This may be one of the lesser of the National Parks but I was really looking forward to this trip. Ventura county is between Los Angeles and Santa Barbara counties along the coast and a lot of people think that it represents the true Southern California.
We took the boat to Anacapa Island and it does appear out of the fog like a mirage just as the Chumash Indian name describes it. Our boat didn't actually dock--they worked hard to eradicate the infestation of rats and don't want them back--so they backed the boat against the rusting iron ladder and we stepped from the bobbing boat and climbed up and onto the base area where we had to climb another 153 wood and iron steps to reach the island level.
Then we saw the gulls.
The wildflower season had just ended and although there still some to see, what we saw on the ground were thousands of nesting gulls. The path to the Visitor's Center was lined with nests and most of the gulls, sitting on their eggs, were screeching non-stop as we walked by. It started out being amusing, then became annoying and finally simply part of the background noise. Unfortunately, the same wasn't true of the pungent guano smell: it started out annoying and stayed that way. Dinner time must be a trying time for the resident rangers.
But to be fair, these are fascinating volcanic islands. The views of the smaller outcroppings to the north and south are quite dramatic and on the west side of the island you can look down on black sand beaches with hundreds of sea lions. And seeing the brown pelicans close-up is fascinating. Once highly endangered, they have their only western breeding colonies here and it is an amazing site to see these ungainly-looking creatures take to the air and glide over the water with such effortless elegance.
The island is the site of several Spanish style buildings including the ranger housing and a light house built as a result of the 1853 wreck of the steamer Winfield Scott but you would never guess there was a coast to the east. You really feel like you are in a different world.
The ride back was a real highlight. They maneuvered the boat so that we could get good pictures of the island, its famous arch and even the starfish clinging to the base of the volcanic rock. As we motored away, everyone was on the lookout for whales even though the blue whale season was over and humpback season hadn't begun. And we got lucky.
We sighted a whale breaching but it looked to be a good distance away so we circled around to get a little closer. But the whale didn't get any larger. Then, just ahead of us, a humpback whale the size of a submarine breached and we realized that the smaller one was its calf. The little one breached again sailing over and then returning under its mother and the two continued this way as we watched them moving off on their journey north.
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I wanted to visit the Reagan Library mainly to see the replica of the Oval Office because when you tour the White House they won't let you anywhere near the West Wing.
Apparently each of the Presidential Libraries have re-created the Oval Office to some extent, but this is the only one to replicate it exactly. Even the Resolute desk was recreated to the last detail including the riser that was added to the bottom for Reagan's height. It was quite impressive and the rest of the exhibits were extremely well done even if some of the history wasn't quite the way I remember it.
But by far the best part of the library is the last display. There are two modified Boeing 707's with the blue and white design by Raymond Lowey, that are now retired. One is at the Air Force Museum in Ohio and the other, tail number 27000, used by every President from 1972 until it was retired in 2001, is on display at the Reagan Library. This aircraft displays the configuration from the 1984 upgrade and even now, you can feel the aura of this great American symbol. Even the 25 year-old state-of-the-art technology still impresses. The tour of the inside of this historic airplane alone is a good enough reason to visit the library no matter what your politics.
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We wanted to explore more of the area so we drove through old town Ventura past the Mission, the old Ventura Theater and the magnificent City Hall, but the highlight came as we drove down East Santa Clara Street and saw nothing but classic cars and custom 'rods parked on both sides of the street and then what appeared to be the female cast of Grease crossing in front of us in full costume. It turns out we had simply come upon Jalopy Joe's Monthly Auto Show and Annual Pinup Contest. Great fun.
Then we headed for Ojai for lunch. We drove 15 miles into the mountains above the coastal fog to get to Ojai (another Chumash Indian word, this time meaning Valley of the Moon). The first time I heard of Ojai was when I learned that it was the filming location for Shangri-La in the movie Lost Horizons and it was exactly what I expected. It sits in a very broad and flat valley with a fairly compact layout. We visited Bart's, the famous open-air bookstore and ate lunch across from the Art Center Theater where we watched parents taking their children to a live stage performance of Peter Pan. In addition, there are Ojai's well-known spas and spiritual centers as well as the Film, Music and Poetry festivals that are international in scope. It really comes across as a beautiful university town without the drawback of hordes of students.
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I'm still not sure if Ventura County is the real Southern California or not, but I have to give it props for making its best case. As we sat in our hotel room the night before we left, the ground began to shake in that all too familiar way and nothing says "Welcome to California" like a little 4.5 earthquake.
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This is the last of the original emails.
All future reports will be published here.
Next up: Denali and Glacier Bay National Parks.
All future reports will be published here.
Next up: Denali and Glacier Bay National Parks.
