Day 224, Sept 6, The Channel Islands

A good nights rest in an impossibly comfortable hammock gently swaying under the eucalyptus trees revives the spirit. So off we set first thing in the morning for a 5-hr kayak trip up and down the coast of Santa Cruz Island exploring numerous sea caves of varying depth and ferocious wave activity. Luckily, the infamous Santa Ana winds never kicked in, so we just kept ditching into and out of caves as we deemed safe.  Because we had an early start, the dozens of day trippers hadn’t materialized yet, so we had the entire coastline of sea cliffs to ourselves. 

But as fascinating as the caves were, the forests of sea kelp beneath us were every bit as bewitching. We kayaked in the Santa Cruz Marine Preserve where fishing and shipping is restricted, and the unmolested sea kelp seems to grow without boundaries. Because the pacific waters here are so cold and clean, visibility extends to the bottom where shallow, and we glided over and through countless forests of seaweed-green kelp beds, acres upon acres of them. We were lucky enough to catch a glimpse of the elusive neon bright orange Garabaldi, the California state fish. Finally worn out, sore and hungry, we beached for lunch and spent the afternoon wave watching until it was time to board our return cruise. 

Good deeds:  Yesterday was super hot, and we came across a woman sitting in the shade who was as red as a beet.  I told her, “You don’t look too good,” whereupon she replied, “I don’t feel too good.”

I told her she was suffering from heat exhaustion and that if she didn’t get at least a liter of fluid in her quickly, she’d progress to heat stroke and it doesn’t get better from there. I also told her they if she presented to the ER right now, we’d give her at least 2 liters of IV fluid. Her husband then started pushing her to drink from his platypus reservoir, but she shirked it off and told him she didn’t like how his water tasted. They had plenty of water, and I told her the answer was drink, drink, drink, but I didn’t want to interfere more as the advice I’d given hadn’t been solicited and I didn’t want to force myself. I headed off to camp laden with my backpack while Aaron, still quite green from seasickness, took a break in the shade with the heat-stroke lady. Seizing an opportunity, he flagged down a park employee, ratted out our heat-stroke lady who was still refusing her husbands ill-tasting water, and told her this woman was in trouble. On the spot, the ranger radioed for help, and our victim was soon brought icy cold water bottles and a cooling rag. By the time I dumped my heavy load at camp and retraced my steps to collect Aaron and  check on our lady, she was looking so much better. Her color had softened and she was much less lethargic and she thanked Aaron and I for stepping in. I’m grateful for my wise companion who didn’t hesitate to ratchet up our intervention. I offered counsel, but Aaron made things happen.

Three amazing things:

#1- Exploring sea caves from a kayak proved to be one of the highlights of our USA journey. It can make one made kinda giddy with childlike excitement, especially when one judges the surf and tide just right so as to safely shoot through a small aperture that the rest of the world doesn’t even know exists. 

#2- Vast acres of sea kelp making up an entire forest beneath our kayaks was as impressive as were the cliffs and caves above water. These kelp trees grow up to 2 feet daily and were  clearly visible in the cold clear waters below us. 

#3- The abundance of life all around us occupied my attention every bit as much as the kelp forests and sea caves. We visited rookeries of cormorants, gulls, oyster catchers, and my favorite the great California brown pelican and we also spied bald eagles and peregrine falcons. Additionally, we happened upon a couple of seals basking on the rocks. 

#4- We paddled much further than we’d expected to, and I’m so glad we did as we stumbled into protected Potato Harbor, a place of incredible beauty and solace. We docked for a while to take in the gorgeous serenity of this place which reminded me of Greece. Was just exquisite.

#5- On the return cruise trip, we came across three pods of dolphins one of which contained week-old babies. This particular pod of about 100 dolphins stayed alongside us playing in the wake for almost 15 minutes. They are the ultimate surfer, are incredibly fast, sleek and powerful, and are absolutely mesmerizing to watch.

#6- After our return, dear friends from St George, Ken and Jody Beck, met us for dinner at the Ventura Harbor. Jodi hails from and loves Ventura and returns upon any excuse, and Ken was able to arrange business there to coincide with our visit. How lovely it was to meet these greatest of folks for a fabulous evening! Too fun!