Channel Islands National Park and Whale Watching off the California Coast

well. . .our trip to Channel Island National Park was a bit of a bust. . .

not a COMPLETE bust. . .but not a huge success either. . .



First off. . .the National Park is a Marine Sanctuary located about
12 miles and, an hour and a half by boat, from the mainland. . .



started out so promising. . .clear skies. . .beautiful seas. . .ahhhhh. . .



Dave valiantly whale watching. . .



the brown pelicans flew alongside and
kept us company the entire trip. . .out and back. . .



about an hour out, we began to see the islands,
but the marine haze was really settling in. . .



although on a clear day we could have seen Santa Cruz Island,
today we felt fortunate to see a portion of Anacapa Island



and to view the Anacapa Arch at the East End of the island. . .



this smaller fin whale on the island side of the boat. . .
you can just see the plume to the right of the lady in red. . .



and this larger fin whale on the other side of the boat. . .
the naturalist determined it to be about 65 feet long. . .

these particular whales only surface enough to breath,
and then dive again. . .so pics were very difficult to get. . .



I just sat in one spot, and waited. . .
this is how my side of the boat looked when the captain
would say the whale was surfacing on the other side. . .LOL!

although disappointed in not having more excitement. . .
we still felt as though we got our money’s worth. . .
$33 per senior on Island Packers National Park Concessionaire Boat. . .

would we return, get off on the islands, and explore?  Probably. . .

This wraps up our time in the Los Angeles Area,
and at Soledad Canyon Thousand Trails Park. . .

see you next time in Bakersfield. . .

’til then,
Janice and Dave

LiveJournal Tags: Full Time RV Living,Motor Home Travel,California 2015,Los Angeles CA,Island Packers Cruise,Channel Islands National Park,Brown Pelican,Fin Whale

A Visit to the Ronald Reagan Library–Simi Valley California

I’m only going to show you a few of our very favorite pics. . .

it’s just too much to take in. . .and there’s no way to ever explain it all. . .

plus. . .we went on a Saturday. . .and it was packed,
so I asked the docent if it was better during the week. .

She said they have school groups in every day. . .

hmmm. . .packed with adults vs packed with kids. . .
yeah. ..we’ll stay and deal. . .thanks!



first off. . .when we pulled up in the parking lot. . .
wow. . .look at these beauties. . .



The Corvette Club was having a show. . .



the entry. . .



always love the portraits. . .



campaign slogan. . .



how the teleprompters work. . .I never knew. . .



remember I mentioned packed. . .one of the very congested places. . .



Oval Office



redecorating the State Rooms. . .donated funds. . .

we needed a break. . .a beautiful place for lunch. . .

the line to tour Air Force One. . .yes. . .we waited. . .



jelly beans. . .



actual piece of Berlin Wall



Memorial Site

Simi Valley Vista. . .

This is only a small portion of all there is to see. . .
so much to absorb. . .yes, it was worth it. . .
once we determined to deal with the crowds
and absorb the atmosphere. . .it was great. . .
not sure you could ever take it all in. . .

highly recommend. . .wow!

see you next time whale watching at Channel Islands National Park. . .

’til then,
Janice and Dave

Ronald Reagan Presidential Library VIEW SLIDE SHOW DOWNLOAD ALL

LiveJournal Tags: Full Time RV Living,Motor Home Travel,California 2015,Simi Valley CA,Ronald Reagan Presidential Library

Venice Canals–Marina Bay–Santa Monica Pier–finishing up our tour. . .

.Venice Canals. . .yup. . .that’s one of the canals right there. . .
we passed by it on our way to



Marina del Rey Harbor



and Fisherman’s Village

what a beautiful place. . .

to just be by the water. . .and unwind
we were looking for seals, but the tide was in. . .
so. . .no luck. . .

some beautiful boats




and. . .a fabulous 4 story yacht that you can
charter for only 1 million $$$$ per WEEK. . .wow!

yeah. . .back on the tour bus to reality. . .



next up. . .finally. . .Santa Monica Pier
which reminded me a lot of Navy Pier in Chicago,
only, not nearly as large. . .



the Pier was packed. . .



and the Beach was getting there. . .
still Spring Break y’all. . .



but, we got our End of the Trail – Route 66 pics. . .so we were happy!



Santa Monica California



and my fave. ..
RV’ing on the Boardwalk anyone?

I must say, the first day tour was much better than the second,
but we had a great time. . .definitely got our money’s worth. . .
and we’re glad we came and saw. . .

and now we are done. . .

See you next time at the Reagan Presidential Library in Simi Valley. . .

’til then,
Janice and Dave

LiveJournal Tags: Full Time RV Living,Motorhome Travel,California 2015,Los Angeles CA,Santa Monica Pier,Santa Monica Beach,Marina Del Rey CA

Venice Beach–Los Angeles CA

We determined that of the five routes available on the HopOn/HopOff Tours,
there were only TWO that we were interested in. . .

The first day we did the RED ROUTE
and parked in the garage at the Chinese Theatre. . .

we decided the second day, for the GREEN ROUTE
the better plan was to park in the garage near
Santa Monica Pier and start our tour from there. . .
worked out perfectly. . .

we’ll get on the bus. . .do the tour,
and explore the pier at the end of our day. . .

first stop. . .Venice Beach. . .(see the V)

now. . .a few years ago we were in LA for a cruise,
and arrived a few days early to assist with an
Azusa Street Ministry Drama entitled “The Fire Still Falls”
a powerful musical drama written by our
personal friend Pastor Ken Gurley – First Church – Pearland TX

anyway. . .Dave and I were there a few days before the drama started
to assist with backdrops, props, and all around whatever needed to be done,
and had an opportunity to see a bit of LA. . .but. . .
did not get to see Venice Beach (which a friend told us is NOT to be missed)

so. . .I was DETERMINED to SEE IT this trip. .

.


some interesting art and artists. . .

some so vulgar I wouldn’t show it here,
even if had taken pics. . .which I didn’t


couple of nice murals. . .


very nice bike path. . .

exceptional skateboard park


typical tourist shopping and specialties. . .


Police Station and Police Presence
along the boardwalk. . .

I can definitely see how it would be a
madhouse on the weekends. . .aii yaiiii yaiiiii. . .


the beach itself. . .


clean and lovely. . .at least the day we were there. . .


even the graffitti


was interesting. . .but oh man. . .let me tell you. . .

oh my goodness y’all. . .
there is some stuff goin’ on down there. . .whoooo weee

this does not even begin to show the craziness. . .
it was a zoo on a weekday. . .

and my sensory overload kicked in rather quickly,
which Shorty found quite humorous. . .

wow. . .

you gotta just go walk down there. . .
go on a weekend, so YOU can get the FULL experience. . .

yeah. . .not sure what else to say. . .


after a couple hours of
“oh my goodnessing”
Liz quickly whipped out her handy dandy app
to find out when the next bus would arrive. . .
although Dave says she choose this spot
to check out the hookah pipes. . .LOL!

We did have some good eats. . .
the churros were yummy as was the frozen lemonade. . .

and now, this post has gone on long enough. . .
so I think I’ll save the rest of the tour for next time. . .

Hope I’ve inspired you to visit Venice Beach and Boardwalk. . ha ha!

’til next time,Janice and Dave

LiveJournal Tags: Fulltime RV Living,Motorhome Travel,California 2015,Los Angeles CA,Ventura CA,Ventura Beach