Day 4 - 5: VENTURA, California

March 7 - 8.  We spent two nights in Ventura.  We stayed at the Ventura Beach RV Resort.  It was not a comfortable place to stay.  It was right next to the interstate so you heard traffic noise all day and all night.  The bathrooms were old and the showers were co-ed.  Can you believe it.  A long hallway with several doors thatlooked like frosted glass and a very small shower stall behind each door.  That hallway was open to man, women and child.  We did have a nice long and grassy site.  We requested it after they assigned us to a much too short site.  This RV park was the only decent one in town.  Fortunately we are only here for 2 days.

My 2^nd cousin Tasha and her husband Adrian live nearby in Oxnard.  We had a wonderful visit with them on our first night.  We brought the wine and Tasha made a delicious risotto.  We meet their one child; a tuxedo kitty named Alleybaster.

SANTA CRUZ ISLAND of the CHANNEL ISLANDS

The next day the four of us boarded a boat and cruised to Santa Cruz Island.  The boat cruised through rough waves at a very high speed.  We held on tight as we bounced around.  We did slow down to view some Gray Whales in the distance.  All I could see was their water spouts.

Adrian and Tasha

We safely landed on the island and spent the next 4 hours hiking up the hills, walking through fields of wild flowers and along the cliffs with spectacular views of the ocean with a short stop for a relaxing picnic lunch.  We walked 6.95 miles and I lived to tell about it.

The return trip was on calmer waters and we slowed down to view some more Gray Whales and I saw a few dolphins riding the waves.

See the whale tail to the right?

The weather was sunny, clear and warm and we had a great time exploring this island for the first time.  The visit was even better and fun with the company of Tasha and Adrian.

Next stop is Long Beach, CA