The parking lot above Dana Strand Beach at the north end of Dana Point is one of the last free beach parking lots in Orange County. Enough said. We should mention that anything free comes with a price: Beware the walk through the new multimillion-dollar housing development the Strand at Headlands. The homeowners don't take kindly to outsiders parading through their neighborhood, even if it is a public walkway. The city has tried to install metered parking in the past, but a local uprising (tearing them down with the use of a vehicle, jamming the machine with lead) put those attempts to rest. Long live localism.