Anacapa island

Inspiration Point, Anacapa Island, Channel Islands National Park

Best Time to Visit: Spring to Early Summer, by summer, the island becomes dry and less colorful, and the sea gulls have left the island, you are left with only the left-over smell of the gulls.

Closest Major City: Los Angeles, CA. The drive to Oxnard Harbor from Los Angeles is about an hour, and the ferry ride to Anacapa Island is about 45 minutes, plus or minus depending on the conditions.

Sea Arch, Anacapa Island, Channel Islands National Park

The pictures here I am attaching are not really the best of Anacapa, since when we visited the island, it was already late of June, and the wildflowers were mostly gone :( and most of the gulls that nested on the island probably had gone back to the mainland already. 

Gulls on a Bed of Wildlfowers, Anacapa Island, Channel Islands National Park

Rediscovering LA, part 2

Grapes @ Gainey Vineyard

In part 1 of Rediscovering LA, I ended my post with Gainey's Vineyard. In this post, I will start with a hike at Malibu.

Because I am not very familiar with hikes in LA, my cousin chose the place to hike. She chose Solstice Canyon Deer Valley Loop Trail with a short side trip to the Robert's Ranch House Ruins. The hike is 6-mile round trip with 1000 ft elevation gain. The trail winds through chaparral, coastal sage, oak woodlands, and grassy meadows. 

Oak Woodland at Solstice Canyon, Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Area