So after we visited Pinnacles NP we made an impressive turnaround and got up the next morning to take the 8AM ferry to Santa Cruz Island! As we pulled into the parking lot in Ventura the passenger in the car directly behind us started examining my Maine license plate. Apparently she and her husband were both from Maine near Acadia PLUS they soon divulged that their son lives in Brunswick, ME, where I just flipping moved from! What a small world. Interactions like these are the best!
So we get on the ferry and the captain immediately warns us that the waters are v ~choppy~. I thought I was above sea sickness but unfortunately the Pacific had something different in mind for me so I spent the hour long ride keeping my eyes tightly shut and staying as still as possible so as to not vom all over the place. There was a point in the middle of the channel that a pod of dolphins swam next to the boat so I mustered the strength to crack one of my eyes opened to see. Not only was I awarded the view of those beautiful sea creatures, but also the sight of literally five people vomiting off the side of the boat! Apparently they had been doing that for the entire ride and I'd been missing the whole show!
When we finally made it to land I realized that my bag was foamy from an old shampoo packet that had spilled. So Laura and I regrouped on some of the rocks on shore and then got a move on! It was amazing to experience how quickly my seasickness evaporated with the sight of such an unreal landscape.
I was happy to find barely any trash on the Island, especially because there is no trash service! Everything taken in must be taken out! The most of the litter I found was by the visitor centers and campgrounds, but overall the whole Island was clean! YAY! On one of the trails I found broken sunglasses, an Evian bottle, a broken styrofoam cup, some kind of plastic gear, and an abandoned hat. That was it!
On the ferry back to Ventura lovingly holding my trash.