Finally made it to the 9th (in terms of my visits) National Park in California in November. Little guy was super excited to take a Boat to an Island (possibly because his hero is Moana…), and Santa Cruz seemed the most accessible for families and this time of year. We took the Island Packers excursion to Scorpion Ranch. Although the primary purpose of the trip is the crossing to the islands, they do stop if possible for wildlife, and we were rewarded for stopping a few minutes mid-trip to see two humpback whales surface near the boat. At Scorpion Ranch, we had a delicious picnic lunch I had ordered from Channel Island Provisioners (all packed up in re-useable/sustainable packaging and delivered to the dock in Ventura prior to our outing — a great option for traveling!). We immediately got to see the Channel Island Foxes, sadly because dumb people (like the kid old enough to know better at the table next to us) don’t heed the warnings about not feeding them, but they were still pretty cute if not totally wild. From Scorpion Ranch, we hiked the Cavern Point Loop up to the bluffs above the ranch, extending the hike a little by walking part of the way to Potato Harbor. The walk offered great views of the cliffs and caves down below as well as a few more whale sightings.
Crossing to/from Santa Cruz:
Channel Island Foxes:
Hiking Around Scorpion Ranch:
Passport Stamps:
Sun setting behind Santa Cruz Island from Santa Barbara:
