TRAVEL
SUNDAY MAY 17, 2015
E12
SUN DAY
Beauty in our backyard Seldom-visited Channel Islands and nearby Oxnard are full of wonders
A hiker on Santa Cruz Island in the Channel Islands looks east toward Anacapa Island. JOANNE DIBONA PHOTOS JOANNE DIBONA • SPECIAL TO THE U-T
I
recall an old college friend of mine, a native of New York City, telling me that he had never visited the Statue of Liberty. I was surprised and slightly put off, thinking it somewhat strange that a city native had never visited a site that attracts millions of visitors annually from around the world. How could he ignore such a magnificent visitor experience right in his own backyard?
Years later, I found myself guilty of doing the same thing — ignoring the beauty in my own backyard. I can’t count the number of times, while traveling with my husband Tony up and down the Southern California coast, that I would gaze out at sea to admire the Channel Islands glistening in the distance. I would inevitably sigh and declare “We really have to visit there someday.” Well, “someday” finally arrived. We had often heard the Channel Islands referred to as the “Galapagos Islands of North America.” Having visited Ecuador’s Galapagos Islands earlier in the year, we
were curious as to whether there was, indeed, a similarity. Our curiosity motivated us, at long last, to plan a Channel Islands visit. After some extensive Internet research, we determined that Oxnard, on the coast 60 miles north of Los Angeles, would be an interesting (and economical) destination in which to begin our adventure. Rumor had it that the city had undergone a dramatic renovation, from its humble beginnings as a purely agricultural community (it produces most of Southern California’s berry crop) to a hip and hap-
SEE ISLANDS • E13
Sea lions lounge on a buoy in Ventura Harbor.
BLOOM COUNTRY: NETHERLANDS’ GARDENS TOP EXPECTATIONS Millions of flowering bulbs create colorful, super-scented scene DOUG OSTER PITTSBURGH POST-GAZETTE/TNS LISSE, NETHERLANDS
As we’re driving toward Keukenhof, the sweet scent of hyacinths drifts through our bus of 26 travelers. Our tour guide thought we might like to see the growing fields filled with blooming bulbs. She was right. No one could believe the seemingly endless rows of flowers, the sights and smells. Think of driving
through field after field of Iowa corn. Now substitute daffodils, tulips, hyacinths and any spring bloomer you can imagine. We all scrambled to get photos through the bus windows. Keukenhof (www. keukenhof.nl) might be the world’s greatest display of spring bulbs. It’s only open for eight short weeks, when the bulbs are at their peak. Luckily, we were left on our own, as our guide pointed in one direction and told us to enjoy the bulbs. I worked my way around the perimeter of the garden, trying to get a better photo of the flower fields separated from the park by a narrow canal. Michelle Nawaz of New York City stood with
Keukenhof displays 7 million blooming bulbs and is only open for eight weeks when the spring flowers are at their peak. DOUG OSTER • PITTSBURGH POST-GAZETTE/TNS her back to the fields as the afternoon light fell perfectly across her face. She meticulously positioned her phone for one amazing selfie. “It’s beautiful,” she says, turning back toward the
carpet of flowers. “The colors are breathtaking.” Keukenhof is a gardener’s paradise, a place to spend at least one full day, although I wished I had longer. Some beds
are massed with the same flowers. When it’s something like hyacinths, the fragrance is remarkable. Since there’s always a breeze in Holland, the scent of flowers was never far away. Other beds offered incredible combinations of bulbs, all blooming in consort. It’s the scale which astounds. One bed that stretched for hundreds of yards had been planted with repeating patterns of white daffodils, pink hyacinths, white anemones and tulips. Behind them ran a parallel bed of orange tulips. The garden is filled with more than 7 million flowering bulbs, including 800 kinds of tulips. The
80-acre park has been putting on the annual display since 1950. There were about 10 of us looking over the gardens together, but I lost my traveling companions as I lagged photographing everything in sight. Finally, I ran into Winnie Ritter, 82, of Monroeville, Pa., who brought three of her daughters with her on the trip. They wanted time in the gift shop, and Ritter wanted time with the magnificent blooms. She never complained as I lay on the ground, stood on benches and stopped to shoot even more pictures. “I’m so glad I got to see this,” Ritter said. “I’m in heaven.”
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U-T SAN DIEGO | SUNDAY • MAY 17, 2015
5-NIGHT GETAWAY FROM
590
$
1
LAND ONLY
HILTON HAWAIIAN VILLAGE® WAIKIKI BEACH RESORT O`AHU | HAWAI`I INCLUDES: • 5 nights’ resort view accommodations • All hotel taxes
PLUS...Kids 18 and younger STAY FREE 2 A sunset gondola ride in the marina is one of the highlights of a visit to Oxnard. JOANNE DIBONA
ISLANDS FROM E12
pening visitor destination. We learned very quickly that the rumors were true. It was offseason and midweek in late September, so we opted for an oceanfront suite at the Embassy Suites Mandalay Beach Hotel & Resort. Our room was steps away from an expansive, white-sand beach with hardly a beachgoer in sight, and we couldn’t get enough of the breathtaking views we enjoyed from our private balcony. This property is one of just a few Southern California hotels directly on the beach (and the only all-suites hotel to boast a beachfront location) — and at a room rate that made it a true bargain given its quality.
If you go Getting there The city of Oxnard is 184 miles north of San Diego via I-5 and I-405 N, with a driving time of approximately 3.5 hours. Accommodations Explore a wide range of accommodations at the city’s official website, VisitOxnard.com. For an all-suites hotel directly on the beach, we recommend Embassy Suites Mandalay Beach Hotel & Resort, mandalayembassysuites.com, (805) 9842500, which includes a bountiful breakfast buffet in the room price. Romance If you can’t get to Venice, Italy, for a gondola ride, this is the next best thing: www.Gondolaparadiso. com Channel Islands/Santa Cruz Adventure General Information on Channel Islands National Park: nps.gov/chis Island Packers Tour Excursions: islandpackers.com Kayak Excursions: islandkayaking.com and cikayak.com Painted Cave Kayak Excursion: sbadventureco. com/adventures/channelislands/#painted-cave
After falling asleep to the relaxing sound of the surf, we woke up to a glorious sunrise with views onto Santa Cruz Island, the largest island in the Channel Islands National Park. After breakfast, included in our hotel package, we set off to discover Oxnard’s visitor attractions for the day. We began our exploration with a visit to Heritage Square, Oxnard’s “Old Town,” and admired the many lovingly restored, vintage Victorian homes and historic buildings preserved there. To Tony’s great delight (he’s a classic car aficionado) we spent hours at the Mullin Automotive Museum to view an impressive array of pristine, vintage French and Italian automobiles, which included a spectacular collection of original Bugattis. We sailed into history at the Channel Islands Maritime Museum on Oxnard’s picturesque marina. In addition to an impressive exhibit of 17th-Century European seascapes, this museum boasts incredibly crafted models of ships spanning several centuries, local shipwreck memorabilia, and a staggering wealth of maritime history, both local and international.
By late afternoon, it was time for a wine tasting at the Herzog Wine Cellars, one of Oxnard’s favorite spots for wine sipping and gourmet dining. Then, on a romantic whim, Tony (a first-generation Italian) surprised me by booking a gondola ride for us through Oxnard’s marina. I smiled at what I thought was Tony’s frivolity, but as twilight descended and our gondola (which was a dead ringer for those we admired in Venice) glided up to the dock, I started to change my mind. The setting sun cast a golden hue on the marina’s Tuscan-inspired buildings and bridges as Tony and I sipped Champagne and soaked in the atmosphere. Lulled by the soothing voice of our gondolier, we could imagine that we were, indeed, back in Italy’s City of Love. The next morning we prepared to leave our urban adventure in Oxnard to explore the raw, natural wonders of Santa Cruz Island. Armed with plenty of water, good hiking shoes and a substantial lunch in our backpacks, we boarded our Island Packers ferry in the adjacent city of Ventura (a 15-minute drive from our hotel) to finally fulfill our dream of visiting the Channel Islands. Once on board, we discovered that getting there was half the fun. As we sailed out of the harbor, we chuckled at the antics of the sea lions as they vied for a position on the buoys, watched some leaping dolphins trail our boat, and marveled at the variety of sea birds we spied on route to our destination. In just an hour, we left civilization as we know it and set foot at Scorpion Anchorage, the dock at Santa Cruz Island. While Santa Cruz is part of the National Park system, it is devoid of concessions. You need to bring in (and take out) your food and water, and anything else you may need for your stay. For us day-trippers, this was not a big concern, but if you do plan to camp overnight (as many visitors do), visit nps.gov/chis for more detailed information. The historic Scorpion Ranch is steps away from the boat landing and a logical first stop for a new visitor to the island. We spent some time in the Visitor Center, which is free, to learn more about the rich history of Santa Cruz and tour exhibits of life on the island in the 19th century. Tony was exceptionally interested in the role Italian immigrants played in the development of the local vineyards, the remnants of which are still visible today. After our plunge into Santa Cruz Island’s fascinating history, we were ready to explore the raw and beautiful nature of the island, via the well-established hiking trails. We started our trek on the Cavern Point Loop Trail, which leads from the Visitor Center. Blessed with blue skies and clear vistas, our hike brought us past cliffs with views to Anacapa Island (part of the Channel Islands chain), churning shores 400 feet below, and views of pristine beaches and rocky outlets. We ate our lunch on the crest overlooking Cavern Point (and trust me, our sandwiches never tasted as delicious) and spent a good hour soaking in the radiant sunshine and unforgettable views. As tempted as we were to continue our hike to Potato Harbor, the next vantage point along the trail, we knew that time would not allow this diversion. So we made our way back to the
Anchorage, all the while admonishing ourselves for not booking a guided kayak tour as we watched the kayakers paddle in and out of the sea coves from our cliff-side path. We also sighed with envy as we watched most of our fellow travelers cart their gear to the Scorpion Ranch campsite to overnight for a day or more. A park ranger at the center told us that, had we opted to add a day or two of camping to our itinerary, chances were good that we would see a rare island fox at the campground — not to mention having more time to kayak, snorkel and hike some magnificent island trails. To our surprise, we also learned that Santa Cruz Island is also home to one of the largest sea caves in the world, Painted Cave. This famous geological phenomenon was formed along a fault line and is named for the colorful lichen and algae featured within the ¼-mile cave. One of the most common ways to experience this wonder is to take a boat ride from the city of Santa Barbara to the west end of the island and enter the caverns via an organized kayak tour. Talk about adventure in your own backyard! We are already planning our next visit — not “someday” but very soon, this time around!
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