Eastern Sierra - 395 - October Fall Trip to Crowley Lake

We spent a few days fly fishing at Crowley Lake near Mammoth for a few days. The fishing was slow, but the weather and scenery was great!

San Lorenzo Park Camping

A fun night of camping with the family!

Anacapa and Santa Cruz Island Boating & Fishing Trip

I've been itching to head out to see Anacapa Island and some more sections of Santa Cruz Island off the Santa Barbara / Ventura Coast. My dad and I decided to head on down there with his 21 foot Parker 2110 boat.

We drove down to Channel Islands Harbor in Oxnard on Saturday April 18th, 2015 and got setup in a guest slip. Nothing fancy but it got the job done.

We woke up Sunday morning around 5:15 AM. A quick check of the buoys showed some residual wind from the night so it would be a little lumpy out there, and messy it was.

Quite a few other boats were headed out about the same time.

We crossed the Santa Barbara Channel over to the east side of Anacapa Island.
We came across quite a few dolphins working some bait with some birds on top.

During the crossing we came across a section of Velella Jellyfish. I have seen these on the beaches recently too! Here is just a sample of what one looks like:

It was a great view once we reached Anacapa with the lighthouse perched atop the cliff (below)

This is the famous arch at Anacapa (below)

Coming up the back side of Anacapa Island (below)

Cat Rock at Anacapa (below)

A few boats anchored and fishing (below)

Fishin' at Cat Rock (below)

Nice full cabin to stay out of the weather, motorin along (below)

After exploring Anacapa, we crossed 'The Gap' over to Santa Cruz Island (below)

Water temp was about 61 degrees if I recall correctly. We dropped down and 'HOOK UP'. The line ended up breaking and we never saw the fish... (below)

What a great boat to enjoy at Smugglers Cove at Santa Cruz Island (below)

Lots of overnight sailboats here at Smugglers Cove at Santa Cruz Island (below)

Smugglers Cove signature Olive Orchard (below)

Full display of boats (below)

We headed back to Channel Islands Habor and then started the 6 hour cleaning / packing up / driving home process.  Of course, it was all worth it!

Port San Luis Kayaking

Great day with no crowds. Just how I like it!

2014 - Year In Review

2014 was an amazing year! There's not much more to say than we are a very blessed family!

Here are some highlights:

• Traveled to Europe for the time - Nicole and I went to Czech Republic, Austria and Italy. We traveled by train primarily and saw some amazing cities such as Prague, Salzburg, Innsbruck, Venice, Rome, Cinque Terre and Florence. 
• 805 Webcams - Able to get a website designed and new cameras up and launched! 
• 30th Birthday - I feel more like an adult now!
• Backpacking Trip - Chain Lakes - Great times with a great group!
• Nicole Graduated College!
• Debt Free on Student Loans!

Other happenings: 

• Kings Canyon Day Trip - Loved exploring the river, catching a few trout! Look forward to going back!
• Housesitting at Margo and Riks
• Elevate Church Trip near Dodge Ridge
• Hume Redcoat - A fun winter weekend!
• Gateworks Florida Trip 
• Sold Nicole's Xterra
• Fished Pyramid Lake 
• Denise got Married
• Lopez RV / Boat Trip - Greg cut head wakeboarding!
• Wonderful Mammoth Trip - Lundy Canyon / Shadow Lake
• Ranch Anniversary Trip
• Hiked Pinnacles near Salinas
• Thanksgiving at Ranch