Disneyland Day 5

Today was supposed to be a slower, quieter day, but it didn't really turn out that way. We had planned an excursion to Channel Island National Park. We weren't really sure what to expect, but we knew our boat left the harbor at 9am. Since it was a 2 hour drive, and we were supposed to be there by 8:15, that meant leaving the hotel very early. By about 6:20, we were all packed up and ready to go. Unfortunately, LA traffic had a different idea. Soon, our arrival went from 8:23 to 8:47, and we were getting worried. When Maps offered an optional route to save us 5 minutes, we worriedly took it. But Mom is great at driving in the California traffic, and we made it to the boat by 8:35. 

We spotted a bunch of crabs while waiting in line for the boat.

The boat ride was an hour, and Seth didn't do very well. He started in the front of the boat and it was really rocking. Soon he was sick. He was a  good trooper, though. Eventually we came across a pod of dolphins. There were dozens of them, and they swooped right over and surrounded the boat. Then they coasted along beside us, leaping in and out of the water. It was thrilling to see them surface right alongside us, almost seeming to say hello with each leap. This happened several times both to and from the island, and it made the trip worth it. We also saw a few humpback whales briefly surfacing, but they didn't stay long.

The boat ride started out well. 

The dolphins were amazing.

There were so many. It was awesome!

Santa Cruz Island in the distance.

We landed at Prisoner's Harbor on Santa Cruz Island. Seth and Mom decided to get off, though the boat did continue out to Painted Cave. This ride was a lot rockier, so we were glad Seth and Mom chose not to go. Not only that, we didn't see much other than the cave. It was pretty cool, and they took the boat right in close so that you could see the walls painted by all the moss and plants growing inside. We had a good long look and then ventured back to Prisoner's Harbor. 

Seth and Mom were so glad to be off the boat.

The views were nice.

We had a lot of fun relaxing together.

The seagulls must have made a huge pile of shells. 

The ocean was peaceful.

Lots of pelicans flying over.

Dad, Dax, and Seth went to painted cave.

The boat even got to go inside.

Inside the cave

The painted cave has lots of colors.

There were also some cool arches.

There is a hike to do in this area, but it is 4 miles with a lot of up and down. They say you can see foxes, which are about the only thing to see other than crabs in the surf and lizards on the rocks. We hiked about two-thirds of the way to the end of the trail and didn't see anything except for a family of three woodpeckers, which were pretty cool.

We were glad to be reunited on the island.

The hike had great views.

The Island Scrub Jay was so pretty.

Back at the dock, we quickly ate the lunch Mom had packed in the early morning. Then, we were sitting, sleeping at picnic tables, and waiting for the boat. Suddenly a fox ran right across the small dirt area. Two dozen people jumped up and ran for a closer look and it was soon gone, but we were glad to catch a few glimpses. 

We waited for the boat.

The Island foxes were so cute.

We got back on the boat and made the return trip. Seth sat in the back against the stern this time and didn't feel sick at all. Finally, we pulled up to the dock around 5:30, later than planned. We found a little restaurant on the beach with live music and ordered food. Mark declared his burger the best he'd ever had, and we all agreed that the food was pretty great. Finally, we made the long drive back to the hotel. It was after 9 pm when we finally pulled in, with another long, exciting day behind us. 

Mom and Seth sat in the back so they didn't get sick.