Channel Islands National Park - June 7, 2008

After one of the toughest boat rides I've ever been on (2 hours of up and over the waves heading out from Ventura to Santa Cruz Island), I spent a glorious day on Santa Cruz Island. The trip was organized by the National Parks Conservation Association in conjunction with the Nature Conservancy. 76% of Santa Cruz Island is owned and managed by the Nature Conservancy while the other 24% is managed by the National Park Service. Our group of about 40 was given access to the Nature Conservancy portion of the island where we disembarked on a private dock at Prisoners Harbor and hiked two miles to the main ranch which has been renovated from its beginnings back in the 1800's. Often referred to as the Galapagos Islands of the north, the wildlife and vegetation is unique. For example, we saw the scrub jay, a larger variation on the blue jay. After a delicious lunch and choices of hikes in the area, we returned to the dock and thankfully had a smoother ride back to the mainland as the sun was setting. Well worth the effort to see this special place - so close to the large population in southern California yet so far away.