travel southern california If you are going to travel Southern California this summer, let me give you a heads up on a great beach in Dana Point, south of Laguna Beach. It's relatively unknown, except by locals and the guests at the Dana Point Ritz Carlton. The name is Salt Creek State Beach. This is a great surfing beach, so if you like to sit in your beach chair and watch surfers, this might be an ideal place for you. It is a long, sandy beach, bordered by big boulders and cliffs above. There is a good reason that it is popular with local surfers and those who travel Southern California beaches: the waves are huge. This is not a commercialized beach. You will not find any of the tourist trappings on it. There are rest rooms toward the north of this park, but from the access point at the Ritz Carlton, they are a long walk away. When you travel Southern California, you will have many beaches to choose from, but this, and the San Onofre beach south of San Clemente, is one of the least crowded and beautiful beaches in Orange County.