.
