This page NEW on September 9th, 2002

This is the Channel Islands Trip's big Post-Trip page.

It includes the famous Trip Summary, Awards, and Perfect Moments!

We have post-trip feedback from all 11 participants in the Perfect Moments section.  Read on!

The Collective TRIP SUMMARY:
seals, dolphins, whales, sea lions, oystercatchers, oh my!
stargazing on the beach
lava-flow sunrise
fajitas, pot roast, ramen, 5 lb bag of "slant eye" snacks
popcorn, Stan's doughnuts, fudge brownies
cigars
salty plants
old rocks
3-foot swells
old drilling rigs
action hero's handbook
peak baggin'
snorkeling, swaying kelp forests, fish that were this big!
sunshowers
thirsty pigs that were this big if they were an inch!
sunshowers with pig bites
Ranger Rick (aka: Danny Black)
salty skin
cayenne pepper
camaraderie
campsite debate
games: football toss, football toss in the dark, football toss over the trees, 

             rock & stick toss to get *@$^!#$ football unstuck from tree
driving at 4am
2 hours of sleep
napping
million-year-old fossils

sea cave maps
watching a guy wait in line for the water pump room
water on tap (nice!)
beer, sour apple pucker, some sort o' mouthwash booze, kahlua
hot chocolate w/schnapps
Potato Harbor
layers n' layers of clothes
hantavirus
sunscreen...sunburn

views to die for
nightvision scopes (for pig-patrol)
half a ton (literally) of gear
Can I dump my garbage next to that fridge near the sunshower included on every site?
kayaking: wind, 3-foot chop, spray
sea caves: green glow, boomers, surge, blowholes, getting pinned, dark, scary
(fast) Escape from Santa Cruz Island
blue whale with a heart as big as Herbie
Super Rica!

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Just-For-Fun AWARDS:

Do It All Award
Carl, for hiking, snorkeling, cave swimming, kayaking, exploring sea caves, cooking, sunrising, & more hiking.

Most Effort to Attend Award
Kris & Anthony from Seattle, reaching the island by air, land, and sea transport. 

Sleepaholic Award
Kris for catching up on sleep and then some...at least, that is what she *said* she was doing in the tent ;)

Fish Award
Anthony for going snorkeling at least twice (probably snuck out at night to go a couple more times). 

Kayak Instructor Certificate
Nick, for showing us how to use that stick with a flipper on each end.

Educators-while-on-Vacation Award
Carol & Peter for their warehouses of knowledge about island stuff that everyone else could only identify as "rock", "shell", "bird", or "funny salty plant"

Ginsu Award
Shapoor for producing wafer-thin vegetables for the veggie medley

Lord of the Flies Award
Peter for fending off the 6-foot tall pig with his bare hands, teeth, and one of those big "rocks"

Spice Master Award
Wai for adding 'caliente' to things with Cayenne Pepper

Gourmet Camping Chef Award
Lisa for cooking a vegetable medley, pot roast, mashed potatoes, and bringing literally everything, including the kitchen sink (dishpans)!

Tough Gal Award
Linda for hanging with the boys on the rugged Potato Harbor Trek & every other adventure

Indiana Jones Award
Dave for mastering adventures on land & sea, and double-dog-daring people to challenge themselves

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PERFECT MOMENTS & misc COMMENTARY

Dave's Perfect Moments:
1) Paddling 90 minutes non-stop to Potato Harbor and seeing that, yes, thank goodness, it *was* worth the effort. Bonus: I have some serious triceps now with which to pound a volleyball with =)
2) Sunrise
3) Overcoming claustrophobia and fear in general and swimming to the end of a narrow pitch black 210' long cave.
4) Watching blue whales spout right in front of the boat
5) I don't think I need to say it, but both the camaraderie and the "new" faces on our trip were the best!

Linda's Perfect Moments:
1) Battling the 3 foot swells for eternity, then hearing the sea lions greeting us as we paddled into Potato Harbor
2) Taking a picture of everyone around the dinner table as we feasted on our multi-course meals
3) Seeing the footprint of the blue whale on the ocean surface
4) Flowing kelp forests, starfish on steroids, dolphins jumping in unison 

Carl
What an adventure! Can we do it again? Huh? Huh? Can we? Can we?

I really liked:
- The camaraderie.
- The challenges.
- Facing my fears.

I regret:
- That I didn't go farther into some of those dark and scary caves.
After all, what's going to happen? It's not like those sea lions are going to eat you. (They don't do that, do they? ;-)
- That we ran out of time.
- That I didn't get a chance to say goodbye to everyone.
Until the next adventure...

Things that were better than "Star Wars: Episode IV":
- The blue whales! We saw blue whales!!! It is just a good thing that we saw them on the way back instead of the way over, because otherwise everything else would have been anti-climactic.
- Standing on the bluff, taking it all in.
- Standing on the plateau, taking it all in.
- Standing on High Mount (?!?), taking it all in.
- Sitting in a kayak in my very first sea cave.

Shapoor
I love the serenity of the outdoors. Santa Cruz Island and the surroundings reminded me of how beautiful Cali is and how lucky I am to live here. I also enjoyed the pace of it all... What a luxury to be able to have that quality of time. Thanks to all, specially Dave & Linda, for making it a possibility.

Carol
Perfect moments:
Finding million-year old fossils (of course!)
Finding million-year old fossils along cliffs with gorgeous views
Hot chocolate and peppermint Schnapps
The two minutes when I actually had a rhythm with the paddles
Milky Way viewing on the beach
Feeling of relief when we all were on the ferry as it pushed off
Communing with dolphins and whales in the Channel

Peter
Perfect moments:
--Viewing stars on the beach.
--Smoked-salmon scrambled eggs for breakfast.
--Every single cliff view. They all reminded me of just how beautiful the California coast is, and why I love the ocean so much.
--Being in a kayak!!!
--The two minutes when Carol actually had a rhythm with the paddles. 
Just kidding! I would have no other kayaking partner.
--The unexpected paleontology.
--Blue whales one body length away.
--Meeting and getting to know a bunch of really nice and cool people. 
That was the best part.
--And finally...realizing that although I am still a bit of a nerd after all these years, I no longer have to identify with Piggy (Lord of the Flies) because I hurled rocks at the beast!

Thanks for a fantastic weekend everybody. I hope to stay in touch with 
you.

Wai
Perfect moments:
-Dolphins greeting.
-CAYENNE PEPPER!!!
-Surviving on the kayaks. Arriving at Potato Harbor and beaching, so glad there was a landing, otherwise I would have floated out to sea or crashed into the rocks and never seen again.
-Carol and Peter making the hike so much more informative and exciting!
-A higher power telling Shapoor and I to come back to the campsite at that exact moment. 
-Blue Whales waving goodbye to us.

Once again, I would like to thank DavenLinda for another memorable trip, it just gets better and better. And thank everyone for the camaraderie, cookings and overall contributions to some good times.

Lisa
Perfect Moments:
- Blueberry doughnuts
- Dolphins welcoming us to the Channel Islands
- Chicken fajitas
- Kayaking 
- Popcorn (pick your flavor: salt, garlic salt or cayenne)
- Hiking with our knowledgeable specialists
- Warm Thin Mint cookies
- Blue whales bidding us farewell

How come every other moment is food related??? This must be Lisa's list.

Nick
My perfect moments, general and specific:

Revisiting SB. Taking in the salty / oily air -- it's an acquired taste, but it means I'm back.
The amazingly clear weather. Just after we left, SB dropped back into its summer pattern.
No campfires necessary.
The excellent food. I happily took the demotion from Food Captain to KP Corporal.
The amazingly diverse terrain.
Dolphins.
The first cave. You always remember the 1st time.
The cave annex. Sorry for making y'all wait and worry.
Realizing I'd been trawling for tar. Not perfect, but definitely a moment.
The past & present nature hike.
Beaching at Potato Harbor.
4-sense overload in the deep-bass rumbling blowhole cave.
Riding the Surging T.
The views from High Mt.
Rise. Shine.
Swimming w/ the fishes & our seal buddy.
Seeing Wai and Shapoor show up on the beach on time.
Realizing total strangers were helping us load up. Thanks, whoever you are!
Whales. Simply awesome.
Meat, cheese, tortillas. Mmmm.
Shower at home. Aahhh.

Great trip, everyone! Thanks D&L for making possible another fine set 
of Moments.

Kris
Thanks to:

-The staff at Chez Dave n' Linda for room, board, concierge and chauffer services, especially for hauling my ass back to the airport to get that last bag.
-Wai and Shapoor for the cayenne pepper and summer sausage. This trip would not have been the same without those items.
-Carol and Peter for your much appreciated expertise. Your semi-orgasmic reactions to the fossils alone was worth the price of the trip =).
-Lisa and Carl for feeding me. I mooched off everyone but you guys took the brunt of it. Also, thanks for all the help with the sunshower.
-Nick for the kayak lesson without which kayak-induced seasickness would still be just a dream for me.
-And of course Anthony for making such an effort to go do things you'd never done with people you'd never met. Oh, and also for not snoring =).

Holler if you're in Seattle. I'd love to see all of you again!

Anthony
My Perfect Moments
- Ordering the 1$ soup from the Chinese restaurant in San Jose and then asking for extra bowls.
- Visiting Santa Barbara. What a beautiful city. More places should have sign restrictions and stylized architecture like that.
- Getting the football out of the tree.
- Having a cold beer after developing a hard-earned thirst from kayaking and snorkeling.
- Going into the cave where you needed a light to see.
- Finding old sea shells at 450 meters.
- The view from High Point.
- Marine mammals.
- Seeing the stingray while snorkeling.
- Eating and talking crap with you all.
- Cayenne Pepper!

Thank you all for being such a fun crowd. Thanks Kris for asking me along to meet you all. Thanks Dave and Linda for organizing the trip and driving and sheltering us. I sure hope we can do this again.

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