The Blowhole!

Hello one! Hello all! Quick Whit is back for a whirlwind 2014. For our first trip: Southern California with my Gal Val! Valarie was the first friend I made in DC, and she just moved to Camarillo, CA, a few months ago. Hence the need for a little Bachelorette trip! 

Monday morning came early at about 5:00am. The temperature was a warm 34 degrees--the warmest morning in weeks! The windchill was 23 degrees. Brrr. Off we go to warmer lands! I packed my last-minute items, took out my trash and the house recycling, ran an errand, and drove out to Steve's by 7:45. A quick drive to the airport and a few goodbye smooches later, the cold temps and threats of ice and snow were behind me! Just under 6 hours on the plane and I was in San Francisco, and another short plan ride later, I was being picked up at the Burbank airport by Val and her fiancé, Steve! (I know, so cute, we're both marrying Steves this year!) Burbank was sunny and 72! It was like a little taste of bliss!

Monday evening was spent catching up and seeing their property, including orchards (more on those later!), and a good night's sleep was had by all! 

Tuesday morning dawned beautifully. Steve made us breakfast, Val and I packed our lunches and a change of clothes, and off we went to board a boat bound for the Channel Islands National Park! 

The boat ride to the islands was chilly--though I shan't complain of weather here!--but quite lovely! The water is teal, and you can see very far down. We saw a stellar sea lion, who is quite a ways south of his Alaskan homeland, lying on a sunny buoy. The boat company said they don't see stellar sea lions terribly often, so that was a real treat! Next we saw harbor seals and California seal lions popping up to say hello and to warm themselves, and dolphins raced us! Some people were fortunate enough to see whales, but they seemed shy today, so not many came out to show off. 

And then the islands came into view! We docked and departed onto Scorpion Island and headed straight to the kayak headquarters--we had much to see! Val and I were joined by another couple, Lee and Lindsey, who had just gotten married on Saturday! We all opted for wetsuits and kayak jackets to help us stay warm, and we donned the mandatory helmets and PFDs (personal flotation devices). 

Our guide, Laird, was fantastic! We received instruction on how to carry and row in a kayak, how not to tip over, how not to flip out if we do tip over, how to get into the kayak on land and in the ocean (in case we tip over), how to row, how to do basic maneuvers, and loads of other details! Val and I decided to do a two-person (or tandem) kayak, and we were warned that this could cause a huge rift in our friendship without proper communication! Since Val has loads more on-water experience than I, I told her she was in charge! I'll respect her orders! 

And we were off! Laird helped us all into the water before getting in himself, and we set out to find some sea caves and wildlife! The Channel Islands National Park is home to 15 of the top 20 largest sea caves in the world, including the second largest! The tide was too low and the water too choppy to go into all the caves we saw, but we did get to go inside one! 

Aside from caves, we saw coral, sea urchins, anemones and starfish in all colors of the neon rainbow! We learned about a type of kelp that grows here that's like an underwater tree, and Laird even made a digeridoo from a similar, but much larger, type of the kelp! We glided over these things as if we were zip lining over the rainforest. They waved at us from below and just brushed the surface with their "air bladders," which allow the plant to stay close to the surface so the leaves can get sunlight! We use the slimy stuff in which they're covered for many things, including toothpaste! 

Onward we go! While making our way around, Laird spoke with us about the history of the island (which of course I was very excited about! And I actually was the one asking him to talk about it!). The chain of islands has been called the American Galapagos because there are so many endemic (unique to the island) species! For instance, there are island foxes on each of the islands, but they all have slight variations because of the way they've evolved and adapted to their immediate surroundings, and they've not been able to move from island to island to keep things mixed up! There used to be pygmy wooly mammoths on the islands, and some of the very oldest human fossils have been found there! 

Next we came to the namesake of this post... THE BLOWHOLE! We had just started toward the east side of the island, and ... Thar she blew! The conditions were just right today to create blowholes in the sea caves! Water rushes in, pushes out the air, which creates a vacuum. Then it explodes like the blowhole of a whale! Laird said those were the biggest ones he'd seen in his years of doing this, and we sat watching it happen again and again for at least 15 minutes! It was fascinating, and I'd even call it majestic! It also looked like a water ride at Disney World. ;) 

Val and I have a long history of getting ourselves into very precariously interesting situations. And this day was no different! We got swept onto a rock and ended up at a 45-degree angle before another wave came to sweep us free! Teamwork prevailed, however, and I'm happy to report that we did NOT tip the boat or fall out! I'll freely admit I thought we'd fall out and go under, but Laird's expert training and Val's water mastery got us through on top! =) 

Onward ho! We saw lion's mane jellyfish, which look like plastic grocery bags floating around in the water, and Val got stung by a teal and purple anemone! We got out of our kayaks when we came to a sandbar and explored a part of the island called shipwreck beach--oh dear! Apparently there was a shipwreck there several years ago, and some of the pieces are still scattered about! 

Back into the kayaks and back to the beach! We had been out on the water for over 2 1/2 hours, and it was such fun! I can highly recommend the experience! We got back to the boat in plenty of time and headed back to the mainland a few minutes early. The boat stopped at the blowhole that we kayakers had discovered so everyone could see! People ooohed and ahhhed, and then a big one came a drenched the onlookers on the boat! And then it happened again!  

More dolphins came out to play on our ride back to the mainland, and some folks even saw a whale! I'm so bad at sighting anything, but I'll sure take people's word for it! Now we're back at Val and Steve's house, and Steve is making us supper! Today's adventure may be complete, but tomorrow's adventure is coming! 

Tomorrow… L.A.! I already told Val I feel like a foreigner coming to America for the first time! I'm going to L.A.!