James Applebury's (apfelbury) Blog

  One of the most challenging parts of my Channel Islands trip was getting on and off the boat.  I am a "prepare for the worst" type who decided to bring about 65 pounds of extra gear in my pack.  I had extra everything-food, water, clothes and various survival paraphernalia. You see, the cliffs...

  One of the most challenging parts of my Channel Islands trip was getting on and off the boat.  I am a "prepare for the worst" type who decided to bring about 65 pounds of extra gear in my pack.  I had extra everything-food, water, clothes and various survival paraphernalia. You see, the cliffs...

  The small blobs you can see down on the rocks are actually Sea Lions.  This is as close as I could get.  I have included this picture to give you an idea of just how steep and high these cliffs are.  There are no water sources on the island so it was never a permanent home to the Chumash India...

  Anacapa Island is full of blooming wildflowers this time of year.  Seeing them is definitely worth the price of admission.  You can walk from one end of the island to the other in about 20 or 30 minutes.  We went on a guided tour, which stretched the walk out to about an hour.  The island is f...

  Being on Anacapa Island during this time of year reminds me of that Hitchcock classic, "The Birds," which I realize is not the most ringing endorsement of the place.   The Western Gulls come here to breed and nest.  This was early in the season but they were already setting up shop all over th...

  I can't believe I got this shot too.  These birds come right in along the edge of the cliffs almost at arms length.  They are a magnificent sight.  These are Brown Pelicans by the way.  They come to Anacapa Island to breed and nest.  I would like to have gotten a picture of one of these animal...

  Dolphin!  I love this little guy, or girl, I am in no way qualified to tell the difference.  This is one of the added perks on the boat ride to Anacapa Island, a Dolphin escort.  They come up along the side and jump up out of the water,  I presume to get a better look at us.  Let me tell you t...

  This picture was taken on Anacapa Island. This is one of the islands in a chain that make up the Channel Islands National Park.  http://www.nps.gov/chis/index.htm You are looking at one of the oldest lighthouses on the West Coast.  I recently went on a day trip with some friends to this wonder...

  Here is another sunset picture taken from one of the many vistas available to the public in Griffith Park.  I just want to drive home the point that LA has some of the best sunsets anywhere in the world.   Every sunset is special.  I want to catalogue them the best I can, much like a devoted p...

  This was taken from a friend's deck in Agoura Hills, which is about 45 minutes from LA, just outside of Malibu.  As you might imagine, you can't see a lot of stars within most urban areas.  I like being able to take a reasonably short drive and see stars (literal stars, not movie "stars").   T...