Miguel & Rosa
updated: Jan 15, 2013, 3:37 PM

By John Wiley

Two of our three Santas, Miguel and Rosa are green from the recent rain, I discovered flying around the Channel Islands. Santa Cruz is green too of course, though the reddish soils there predominate the palette. Anacapa as always is different too, and if there's interest I'll send Ed some pix of those two islands. The pic across offshore rocks to a flat sandy island is San Miguel looking toward the East, with Rosa and Cruz in the distance. The long arch is on the southern shore of Santa Rosa, and I hadn't noticed it before. The hilly dark green island is Santa Rosa looking back toward San Miguel just visible in the distance.

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Comments in order of when they were received | (reverse order)

COMMENT 363805	2013-01-15 03:42 PM
Hi John, Do you get nervous flying a single engine out over the islands ? That water looks pretty cold these days, do you carry a raft?
JOHN WILEY	2013-01-15 06:54 PM
Common questions, #805. No, I don't carry a raft (I do carry life jackets), and no I don't get nervous. Lindbergh famously said he didn't want two engines for his transatlantic flight to Paris, because it doubles the chances of something going wrong. Of course, aircraft engines today are vastly more reliable. But the main reason I'm comfortable flying out to our islands is that I go high enough that I could glide to land in the exceedingly rare event of engine problems. There's also at least one air strip on each island. Driving around town, now THAT's dangerous! A lot less fun, too. :)
COMMENT 363971P	2013-01-16 07:28 AM
The water looks so turquoise and perfect in the shot of the stone arch. I've only been out to San Miguel once. The water out there may be cold but it looks like a tropical paradise.
FLICKA	2013-01-16 07:35 AM
Beautiful photos, thanks. From 1934-42 George Hammond flew his plane from the family estate, Bonnymede, in Montecito, to San Miguel. He had become friends with the Lester family living on the island and took supplies, mail and just made visits.
COMMENT 363996	2013-01-16 08:40 AM
Thanks for the pictures! Everyone should know that the islands, as part of the national park and national marine sanctuary, have regulations prohibiting fly-overs of less than 1,000 feet in order to protect critical nesting and breeding areas for seabirds and marine mammals.... more info at sanctuaries.noaa.gov/flightregulations.html shouldn't be a problem for John's long lens!

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