Greetings from Catalina!

Driving from Sac to Long Beach was an adventure in itself. Every 2 hours we have to switch drivers and “safeties” (the person sitting in the passenger seat). It ends up taking quite a bit longer to get places. We got to our hotel in Long Beach and all 10 of us went in with Tonye (our TL) to check in. The look on the lady’s face was priceless when we told her that all 10 of us were staying in one room with double beds. She was a bit confused but didn’t try to stop us. It was about 8pm once we settled in and we still had to go grocery shopping and we were looking for a store that sells food in bulk. The nearby Sam’s Club closes at 830pm and opens at 10. Our ferry ride is at 10am Tuesday morning and we had no food and no way to get reasonably priced food once we got to Catalina. We sweet talked our way into allowing Sam's Club to give us permission to shop at 7am which is generally only open for business members.

Tuesday morning we went to Sam’s Club and got the majority of our groceries for 3 weeks. We realized we didn't have a current Sam's Club membership upon check-out, and once we paid for that and took all 450 granola bars out of their boxes to save room, we missed our 10am ferry. The combination of luggage, groceries and 10 people in a 15 passenger van is a ridiculous site. We took the next ferry at 2pm, but it was still unfortunate that we missed it and didn't arrive to our campsite until dark. We somehow had to bring all of our stuff to the ferry; what a ridiculous sight. Here’s a picture of some of our stuff on the ferry.

Our accommodations are actually pretty nice at the camp. There are two cabins, one for girls, one for guys. There are 8 beds in each so we have plenty of space. There is a wooden floor and sturdy canvas around the tent so you almost feel like you are inside with the exception of heating. We have two showers, one of which is an outdoor shower which is really awesome at sunset. We have a full kitchen with refrigerator and freezer and hot water, so there’s not much to complain about.

This past week we spent working with the Fox Recovery Program. The Catalina Island Fox was almost completely wiped out by canine distemper about 9 years ago so the conservancy created a breeding facility to bring the population up. Now that the population has flourished, the fox pens are no longer needed and are really overgrown and the brush is a fire danger. We removed wires and camera equipment from the fox pens and cleared brush for the last 3 days. We have found a few rattlesnakes and we wear snake chaps when trudging through the brush. Daylight is short on the island and it’s a mad rush after work to be sure that we have enough daylight to do PT and start a fire for warmth.

Home.

Bison are everywhere

So far Catalina has been awesome! Every night we have a campfire after dinner (both to stay warm and also for entertainment). There is a nearby park with a playground which we visit on a daily basis. We have been given 2 vehicles to use to drive to and from work and we were lucky enough to be able to use them to drive into Avalon last night for my birthday. We found live music and that was all I needed to be happy! It was definitely strange to spend my birthday clearing brush in 80 degree weather, running up and down mountains for PT and having carrot cake (that's the only kind the convenience store sold) around a campfire.

My team at the fox recovery pens after work one day. I suppose our view of the mountains and ocean is nothing to complain about!

PS I don't get cell phone reception at our campsite, but will try my best to keep in touch when I get back into Avalon on the weekends! Without electricity or cell phone reception it's hard to remember I'm only an hour from home, but when we listen to the radio on the way to and from work everyday we hear the traffic update on the 405.