My Idea of Perfect
Tomorrow I leave for the West Coast for the 2nd time in 4 months and I am so excited! Back in May I was out in California visiting the same friend that I'm going to see tomorrow. One of the highlights of that incredible trip was going camping in one of the most beautiful places I've ever been. There's this really amazing place just off the coast of California that most people have never heard about. But after just a short visit a few months back it's somehow still all that I can think about.
Channel Islands National Park is about 20 miles from Ventura and it's made up of 5 separate Islands. We stayed on one of the biggest, Santa Cruz Island. This place is about as close to a deserted Island as you can get without literally being the only ones on the Island. Bathrooms are holes in the ground. There's no stores to buy food or supplies. No hospitals. No buildings, period. (Other than what's left from many, many years ago, when it used to be a sheep farm before everything was flooded). There are no roads, no cars. You sleep on the ground in tents with sleeping bags. You bring your own food (and hope it lasts long enough). There's no electricity for your precious electronics, which is actually the greatest thing ever. There's no street lights or highways. At night you can see more stars than you ever thought existed and even though you're at least a good 1/2 mile from the ocean, you can still hear the waves crashing. The most dangerous thing you'll encounter on the island, is yourself. There are no bears, wolves, coyotes...just little island foxes that want nothing more than to steal your food. There are caves to explore and when you kayak in them, you're likely to spot some seals and sea lions, and may even have a seal follow you around. Even the boat ride to the island is an adventure. If you're lucky, you can spot 8+ whales and thousands of dolphins jumping out of the ocean, and it is absolutely incredible. This place is pretty close to my idea of perfect.
Although this weeks trip to California won't include another adventure on an island, I'm absolutely certain that soon enough I'll be back there, hopefully for more than just one night! And this time with more food than just peanut butter & jelly. :) Until then, I'll just continue to flip through pictures from that trip, and I think if I look long enough, eventually I'll be transported back.
