Pacific Coast Trip: Ventura

Being on PCH was like going home. Jason and I used to drive this road regularly when we lived in Marina del Rey. It was fun to see some of our old spots, as well as see some new establishments. The fire damage is apparent along the road. It’s wonderful to see yellow flowers blanketing the area signifying a new start!

Ainsley:

We drove on PCH. I saw a lot of boats on the ocean right next to this road! I used my binoculars to see them well. I was looking for whales and dolphins. I think I saw some tails but I can’t be sure! I went to the Santa Monica National Recreation Area. I earned another badge! I did a scavenger hunt as part of the junior ranger program. One of the questions was to figure out what the raccoon scat looked like. I said it looked like a crab or a spider.

In the visitor center, I learned about the Chumash Indians. They fished, hunted deer and rabbits, and collected acorns. They are different from the other Native Americans because they lived near an ocean to get their food. They also used shells for money. They used obsidian to make arrow points. That was an exciting ocean trip!

Travis:

Today I went to the Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Area. There was a cool highway tunnel that let you feel like an animal crossing the highway. There was also a scent station. One of the the flowers smelled like vanilla caramel 😂! Did you know that some famous movies were filmed here? When it was all done, we got our Junior Ranger badges! We also saw an old mansion, but we couldn't go in it😭. It was owned by King Gillette.