Santa Cruz is one of the Channel Islands, which have National Park designation. How could it not be absolutely incredible? I read about sailing to the Channel Islands during the post-move runaway to Ventura (long story) when I spotted them off the coast and got an urge to go there. The article made a point to say it's not a place for Anchoring 101, but since Mack and I have dropped the anchor exactly one time for less than an hour, we are clearly Anchoring 102 now. We are ready to sail to the Channel Islands, where fog, weird currents, and gale gusts are the norm.
I decided to call my day trip to California paradise "research" because it made me feel like less of an asshole to be out having an awesome time while work tried to kill Mack.
I caught the ferry and off we went into the marine layer. The swells were there trying to beckon my seasickness, but I resisted the temptation to drug myself. Instead I laid my head down on the table in the galley area and thought about kittens and M&Ms for an hour.
When we landed at the dock, we climbed up a little metal ladder and time warped thru Scorpion Anchorage.
Santa Cruz used to be an entire island ranch dedicated to sheep rearing and shearing. Now it's a land of hikes along bluffs and coastal caves and giant bluejays and tiny foxes. I juuuusst made it to the campground when I got my first peek at a tiny fox. I slowed down, acted invisible, and quickly discovered they couldn't care less about people. They acted like cats and looked like little dogs.
I only had a few hours to explore so I chose to do two hikes, one to Cavern Point and from there to Potato Harbor. Cavern Point boasted "extraordinary bluff views" and Potato Harbor was a doable distance given my time frame. Off I went.
The landscape, except for a wind sock on a hill, was essentially untouched. I walked through yellow-flowered shrubs, pink succulents, dry grasses, clusters of little mini forests that looked like a place Smurfs would live, dandelions on steroids, wild white morning glory, tall stick hallways. The plant life came in boluses and was different all along my hike. I had no idea what I was looking at, but it was amazing.
California's coast is widely known for its breathtaking views. The trips I have taken up Hwy 1 always take twice as long because you HAVE to pull over at every turn to pause to soak up the beauty you are seeing. That being said, the views on Santa Cruz Island required you to sit down and stare, filling your brain with wows and oh my gods and what an incredible world we live on. Just look.
I assume that Cavern Point is so named because it has little caves all along it, caves that kayakers go exploring. The water around the coast looks remarkably calm and serene, but that was probably just the luck of the day. I overheard some kayakers say exploring was the easy part but paddling back to their take-out point sucked because they had to go against the current. Nothing about it sucked from a hiker's perspective!
One of the my favorite sights was the kelp forest. Normally I think of kelp and think of smelly bulbs and waxy leaves drawing flies all over the beach, but this kelp at Santa Cruz looked like a swirl of paint, beautiful the same way the rainbow from an oil slick is. It was mesmerizing, from its movement to its colors -- so much so I'd say it was therapeutic.
As I made my way from Cavern Point to Potato Harbor, I was forced to take in more brain exploding beautiful vistas. Nevertheless, I forged onward.
From high on the bluff you could see the draw for kayakers. There are dozens of little nooks that would be so fun to explore. Like this one, seen up there from afar.
Watching the ocean was like watching a living canvas. The kelp swayed like a well-worn brush, boats painted white ribbons across the blue green water, and pods of dolphins speckled the surface with a texture all their own. Nature is magical.
By far my favorite part of the day was the hike into Potato Harbor. I walked along a service road, mostly in solitude and swelling with gratitude. It smelled like hay and salty air. I watched birds overhead and lizards run across the path. This was very important research I was doing.
As I rounded back to the ocean, I saw Potato Harbor. A guy was laying out on a ridge with the best view, so I got all up in his relaxing space to get a taste of the sights. I'm sure I said something incredibly clever like, "Wow, isn't this beautiful?" and he responded with, "Yeah, it seems like it deserves a better name than Potato Harbor."
I'm not sure if boats are allowed to anchor in Potato Harbor. I saw a couple down in there, maybe fishing or being support for kayakers, but a lot of the coast of Santa Cruz is protected and you can't anchor. If it's allowed, we are going there.
I decided to spend the last hour on the island with my feet in the sand and taking a nap under the shade of a cliff on the beach. It was so relaxing I had to set my alarm on my phone so I wouldn't sleep thru my ferry home.
Here's to you California. You are heaven on earth. Heaven that makes its own beer.
1 comment:
You had me with everything else amazing, and then I literally DIED when I saw the fox cubs. Because, well, you know. Love this post! I want to drive Highway 1 with you one day ; but we'll have a driver so that we can drink and stop as often as we want!
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