Santa Cruz Island

Wednesday Nov. 24, 2010 - Santa Cruz Island

We all awoke in good spirits & hit the road by 5:45am. We had a 9am ferry to catch to one of California's 8 Channel Islands, Santa Cruz Island. Santa Cruz Island is located 20 miles off California & is the largest of the Channel Islands at 22 miles long & 2-6 miles wide. Santa Cruz is also the most diverse with interesting geological features including two mountain ranges, many canyons & a rugged shoreline. There are at least 600 plant species, over 120 species of land birds & a vast expanse of wilderness area.

Our early morning ride to the terminal went great & we all arrived in Ventura Harbor on time! It was a lovely yet brisk day full of heavy winds, which led to us having a very adventurous ride to Santa Cruz Island; one that will definitely go down in our book as the most memorable boat ride for the sea worthy & not so sea worthy fans.

As we approached the island, a bit north of Anacapa Island, we can already notice the dramatic scale of its mountains in comparison to our home, Catalina Island. Sea lions, seals & sea birds were easily found in masses.

By the time we settled at Scorpion Campground, some restored their bodies by napping in tents while others took advantage of the last few hours of daylight to discover the island.

Our first night was a challenge for all do to the 35 degree weather. I think most of us wore every layer we brought on the trip, however didn't let that prevent some of us from doing a short night hike to Scorpion Cove just below our campground.

Thursday Nov. 25

Today was a swell Thanksgiving; Or as we called it, 'KatesGiving' in celebration of Kate Clovers birthday. Since it was our first full day on the island, we all packed up lunches & headed on a 7 mile roundtrip hike to Smugglers Cove. Even though we were on a totally different island, there was an aspect of it that felt familiar; to that of living on Catalina.

Throughout the day we were introduced to plants & animals, old & new. While hiking we saw a familiar Catalina invasive, fennel. Another Santa Cruz invasive plant identified was mullein. The endemic manzanita shrub & Santa Cruz Island Fox were often sited as well. It was interesting to also see some similar wild flowers growing on Santa Cruz; like the white morning glory flower, which will soon be happening on Catalina Island. Definitely excites us all for a green spring arrival on the island.

We headed back to camp in different waves & soon got to preparing 'Katesedillas,' in substitution for a turkey. Kate Clover's favorite food is quesedilla's & it was her first Thanksgiving celebration since she is from Burmingham, England. To substitute pumpkin pie.....cookies from Trader Joe's.

Friday Nov. 26

Do to high winds on Wednesday & Thursday, we were advised to not kayak till Friday. We rented four double kayaks which some got to enjoy while exploring the islands great ocean caves & snorkeling the cold waters to see the abundance of sea stars & sea urchins. The other option was to hike to Potato Harbor, which offered stunning north views of the island, steep ocean cliffs & mainland in the distance.

Our time on the island came to an end late afternoon. The waters were very smooth & the wake of the boat welcomed hundreds of dolphins halfway through our ride. Fortunately we just had a 3 mile ride to our accommodation in Ventura @ Kyla's friends house & were welcomed with great hospitality. A big 'Thank You' to Scott, Casey, John & Kaitlin for letting us all crash.