Nomad Life - Day 80

Surprisingly, I slept very well in my Navy Inn room last night!  Without an alarm, I was awake by 0530 and felt quite rested.  I spent the morning reading, doing puzzles and completing Duolingo exercises before moving into some kore serious organizing and updating of my financial records.  Heard National Anthem (very clearly) from my room on Base (0800).  Along the way, I made arrangements for some boat tours of the Channel Islands later in the day and on Veterans Day (a holiday for me).  Meanwhile, it was overcast (marine layer) and temps were in the 60s outside.  I was also able to talk with Mollie for about an hour before I got ready to leave Naval Base Ventura County (1100).  After driving through huge farm fields, just outside the base, my first stop was at the Staples in Camarillo - I've gotten in the habit of recycling old tech and I didn't want to miss my chance to gain some reward points for the month of November...  I finished with this errand at 1135 and then tried to figure out the can/bottle redemption process (I was steered towards a Ralph's in Ventura by a clerk in a local gas station).  Next, I went next door to get some lunch at Del Taco (1150).  I ate in the car and considered why it's been so hard for me to understand the people I've been meeting in California.  It seems to me that they talk very fast and possibly at some kind of relaxed/lower register.  Not sure why but it's been hard...  Also, I'm not too happy about the pushy people I keep meeting around here - they refuse to wait their turn and get right up to the counter while I'm still standing there...  Seems like maybe I'm getting to be grumpy old man.  Finished with my meal, I drove for a few more miles until I reached the harbor area for the Channel Islands (located in Oxnard).  I checked in with the Island Packers office at 1245 and got my boarding pass.  After that, I walked around the area near the marina, doing some bird watching, looking at maps and trying to get a feel for this part of California.  At 1315, the tour boat returned from its morning excursion to the islands and, once those passengers had disembarked, the new group (including me) started to get onboard.  Good seating was limited but I was in a good place (in the stern of "Vanguard") by the time we departed the pier (1330).  On the way out of the harbor, we passed sea lions and seals that were sunning themselves on the jetties and beaches.  By this point, the temps had risen into the 70s and the sun had come out - what a beautiful day!  Once clear of the last marker, "Vanguard" opened up the speed and we headed towards our destination: Anacapa Island, known as "Anyapax" by the Chumash (the local Native Americans).  We passed one of the off-shore oil drilling platforms that I recall from one of my earlier visits to the West Coast - we were told that most of them are being tapped and closed now.  The tour guide for the boat told us about the area, the wildlife and the overall agenda but made lots of disclaimer statements about "this is not a whale watching tour".  Not 10 minutes after this last comment, I saw a clear "thar she blows" indication off the port bow.  A few minutes after that, we were in the middle of a school of more than 1000 common dolphins and 7-10 humpback whales!  On top of that, there were countless California Brown Pelicans diving into the water and soaring above us.  The tour guide then commented that he’d never seen so many of these animals all together at once.  What an amazing treat.  We might have stayed in that one spot for the next few hours but "Vanguard" still had about 30 minutes left to reach the landing on Anacapa Island and we needed to drop off a passenger there.  Reluctantly, then, we continued driving west until we got to the island.  The arrival was marked by a spectacular image of a natural arch (small island next to the larger one) and there were SO MANY pelicans on the rocks above us!  By this point, I'd already talked to the passenger who was planning to disembark and learned that he was planning to stay overnight on the island.  Even with all of his equipment (including a lot of water), I still wondered if it would be any fun to spend so much time surrounded by the giant pelican colony...  After we let him off the boat, our captain took us back to the natural arch and made a full pass of the entire northern side of Anacapa Island.  All I can say is - "wow"!  The rocky cliffs, arches and caves, bird life and general vibe of the volcanic island was like nothing I'd expected or planned for before I arrived at Point Mugu last night.  My amazement and/or contentment must have shown through because I next found myself in a conversation with a younger woman with a NetJets sweatshirt - she was apparently on a business trip (from Ohio) and was on a mission to visit all the National Parks.  She went farther than telling me that, though, and I learned that she has been frustrated by her boyfriend's dislike of travel.  I got the feeling that she turns business trips into personal trips to get the kind of adventure she wants, since she knows that she won't have a chance when we has leave from work.  Seemed like a sad story to be but she kept trying to justify her position so I let her go on about the benefits.  Meanwhile, we'd turned around and were heading back towards Oxnard.  At this point (1530), the sun had clearly started towards the horizon and the temps started to drop back into the 60s.  I looked around and noticed that I was the only person not wearing long pants and long sleeves. In my defense, it was only about 72 hours ago that I was in high 80s with 80% humidity - this weather was absolutely awesome to me.  We got some more whale, common dolphins and pelicans watching on the way back - it never got old, no matter how many spouts I saw or how many dolphins breached the surface.  The misty views of Anacapa Island, receding behind us, were amazing too.  As we got back into the harbor, we were treated to more sea lions and seals and my bird count for the day continued to increase.  "Vanguard" docked at the pier by 1650 and, by then, the sun had reached the waterline.  I tried to get to my car in time to drive across the street to the beach (to watch the "official" sunset) but then heard "Retreat" playing from Port Hueneme so knew I'd missed my chance.  Instead, I drove to a nearby Ralph's (grocery store on Channel Islands Boulevard in Oxnard) to do some shopping.  Surprisingly (after the sticker shock for everything in California), the costs were quite good and I set myself up for a full week in the Navy Inn.  By 1735, I was only way back to Naval Base Ventura County (arrived at 1750).  It took me several more trips to/from the car to make sure I could complete my post-trip unpacking/repacking.  Meanwhile, I did some laundry, did some more financial organization and prepped for Sunday activities by communicating with Keith T (a Navy colleague who grew up in this area).  I also made dinner in my room and relaxed with some more reading, puzzles and movies on my tablet.  I got distracted at one point in the latter activity and, before I realized, it was 2345!  I turned off the light quickly and was sleeping before midnight.  What a great day of wildlife and amazing views!