Yes, we've all heard of it, that dreaded island fever. I'm afraid it was starting to set in... People getting on your nerves, not enough variety in the day to day routine, small island life. Nothing gets you out of the rut like a vacation with a friend you haven't seen in a while, and that's just what happened this last weekend. Danny Slakey, Botanist extraordinaire, was on a work trip in the area and decided to hop on over to Catalina to say hello. After a couple of unforeseeable delays we finally were able to meet up in Avalon, and thanks to it being Earth Day, we were able to get into the Wrigley Memorial botanical garden for free. After perusing their fine collections, we made our way back to the town, where we met up with my friend Rose. Rose and I met in Peace Corps and were even in the same program. She terminated her service a bit before I did, but we have a lot in common. We tagged along on the CIMI (Catalina Island Marine Institute) boat back to Fox Camp, where we got a tour and settled in.
In the afternoon, we took some kayaks out around the point towards Two Harbors. On the way we spotted some seals and even a couple of curious common dolphins! Then it was back to camp for dinner. These guys eat well. Here I was, used to camping food and cooking another variation of spaghetti, but I was met with a veritable feast of all you can eat splendors. They have actual professional chefs working for them, making some scrumptious stuff. The following morning we went out snorkeling and saw some great creatures. My best spot was a three foot leopard shark that swam within five feet of me! Pacific kelp forests are so much cooler than I had expected... teeming with interesting sea life, everything from the Sea Hare (my new favorite invert) to abalones to myriad fish.
In the afternoon Danny and I took a long hike back to Little Harbor, botanizing along the way. We found a rather cool pectocarya which turned out to be a locally rather rare plant. All in all, it was one of the better weekends I've had out here. Thanks Danny and Rose!
In the afternoon, we took some kayaks out around the point towards Two Harbors. On the way we spotted some seals and even a couple of curious common dolphins! Then it was back to camp for dinner. These guys eat well. Here I was, used to camping food and cooking another variation of spaghetti, but I was met with a veritable feast of all you can eat splendors. They have actual professional chefs working for them, making some scrumptious stuff. The following morning we went out snorkeling and saw some great creatures. My best spot was a three foot leopard shark that swam within five feet of me! Pacific kelp forests are so much cooler than I had expected... teeming with interesting sea life, everything from the Sea Hare (my new favorite invert) to abalones to myriad fish.
In the afternoon Danny and I took a long hike back to Little Harbor, botanizing along the way. We found a rather cool pectocarya which turned out to be a locally rather rare plant. All in all, it was one of the better weekends I've had out here. Thanks Danny and Rose!
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