Our first big trip of the summer! This past weekend we flew down to LA for a quick getaway. J and I have both had a crazy couple months of work, plus it was his birthday, and (to be honest) I really just wanted some sunshine and a beach for a couple days! So I’ve been planning this fun four-day adventure for a while, but I kept the location a surprise for J’s birthday. I ended up telling him where we were going the night before we left because trying to pack everything on my own was getting overwhelming, but I was pretty proud of myself for keeping it a secret that long!
We flew down to LA Friday night after work and drove about an hour north to Ventura. We got up early Saturday morning to head to the dock at Ventura Harbor. Channel Islands National Park is just off the coast – Santa Cruz Island, where we were headed, is only about an hour boat ride away. The only way to get there is through Island Packers, a company that runs cruise ships back and forth each day.
The highlight of the boat ride over was getting to see hundreds of dolphins swimming beside our ship! This is the best shot I could get, but they were so fun to watch playing in the wake.
The boat took us to Scorpion Anchorage on Santa Cruz Island (luckily we did not see any scorpions!!). I’d booked us a two-day kayak and camp trip with Santa Barbara Adventure Company, one of the companies that runs tours there. The first day we were with a group of five others, plus our guide, and we kayaked for about three hours along the coast.
The water was very calm, so we were able to see and explore a lot of different caves. Each one had a different name – this one was Elephant’s Belly.
The morning started out pretty overcast, but then around noon the sun came out, and we got saw this beautiful rainbow! It was such a perfect day!
An Oyster Catcher – loved his long orange beak!
We also saw a few starfish
We kayaked for about three hours and then stopped for a lunch break. J and I decided to try some snorkeling next – read about that adventure here!
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