Living full time in our motor home allows us to be Ready To Go. . .on to the next adventure!

Golden Gate Bridge - San Francisco Skyline as seen from the Marin Headlands - California

Monday, March 30, 2015

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. . .

Whale Watching Tour

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

Whale Watching Tour

Dave valiantly whale watching. . .

Whale Watching TourWhale Watching Tour

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

Whale Watching Tour

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

Whale Watching Tour

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

Whale Watching Tour

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

Whale Watching TourWhale Watching Tour

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. . .

Whale Watching Tour

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. . .

Whale Watching Tour

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


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