In between all of the family time and beach relaxation, Steve and I really wanted to sneak away for an adventure, just the two of us – like old times!  So we asked my parents to take the kids off our hands for an entire day; they were happy to oblige, and bright and early on Wednesday morning, we found ourselves at Ventura Harbor getting ready to board the Island Explorer for the ride out to Channel Islands National Park.

Look at us!  I feel like we’ve been together forever, but I also can’t believe that we recently celebrated twelve years of married adventuring.  He’s still my favorite person to hit the trails (or the high seas) with.

I am Moana of Motonui.  You WILL board my boat…

Heh.

As we chugged out of Ventura Harbor, the captain came on the loudspeaker and pointed out a bouy off the starboard side.  “Do you see the seals?” he asked.  “Yeah!” cried half the boat excitedly.  “No you don’t!” he chortled in reply.

Because they’re SEA LIONS.  Steve and I did not make that mistake.  We know our pinnipeds, thankyouverymuch.

It was a bit of a hazy and choppy day, but we got up a good clip and it wasn’t long before we had company – Pacific common dolphins, riding the wake!

And then, up ahead – Santa Cruz Island.

It was so exciting to approach the island.  I put a lot of thought and planning into this adventure, and Steve and I had both been looking forward to it with great anticipation for months.  I couldn’t believe we were finally there!

The island was gorgeous.

Steve was excited, too.

We pulled into the cove, docked, and headed off for a briefing by one of the Channel Islands National Park Rangers, who gave us the lay of the land and some instructions for the day.  About half of the folks on our boat were there to explore or camp on their own, and the other half – including us – had other plans in mind.  But more about that next week.

Our morning was free – our big, exciting, planned adventure didn’t start until after lunch – so we trotted off on a hike, keeping an eye open for the island foxes the Ranger promised we’d see everywhere.  He wasn’t kidding – one of our first wildlife sightings of the hike was a couple of island foxes trotting along the main road.  They’re the biggest mammal predator on the island, so they have some swagger.

I say it every time I hike far from home – one of my favorite things to do while traveling is to hike in places with a completely different landscape from what I’m used to.  Joshua Tree delivered, and so did Channel Islands.

We headed past the campsite and into the hills, and started climbing almost immediately.

The trail and the scenery were so beautiful – I couldn’t stop smiling.

Our plan was to hike a five-mile loop – from the boat dock to Potato Harbor and then Cavern Point, then back in time for lunch and our p.m. adventure.  We felt lighter than air without our usual (adorable) encumbrances, and we practically bounced the entire five miles.

The usual loop hits Cavern Point first, but we had it on good authority that we should hike the loop backwards, in light of the weather.  The hope was that if we got the inland walking out of the way and hit Potato Harbor first, the mist would have lifted slightly for our walk back along the bluffs, giving us better views.  So we headed for Potato Harbor first.

I loved seeing the diversity of plant life on the island.  From the water, and especially on a grey day, the islands looked like a lot of forbidding rock, and a little bit of brown grass.  Once we got up onto the bluffs, we were amazed by how much there was to see.

And then, before we knew it, we’d made it to beautiful Potato Harbor!

Don’t ask me to explain why it’s called Potato Harbor.  We asked everyone who looked like they might know anything about the park, and no one knew.  (If you know, please leave a comment and tell me.  This mystery is killing me.)

So gorgeous!  There was another couple hanging out and watching some sea lions through their very heavy-duty binoculars.  They offered the binoculars to us, and I took a turn but couldn’t see the sea lions – bummer!  You bet I could hear them, though.

After a little while spent drinking in the view at Potato Harbor, we hopped back on the trail and headed for Cavern Point.

The views were stunning as we walked the bluffs.

Happy hikers!

Before long, we came across a sign and we knew we were headed in the right direction.

And then we were there!

Cavern Point was a beautiful vista.  Mainland or island – there’s nothing like a California coastline.  We found a comfortable rock, sat down together and just enjoyed the view.

It was hard to leave, but eventually we had to move on.  Our stomachs were rumbling, and we had to eat lunch and get ready for our afternoon activity (about which, more next week).  But lucky for us, the walk back to the cove delivered plenty of beautiful views.

Including the Island Explorer, moored and waiting for us to take it back to Ventura at the end of our fabulous day – but not just yet!  We waved to the boat from our perch high up on the bluff and thanked our lucky stars that we had more adventure to come.

And then we were descending – too soon.  I was a little sad to say goodbye to such a beautiful hike, but I couldn’t be too sad, knowing what was in store for the rest of the afternoon.  But that is a story that will have to wait – until next week.

Do you like to go on adventure dates?