Channel Islands & Ventura
Channel Islands was the eighth out of California’s nine national parks that I’ve been lucky enough to visit. Armed with our newfound immunity, we planned a road trip in June down to Southern California, where we could take a ferry out to the islands. There are actually five channel islands, and we visited just a tiny corner of the largest of them, Santa Cruz. There’s still so much more to explore on future trips!
The adventure begins immediately on the ferry ride over! Soooo many common dolphins, all around the boat.
Misty island sightings.
We signed up for a four-hour sea caves kayaking tour! It was pretty fun, a bit tiring, but we did actually go through or in and out of several caves along the shore. We made the mistake of not bringing snacks with us on the kayaks, but we got to munch on seaweed plucked fresh from the ocean. And although Alex got video clips on his GoPro, I ended up not bringing a phone or camera. So unfortunately, no cool photos of the caves or of the harbor seal that popped up right next to us and eyed us curiously. Alas.
Back on the land, there was just enough time to visit the visitor center and do a short hike before we needed to board the ferry back. We learned about the Chumash people of these lands. We also learned that when animals become island-bound over generations, they become mini versions of the mainland counterparts in order to conserve resources. There were once pygmy mammoths that were only 4 feet tall on this island! And now, there are island foxes that are the size of small cats that roam all over. They are always on patrol for food.
Alex went up for a small hike for a view over the water while I stayed at the bottom for a little rest.
A tiny glimpse at the shoreline that we kayaked. And just like that, it was time for the return back to the mainland.
Fried seafood for dinner. And a visit to the National Park visitor center the next day, where we got to see just how tiny of a portion of one island we actually visited.
Then we took a tiny jaunt through Ventura. First, coffee from Prospect.
A market next door… and the old Mission downtown.
A tiny portion of a very elaborate tiled mural wall at the Mission. I spy a harbor seal, common dolphins, an island fox, and a pelican! All animals we actually saw!
We grabbed some pasta from this Italian market, Peirano’s.
Just around the corner, a tribute to the old Chinatown that once stood here.
The original Patagonia store!
And that was it for our brief trip to Channel Islands and Ventura. See the rest of the trip in the series linked below!
Anna Wu is a wedding and portrait photographer based in San Francisco. She compulsively documents and blogs all of her daily adventures, even in quarantine. Follow her on instagram and view more of her professional work at annawu.com.
Part 1: A Day in Santa Barbara
Part 2: Solvang & Los Olivos
Part 3: Channel Islands & Ventura
