Island Effect

So before I left for Catalina Island, I was bragging that I would be able to stand up on the first wave I tried to surf. What happened in reality was that the first wave tumbled me underwater, slammed me into the sand, and tore my wetsuit open at the knee. So I tried drinking beer on the beach, it seemed safer.

If you are from the midwest, or the northwest and are trying to picture an island off the coast of L.A., don't. It's too far removed from our reality. Apparently, I was there during the 'wet' season, where the island was green, albeit still very dusty. Green is a relative California term meaning 'green from over thirty feet away'. Up close the ground cover is not tight, but sparse with rough grass chutes, sage brush and cacti. What makes the island beautiful though, is it's dramatic elevation, launching up from the ocean, rocky by the kelpy coves, and steeply climbing to the precipices across the skyline. That, coupled with the tri-daily meal bell that calls in all the camp staff like the Ingall children to their little house on the prairie. That bell was a conversation stopper. In fact, you could have two grown men about to kill each other for sleeping with each other's wives, and then 'ding! ding! ding!', they drop their broken glass beer bottles, clap with giddy delight, hold hands and prance down to the mess hall laughing 'tee-hee-hee' with the unbridled hope of chalupas for dinner.

Oh and the ocean. The ocean is pretty nice too. Only if you like things like sailing, snorkeling, scuba, fishing, kayaking, swimming, paddleboarding, surfing, (breath of air), wake boarding, whale watching, great white sharks, etc...

My only problem was that I had one and a half days on the island to pack as much activity in as possible. Which means that by the end of the day, when people were getting ready to head out to 'the bar', I was lying in a comatose state on the bed, trying not to vomit. My night was saved, however, by red bull and a local drink called buffalo milk. Delicious.

Coming back to MN was somewhat of downer inasmuch as we just got 7" of snow last night. But it will melt, my tan will unfortunately fade, but I still drool like Pavlov's dog when I hear a bell ring. Tee hee hee!