Roll Tide! (...plus a visit to Santa Cruz Island)

View west from Craven Point, Santa Cruz Island, Channel Island Natl Park

Ventura Harbor

We've had a fun first week here in Port Hueneme, CA.  First, we're at the military campground on the Construction Battalion Center (CBC) Port Hueneme for the month of January.  This is the home of the "fighting" Sea Bees and brings back a lot of memories as I was the supply

Ventura Harbor

officer for the 20th Naval Construction Regiment back in the early 80s at Gulfport, MS.

The RV park is really nice.  Interior roads are asphalt.  All sites are concrete with a side extension for your vehicle though our truck doesn't fit when we have the slides out (recall my "parking on grass" incident last week?)  I've yet to find the restrooms dirty.

Tidal Pool at the Visitor Center

As you're limited in your length of stay here, we see people moving in and out each day.  The commissary is new, large and well stocked.  The exchange looks the same, but we haven't roamed through it, yet. We're finding good 3G Verizon Wireless signal here though it does slow down during early evening.  WiFi is here, but it's weak and probably only useful in the lounge area.  The base service station has diesel and propane, but we're being warned not to use the diesel (dirty).

Our first outing was a visit to Channel Island National Park Visitor Center and Ventura Harbor to plan our visit out to the islands.  Then we drove down the pacific coast highway to Malibu, back up into a canyon in the Santa Monica Mountains, and then back to the base to clean the salt spray off the windshield.  Donna broke a tooth at lunch, so it was off to the dentist for repair the next day.

Scorpion Ranch, Santa Cruz Island, Channel Island NP

We were able to meet up with Wayne ("Racebum" for you NuWa folks) on Monday for a great visit.  Then Tuesday we rode the boat over to Santa Cruz Island and the Scorpion Ranch for a day visit.  There we took a guided hike up to Craven Point (old Chumash midden), watched the grey whales travel down the channel, walked west toward Potato Harbor, turned back and finished the Craven Point loop trail and toured what's left of the Scorpion Ranch.  

Grey whales headed south to the Baja

We slept the whole way back on the return boat ride.  Saturday we fly out to Santa Rosa Island for their "deluxe" day visit.  I think "deluxe" in this sense is being able to stay about an hour longer on the island at four times the cost.  But we're expecting the air tour of the islands on the way out to be impressive! 

Anyway, that's it from here.  We'll leave the first of February and move to Santa Barbara for a couple of weeks.  The plan is to move back here for another month or so before heading north (all subject to change).

Roll Tide!  Go "Dores".  (Anyone notice that the final AP Football Poll had Vanderbilt at number 23?  Apparently, that success isn't carrying over to the basketball team, though.)

Later, David