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Here we are, one of the 63 days we get to a national park, this time it is Channel Islands. Our island destination for our day trip is the 9AM trip on Island Packers out of Ventura.

The first thing we did was meet Steve, a volunteer. Steve is doing a guided hike, which sounds like a good plan for us. The first thing he asks is to make sure we aren't carrying any seeds on the bottom of our shoes. Kai is cleaning his shoes.

We also note there is a "KAI" boat.

There are also crabs that can be seen.

We are on the boat. We didn't see any wildlife on the way over.

On the way over, you pass by oil rigs. The captain said this helps them know when the shallow water ends and the deeper water begins.

The trip took about 1hr 15mins to cross the Santa Barbara Channel to Scorpion Anchorage, the landing area at Santa Cruz Island. Santa Cruz Island is best for day trippers. It has the most biodiversity (Island Foxes and Island Scrub Jay being the most notable).

When we disembarked, we stood in a line for a while at the bathrooms before meeting Steve near the Scorpion Anchorage visitor center.

Steve our tour guide saw this guy on the other side of the fence, he called out to him. This is John Gherini. His family owned parts of the island many generations ago. His family still has a house there. John has published a few books about Santa Cruz Island. Steve had never met him, so he was excited we had this opportunity. John spoke briefly about the history of the island.

Shortly after that, we saw our first Island Fox. They find people and look for food. They are small, like  large cat.

Steve told a lot of stories about the recovery of the island, and reintroduction of Island Foxes and Bald Eagles. Kai volunteered to hold up the eagle.

Here we are hiking a bit further up the hill.

At one moment, when Kai answered a question about why there are bubbles in the volcanic rocks, Steve wanted him to lead the rest of the tour. It was really funny.

Here is the farthest we hiked.

On the way down, we saw two more Island Foxes.

When we were eating, we saw plenty of Island Scrub Jay and Island Foxes.

Inside the visitor center were some exhibits explaining many aspects of the park. Kai liked it. Heidi thought it smelled musty.

Before we leave the park, we need this photo. We had to shoo some people aside that were in line for the boat. They were very understanding, and took this picture for us!

On the way back, we saw dolphins. Steve said there were about 20,000 common dolphins in the channel. 

When we got home, Heidi squeezed the lemon that fell the other day.

And here is the lemonade.

It tasted all right if you ask me.

Lastly, here's our pizza. In California, I noticed their selection of frozen pizzas was not quite what we have at Woodman's, so it didn't surprise me when they didn't have a pizza slicer at our AirBnB.