California - 2008 Official State Visitor's Guide and Travel Planner - (Page 45) CLOCKWISE FROM LEFT Soak up the sun on Santa Cruz Island’s Cavern Loop Trail; endangered island fox; wildflower meadow; snorkel through protected kelp forests. Anacapa, closest to the mainland, has Chumash Indian middens. Tiny Santa Barbara Island is a favored bird nesting ground. Wild and windswept, San Miguel is home to a tumultuous spread of 30,000 seals and sea lions come to mate, breed, and fill the air with honks. Each season is distinct: Winter gray whale migrations; spring and summer birding; fall diving L submerge]. [ Most island visitors opt for a day trip— all the more reason to note that the Park Service offers camping on all five islands. Getting to the islands is easy. Island Packers boats depart from Ventura and Oxnard; Truth Aquatics leaves from Santa Barbara. And the fun begins as soon as you leave shore. Almost anything can rise from the water—migrating gray whales, orcas on the hunt, even playful pods of dolphins leaping above the swells. Then there’s Catalina Island, your Enter civilized option. Just one hour from Long Beach, Dana Point, or San Pedro harbors on a high-speed ferry, Catalina is home to the tiny, briny town of Avalon. Rent a kayak, take a glass-bottomed boat ride, tour the island by golf cart, and then wash off the dust and salt at one of Avalon’s charming small hotels. Plan the next day’s adventure over shrimp and lobster lasagna at Ristorante Villa Portofino. KEN MCALPINE 45 Ian Shive/Getty L keyword in Search box at visitcalifornia.com http://www.visitcalifornia.com
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