David & Donna's Great Adventure: Santa Rosa Island, Channel Island Natl Park

Sunday, January 13, 2013

Santa Rosa Island, Channel Island Natl Park

Waves crashing on the north shore east of Black Rock.

Smugglers Cove, Santa Cruz Island

Today we took the flight out to Santa Rosa Island for a day tour of the island. Just as our Tuesday trip out to Santa Cruz Island, Santa Rosa was a ranching enterprise and appears to be one of the last to leave after the Natl Park Service took over the island. Buildings, while old, appear to be well maintained, but the equipment is very deteriorated.

And just like Tuesday, we stayed along the north side of the island.

On final for Santa Rosa Island

This time we got a "jeep" tour (Ford Excursion) to the ranch and back to Water Canyon, before departing on our day hikes. Donna & I walked out to Black Rock for lunch (another Chumash Midden). Then we walked east to the Torrey Pine Forest (only one of two Torrey Pine forests in the world) before returning to the plane.

From a big picture point-of-view, NPS stresses that a visit to the Channel Islands is a chance to see what California was like before Europeans

The ranch

came. While that's probably true, what's being stressed is that you're really seeing islands recovering from over ranching. No matter, it's still
and arid environment and simply gorgeous views.

For those considering this trip, we took a Channel Islands flight out of Camarillo Airport. The plane is a British Islander BN-2B, 10 passenger STOL aircraft. Built in Britain,
it's designed for island hoping around the British Isles. It's just not a

Torrey Pine forest

good sightseeing aircraft as you can see by one of the pictures. The pilot also serves as your guide & naturalist and our pilot was excellent.

We see why people keep coming back. When Donna & I were in Virginia our last 20+ years before retiring, we made Shenandoah our weekend trip destination. If we were near here, we make this our destination. We just have to learn to sleep in a tent!