As we made our way over to Pinnacles National Park (one of the “newer” national parks established in 2013) we were delayed for a bit as we had to get an oil change (15,000 miles and counting!) and restock up on supplies so we didn’t get into the park until about 4 pm. There is only one campsite in the park and thankfully the park was pretty sparsely populated with only 2-3 other campers and we had an electric site. Since it was so blazing hot we decided to wait to hike to the Bear Gulch and Reservoir until later in the evening since temps here often swing by 50 degrees in a period of 24 hours.
We went to the visitor center and chatted with a park ranger about where the best place to spot a California Condor was, a vulture with a 9.5-foot wingspan. These birds were almost extinct in the 1980s until a recovery program was initiated. We then donned our bathing suits as the park had a nice pool to cool off in as we waited for the sun to set. We also played some cards.
When we thought it was cool enough, we geared up and followed highway 146 that enters the east side of the park. My husband spotted some California Condors drifting on thermals high above the peaks and we stopped to observe for a bit. Ifyou squint you can see them as specks in the pic below:
We drove a pretty little drive for about 2-3 miles before reaching the Bear Gulch Day Use Area which had a nature center (closed when we were there) and a trailhead to the Moses Spring-Rim Trail which led to the Bear Gulch Cave and the Bear Gulch Reservoir. The trail and cave were a great surprise and ended up being super fun to navigate. The beginning of the trail gave great views of some pinnacles and rock formations and we saw the trail that led to the High Peaks (1,500-ft elevation gain in a couple of miles) and decided to try that one out another time. It looked like a beautiful climb. Instead, I climbed some of the rock formations along our route (something I physically couldn’t have done at the start of this trip – my legs are getting strong from all this hiking).
We made it to the Bear Gulch Cave which is actually a talus cave (“talus” means “ankle” for you non-medical folks and is the name of the main bone in your ankle) which is formed from rocks falling and filling in a narrow canyon. We brought our headlamps and were prepared to navigate. The lower cave was open to roam around in but the upper cave was closed off for the bats – there are 14 different species here. As we exited the cave we began to see the bats dive in and out of the upper part. We had to climb, contort and crawl our way through.
We eventually got out of the talus cave and made it to the reservoir, just missing the sun as it set behind the pinnacles but still providing a warm glow on the remnants of a volcano. I was able to go down to the reservoir and watch the varieties of dragonflies flit around catching their dinner. There are 40 different species that live here.
As we crawled back through the cave, the bats were becoming more active and several dive-bombed our heads as they soared around searching for a tasty moth (apparently there are over 500 species of moths here!). At one point, the evening air was so filled with noise, we stopped to listed to the simultaneous hoot of an owl, screech of another owl, hum of insects and the squeaks of bats. It was more of an adventurous little hike than we planned for and the best part was that there was no one else on the trail. We made it back just in time to barely need our headlights on the scooters to navigate to our camper where we had a stir-fry dinner.
I would definitely like to climb or hike the other trails here if we had more time but I think I would come back when the daytime weather is a bit cooler. It was crazy though how it was 50 degrees when we left in the morning to go to Ventura when it had been over 100 degrees just the evening before.
We left fairly early the next morning as the drive would be long and we wanted to stop in Santa Barbara for some seafood as we drove down the coast on the 101. The cooler air with the sea breeze was rejuvenating. We parked and walked down the wharf with Rocky where there were several seafood eateries and settled on the Santa Barbara Shellfish Company which provided yummy lobster tacos, coconut shrimp and clam linguini. It did not disappoint.
We also found a great ice cream place to get some cones of the creamy stuff as we walked back down the wharf.
We looked for RV parks around Ventura (gateway to the Channel Islands) but the only good one was booked up since it was Labor Day Weekend and all the other parks had reviews which warned you not to even leave your lawn chairs out since theft was such a big issue in the area. Since we knew we would be gone all day and worried for our scooters we decided to book an Air B&B in Casitas Springs (home of Johnny Cash in the 60s) that had a nice big secluded driveway and the hosts were happy to have us park our RV and trailer there.
This worked out great and it was so nice to sleep in a big comfy bed with a down comforter for 3 nights. Before we checked in, we dropped Rocky off at a boarder (no dogs allowed in Disneyland or on Channel Islands) and picked up a rental car (didn’t want to drive the RV or scooters 90 miles to Anaheim). Our hosts were lovely and the accommodations were perfect.
The next day we arose early to spend the day in Disneyland and try and get there when the doors opened at 8. We got there at 8:30, which wasn’t too bad given LA traffic, and stayed till 10 p.m. after the fireworks show. I was a zombie by the end of the day but still got to experience the Disney magic walking down Main Street, USA, loading up on Mickey-shaped beignets, zooming down Splash Mountain and waltzing through Sleeping Beauty’s castle. It really is amazing how it was this one guy’s dream to try and make as many people as he could happy despite all the terrible things going on in the world.
Love it here and would definitely come back. The ride lines didn’t get too long until about 6 pm at night, so if you go in the morning you should be able to get to everything you want to see. I was expecting it to be busier for a holiday weekend.
The next day we got up and drove the rental car to Ventura Harbor where we checked in for our boat tour to Santa Cruz, one of 5 Channel Islands off the southern coast of California. The tour company was called Island Packers and the boat we boarded was “Islander.” It was a foggy morning which had me a little worried about the views but once we reached the island about 2-hours later the fog had disappeared and the sun was shiny.
The ride out was rough and a girl next to us decided to feed the fish, except it didn’t reach the water but rather the whole back deck of the boat. Fortunately it was downwind. I’m glad that I’ve never gotten seasick. This has worked to my advantage thinking back to our honeymoon in Australia – we were on a boat with very choppy water off the coast of Cairns on our way to scuba dive in the Great Barrier Reef when another couple who were supposed to dive with us both got very sick. This allowed my husband and I to have a private scuba lesson on our introductory dive! (To be clear, I’m not glad they got sick, just that it worked out in our favor).
Close to the island, the captain did slow down so we could get a better view of the HUNDREDS of playful dolphins that were following our wake and swimming so close to and under the boat. Really neat to see the baby ones jumping alongside their parents. I love dolphins and still have my childhood dream of being a trainer in the back of my mind.
We finally reached the island and dropped off some folks at Prisoner’s Harbor before sailing around to the north coast to one of the largest sea caves in the world, Painted Cave, that goes about a quarter of a mile into the side of the cliff. I was impressed with how far the captain dared to enter as he barely eked out without loosing an antennae or passenger on the upper deck of the boat. We saw a dead bloated sea lion afloat in the inner part of the cave and apparently there is a colony that makes this place their home. The colors were spectacular and the cave lived up to its name.
We skirted back around to Prisoner’s Harbor and a naturalist on board pointed out the seals in one harbor and the various birds and rock formations as we passed by.
We landed in the harbor and were given 3 hours before we had to board the boat back to Ventura. As I was pooped from the previous day at Disneyland, I decided to walk down a stretch of secluded beach and find a sandy spot to lay my beach towel to take a nap to the sound of waves. My husband decided to take a swim and comb the beach for shells and rocks. It was good to get some rest, though I did burn a little in the Pacific sun.
The ride back was more crowded but less choppy but I still worked up an appetite for more seafood which we found at the Lure Fish House in downtown Ventura when we returned.
Before we left town the next day, we visited the Channel Islands Visitor Center (it was closed by the time we returned on the boat the previous day) to check out the park video, take a picture by the park sign and get our park magnet and postcard. They had a neat little aquarium there. I learned that the national park extends about a mile from the coasts of each island and includes a marine sanctuary with kelp forests – something I would definitely like to check out by diving sometime in the future.
We then picked up the Rockster and dropped off the rental car before venturing southward toward Joshua Tree National Park, but not before taking advantage of more fresh coastal seafood on the harbor at Andria’s Seafood – another win with fish and chips! I thought I was doing good with the not-eating-out thing but I’m a sucker for good seafood.
Another 2 beautiful parks in the books and with September rolling around that means we’ve only got one month left of this trip (10 parks!) which brings mixed emotions. I’m ready for it to end so I can settle into a more regular routine but I also don’t want to stop exploring all that America has to offer.
Class C M.D. 