islands of the blue dolphin

 welcome to the magnificent and diverse

 channel islands national marine sanctuary & national park

close to the california mainland, yet worlds apart, the channel islands national marine sanctuary 

and national park encompass the ocean environment and five of the eight california channel islands 

(anacapa, santa cruz, santa rosa, san miguel and and santa barbara). the sanctuary and park bridge

two biogeographical provinces, and, in a remarkably small area, harbor thousands of species of plants

and animals. one hundred and forty-five of these species are found nowhere else in the world.

 cultural resourses date back 13,000 years. 

the islands' remote, isolated position at the confluence of two major ocean currents creates 

remarkable biodiversity. the mingling of cool, nutrient-rich waters from the north with warm

currents from the south form a dynamic transition zone that is home to a myriad of sea life 

from microscopic plankton to blue whales

 an aerial view of the channel islands

and scorpion anchorage at santa cruz island, our destination

we're here! 

 foxy welcome

 setting up the tent is strenuous work

just kidding!

 camp is set up, tommorrow we'll paddle, today we're going on a hike...

 we made our way to potato harbor, see the kayakers far below? they have paddled over from scorpion anchorage

 super exciting, my sister met us at the harbor this morning and came out for the day!

hiking back towards cavern point...do you see those small dots (people) at the very top of this very sheer, very steep cliff? 

four 'o clock already, my sister is taking the boat back home now

* * * 

the following morning, time to paddle!

chuck is our guide. we took two double kayaks, hannah and matt in one, chuck and i in another. i like this a lot since it makes it much easier to take photos...

the sights and sounds of sea caves!

we paddled in some caves that were almost entirely dark

it's a relief to see the light

this cave is named sharks tooth for the jagged rocks that hang down from the ceiling. at this tide you have to lie all the way back in the kayak and work with the surging water to inch your way out...

this cave is very large, we carefully checked for sealife that may have been using the beach

in the far back, so as not to disturb them. it was empty

just incredibly beautiful ocean water

a curious sea lion

stopping for a little break

and a kiss

and a swim

my girl is part mermaid, the water is cold!

some caves require finesse to get in

a harbor seal resting upon a rock

back to scorpion, thank you chuck, so very much! you are the world's best kayak guide (even if i'm biased because you are my husband)   :)

* * * 

later that afternoon, another hike

this time there was a trail, and then there wasn't...

there was beautiful scenery

we rock hopped an hour up a canyon until we came to this

a bit of a road block

even though the guys made it up the boulders, it was decided this would be a good time to turn around
and head back...

our time on the island is over, we need to pack up, the boat is on it's way to take us 

 home to the mainland

waiting on the pier

bye islands, we'll be back

bye foxes, be good

bye blue dolphins, thank you for another magical time! thank you for reading, i hope you enjoyed,
it is always such a pleasure to share!

for information on camping and kayaking at channel islands national park click on the links below:

channel islands outfitters

recreation.gov

island packers

p.s. these are the islands that are written about by scott o'dell in this book, a favorite from my childhood