Nomad Life - Day 83

With an optional day off from work (Veterans Day), I woke up at 0430 (no alarm required) and started teleworking immediately.  Outside, the weather looked good at first but then the marine layer arrived - after that, it got very wet and there were cooler temps (50s).  I worked until 0730 and then packed up my car for my trip the the Channel Islands!  I left Naval Base Ventura County and drove through the fog towards Oxnard.  Along the way, I passed several large fields full of farm workers (harvest time).  As I usually do on Veterans Day, I made s few stops to get special deals.  The morning edition of this exercise included picking up Wendy's breakfast to go (0745), sitting down in Denny's for a Grand Slam breakfast (0800) and then sitting down in IHOP for a Red, White, & Blueberry Pancakes breakfast (0830).  I felt stuffed afterwards but was glad I had a chance to get some freebees.  Next, I drove a short distance to Ventura Harbor - on the way, I watched surfers and was glad to see the weather improving.  After parking, I got my boarding passes (0900)  for the Island Packers ferry to Santa Cruz Island and then went walking nearby.  Unfortunately, the Government Shutdown prevented me from entering the nearby NPS Visitor Center but I figured that I was still lucky that I had a boat to take me to the Main Event...  Boarding for the "Islander" started at 0930 and I was onboard about 10 minutes later.  We left the harbor at 1000.  While I was covering myself in sunscreen, a family of four (I later learned their names were Patrick, Keri, Emmy and Eila) asked if they could borrow some - of course, I obliged.  This led to a day-long interaction with the family and we talked a lot about travel, vacation, wildlife, etc.  It made my heart feel good to watch all of them when they saw the harbor seals (on a channel marker), hundreds of common dolphins and two pairs (separated by about a mile) of humpback whales.  The trip to Santa Cruz Island was supposed to take just over an hour but the Captain dawdled so much with the whale watching that we were significantly delayed.  Along the way, we got views of the entire profile of Anacapa Island - very pretty.  Several passengers got pretty seasick during this transit and it made for some uncomfortable scenarios...  We ultimately landed at the anchorage at Scorpion Bay at 1145.  After getting off of the ferry, we had to attend a Day Visitor orientation briefing from "Ranger Brady".  It irked me to watch several other guests who had brought plastic shopping bags (banned) and skipped the briefing.  Along the way, the rest of us learned that the island was a former sheep ranch and called by the Chumash Indians "Limuw".  We were shown examples of "Northern Island morning glory" (Calystegia macrostegia), an endemic vine to the northern Channel Islands with large, funnel-shaped flowers that are often white and informed that sightings of the Scrub Jay and Island Fox (both endemic to Santa Cruz Island) were possible.  By 1200, we were cleared to go walking and I did a little exploring nearby.  During this window, I wasn't able to find a place to rent kayaks - I saw groups near the boat landing when we arrived - and just resigned myself to hiking.  With that decision made, I walked up to the ridge above Scorpion Bay (to Cavern Point) and then continued on to the Potato Harbor viewpoint - this was about 3.5 miles one way.  An earlier ferry had dropped off several dozen other passengers so there were very few places where I didn't see a human in the picture frame.  Despite the crowds, though, I marveled at the many thousands of pelicans soaring along the coast.  I even heard sea lions at Potato Harbor and was surprised to find a private sailboat anchored there.  The weather was still good (low 70s, sunny) but the marine layer partially blocked views of  the Mainland (only the tops of the Santa Monica Mountains were visible).  I dilly dallied at the turnaround point and ate a ClifBar snack before heading back towards the ferry landing.  Eventually, I used the Potato Harbor Road to reach the campground.  At this latter location, I was able to do a lot of birding (22 species, including Island Scrub Jay) - I got help from another birder in identifying four new species for me!  On my way back to the harbor, I encountered an Island Fox - he was fearlessly sitting along the trail.  Many, many other visitors had realized this by the time I arrived so I didn't tarry long.  Instead, I checked out the Snorkel, wetsuit, kayak rental shack and some signs/displays about the Channel Islands I found near the historic visitor center.  Back at landing by 1500, I queued up with the other passengers so we could board the "Islander" again.  I'd had a great time (walked more than seven miles) and was satisfied when we departed Santa Cruz Island (1530).  On the way back to the Mainland, we didn't make any stops and just powered straight through to Ventura Harbor.  We got views of a pretty sunset developing and pleasant views (through mists) of the receding Channel Islands.  Patrick and Keri talked to me a lot of the way back (their kids were cold and had retreated inside the cabin) and I learned they were both teachers.  They picked my brain about trips I'd made and thanked me for assisting them during the morning hours.  We arrived at the Island Packers pier by 1640 and quickly got off boat.  Almost immediately, I resumed by quest for Veterans Day deals.  First, I stopped at Little Caesars (1700) but learned they'd just stopped giving away food an hour before.  Undeterred, I went to a nearby In & Out Burger and got a free meal (1730).  The place (including the parking lot and drive through) was a madhouse!  Somehow, I got my food (including a delicious strawberry shake) and next drove to area in Oxnard where a Chili's, Little Caesars and Buffalo Wild Wings were located.  With all these choices, it was hard to decide - I ultimately ate (at the bar) at the latter spot (arrived at 1800).  Though it wasn't included, I ordered a beer and enjoyed it with my free meal.  Finished eating at 1845, I headed back to NBVC and was in my room by 1900.  I did another hour of teleworking to cap off my (half) day and then caught up on some reading, puzzles and blog entries.  My evening was capped off by watching movies - this delayed my bedtime until 2300.  Very glad for my two trips to the Channel Islands this week - it's a beautiful area and I'm pleased that there was such fine weather for excursions by boat!