We drove to Oxnard this morning, 45 minutes south of Santa Barbara to catch our Channel Islands sightseeing tour boat, the Vanguard, to Anacapa Island to view the wildlife. It took almost an hour to get to Anacapa, one of five of the islands in the Channel Islands National Park. Anacapa is composed of a series of three islets; one with a lighthouse built by the Coast Guard and which is the only islet of the three that allows visitors. Our boat took a couple of kayaking groups and several hikers but you’d never find me climbing up to the top of those rugged cliffs nor climbing down and getting into a kayak. What was I possibly thinking when I actually considered kayaking with the orcas in the San Juan Islands in Washington?
Anacapa is rugged and beautiful, mostly barren, especially at this time of year. There are lots of caves and arches. The weather couldn’t have been more beautiful. We did experience some sea spray because Honora and I sat on the port side of the boat with most of the spray but the crew of the Vanguard were very accommodating and presented me with a Ziploc bag to protect my camera from the elements. We discovered that some of the wildlife on Anacapa was of the human variety. I looked up and saw a person with a camera perched precariously atop the cliff. Oy Vey! Then a couple of kayakers paddled by. We also saw sea lions and brown pelicans, Brandt cormorants and the cliffs of Anacapa sported lots of guano. It was a perfect day for the three hour trip. We returned to port covered with salt spray and with windburn on our faces but it was a fascinating excursion…stunning landscapes and interesting “wildlife.”
