Then, they shot back up to Newport Beach, at about 1 p.m. about two miles off Balboa Pier. The family is well-known among California whale-watching enthusiasts, with a reputation for playfully ...

8:30am: Jump back on the bike path. Easy riding for the length of the boardwalk, then turn down Balboa Pier but backtrack a few streets to the Balboa ferry. Hit up an ATM for the cash-only $1.25 fare.

Recently, I was visiting out-of-town family at an O.C. resort when a friendly man at the pool mentioned he’d spent the previous day at “the Laguna pier.” I didn’t correct him—he probably went to ...