Catalina Island Trip Blog #4

Captain's Wheelhouse

Blog #4

Catalina Island

Welcome back my friends! It feels so good to be back in the blogosphere. School started on July 24th for all of us in the Southbay and for all Poseidon Academy students and that has kept me quite busy. But now that we are on Winter break it's a perfect time for me to drop another outdoor blog on all of you.

My friend Don and I at the Shrine (2015)

I hope you have continued to explore outdoor spaces places and faces. From what I have seen on FB many of you have. I see people like my friend Chuck doing some canoeing, others are hiking, fishing, surfing and exploring. Remember that "outside is better than inside". Outdoors we get to breathe the fresh air, look at flowers, hike, run, climb and explore. These are things our bodies are designed to revel in.

In my last blog I wrote about my trip to Costa Rica with a fantastic bunch of people. Hope you enjoyed the photos. Since then I have taken groups of Poseidon students to our local beach and to the Tijuana Estuary. My goal is to share nature with children and challenge them to learn the names of plants and animals. In Septermber I had a chance to take my 10th grade class to Catalina Island.

Our tenth graders, which I have dubbed "the flying fish" went out to the Catalina Island Marine Institute at Toyon Bay. This private cove is 3 miles from Avalon and has great facilities, labs, dorms and hands on activities for students to do. We stayed for three days and did two day snorkels and one night snorkel. Kids also spent time looking at plankton through microscopes, identifying and pressing algae, touching invertebrates and handling sharks, skates and rays. (Don't worry, the sharks were less than a foot long and were not aggressive) Only about 10 of the 450 species of shark are even remotely dangerous to humans.

Some of the outdoor fun included climbing on the outdoor rock wall, playing in the gaga pit and hiking up the hill to an outlook called the shrine. 

Noelani and Jeremy

The Snorkeling was incredible on this last journey, however I did notice some effects of global warming. I have been taking students out to Catalina for over 22 yrs. What used to be a thriving kelp forest ecosystem has shown signs of shock due to higher than normal ocean temperatures. There was no kelp in the usual spots and the red algae looked faded. In addition, there was an abundance of smaller filamentous, epiphytic algae growing on some of the stalks of Eisenia Californica, or Sea Palm. On the bright side, lobster, sting rays, leopard sharks and eels were plentiful. The instructors at the institute did a great job of leading the group in finding and identifying a multitude of sea creatures.

The Young Men of Poseidon

The Ladies of Poseidon

Some extra fun was had by all when I put the Poseidon students to extra challenges. First, was the lobster catching contest. Matthew Frith won the lobster catching contest by grabbing 2 lobsters but was still unable to match the Captain's total of seven. Good job, Matt! You won a prize for your efforts. In the Feats of Strength category, Noelani Hernandez won by doing 53 push-ups. She topped all guys and gals. Way to go, Noelani. You are the strongest. Finally, on the early morning hike we had a record 20 participants make it all the way to the Shrine. A Poseidon record.  Well that's it for this edition of the "Captain's Wheelhouse" Let's make this new year a great one by continuing to have a good life in the "fishbowl" Farewell for now,  The Captain.Life's Good In the Fishbowl - Captain's Blog

Costa Rica - A Biodiversity Hotspot

Captain's Wheelhouse

Blog #3

Costa Rica 2016 - A Biodiversity Hotspot

Welcome Back my Friends. Even though our Costa Rica trip was a few weeks ago, the memories are still vivid. Since then I have read my journal, looked at some pictures and did a little research in order to write this most recent piece about our Costa Rica adventure.

Around the world there are areas that are extremely rich in biodiversity.  Some of these places include Madagascar with its lemurs, Botswana and Costa Rica. These areas are referred to by biologists as Biodiversity Hot Spots. In these areas, the flora and fauna are concentrated in zones that are a delight to the eyes and ears. Everywhere you look you will see amazing creatures flying, jumping, crawling and swimming. Spend three days attuning your ears and you will be able to distinguish the songs of a variety of birds. Biodiversity Hot Spots were created by mother nature over a course of 200 million years. I hope you take some time to visit one or more of these areas during your lifetime because the hand of man is heavy upon the earth and many of these areas are in peril. 

Costa Rica

Day 3: We are sitting in a semi-circle listening to our guide talk about how the Costa Rica land mass rose from the sea about 500 million years ago. Apparently, Costa Rica is a fairly new creation in terms of the geologic time scale. It was created as a result of a tectonic collision between two giant plates, the Cocos Plate and the Pacific Plate. This collision caused the lands of Costa Rica and Panama to rise up and connect Mexico with South America. This area called MesoAmerica is a recent arrival to the geologic puzzle that makes up this part of the world. Joel, went on to tell us that the northern part of Costa Rica has the Nicoya peninsula and to the south is the very rich, wild and biodiverse, Peninsula de Osa. Later that day we were scheduled to take a horse back riding trip to a beautiful "secret spot."

 Horse Back Riding

After our lesson on plate tectonics we made our way to the horse ranch. At the ranch we all mounted our steeds and headed out into the jungle. My horse's name was Canelo and he was a loyal and sure footed mount. At first,  our posse crossed areas that had been cleared for farming and due to this disturbance had a lot of muddy, barren areas. Soon enough however,  we were deep in the jungle going up paths that led us through dense forest. Eventually we arrived at a clearing in the jungle where the river created an amazing clear, cool pool for us to swim in. On the other side was a smaller river that created a beautiful waterfall. We swam and played in the water for about an hour. On the way back to the ranch we heard the call of howler monkeys. 

Day 4 - Today we went to Hacienda Baru where we took a nature hike. We strolled along the 2 km long trail through the reserve, looking at butterflies, beetles, listening to the sounds of birds and cicadas and talking about the importance of protecting the rainforests. Eventually we ended up at the ocean where we took time to do some beach combing and play in the warm Pacific waters. On our way back we touched the sensitive Mimosa plant which closes up after you touch it. We also saw the beautiful red and orange Heliconia plants. Back at the reserves home station we were shown the Teak tree which was introduced to Costa Rica for its valuable wood. We walked through a small butterfly garden and we were treated to some coffee and more natural history lessons from our guide, Joel. 

Below are some pictures for you to enjoy. In my next blog I will talk a little bit about Costa Rican culture and introduce you to some essential Tico slang. Until then, Tuanis Mae!

"Though the streams are swollin' keep them doggies rollin'"

Great Composers: Mozart, Beethoven. Here we see great decomposers: Bracket Fungi

Do not swim in the river!

Nature Hike through Hacienda Baru

Costa Rica 2016

Crater at Poas Volcano

Poseidon Expeditions Team to Costa Rica, June 2016
From L to R: Gilda Rojas, Maria Porras, Cecilia Porras, Clara Dackermann, Josue Avendano, Mario Olmos, Adam Yoshinaga

We are back from spending an exciting time in the beautiful jungles of Costa Rica. This was a trip of a lifetime for me and my students. The beauty of the country brought out the best in each of us.  In just seven short days we were able to experience waterfalls, tropical fish, volcanoes and more. In this excerpt of the "Captain's Wheel House" I would like to take you through a short tour of some of the highlights of our trip. 

Day 1 - We flew to Costa Rica and stayed at the Quality Hotel Real in San Jose. The hotel was clean, modern with great food and wonderful service. It was here that we got a short orientation by our "Tico" course leader, Joel. We also paired up with our partner school from Georgia, Lafayette high school.

Day 2 - After having a nice breakfast at the hotel we got into our private van and our driver, took us to the town of Alajuela.

Alajuela is the hometown of Costa Rica's hero, Juan Santamaria who died in Costa Rica's only battle in 1856. We drove through town and passed the central plaza which was surrounded by Mango trees. After a short history lesson and passing the statue of Juan Santamaria we headed to Poas Volcano.  We hiked to the rim of the volcano on a paved walkway and along the way we got to know some of the local plants and insects. The weather was clear and sunny. We got lucky because many times the weather is cloudy at that altitude and the crater of the volcano is not visible. However, the sky was clear and the view of the Poas cinder crater was astonishing.  

After taking pictures at the rim of the crater we headed to the visitors center along the montane trail and got to see some of the archaeological artifacts on display there. Especially interesting were the gold figurines that were excavated from the surrounding area. The indians of Costa Rica created gold replicas of the animals in nature. There were birds, dolphins, mammals and monkeys. After we left the visitors center our driver took us to the Central Pacific Area of Costa Rica. We stopped at a restaurant that had a huge open air seating area. Here we were taken to the kitchen where we learned how to make a typical Costa Rican dish called "Picadillo."   Picadillo is a simple dish of chopped onion, bell pepper, garlic and potatoes sauteed in butter. Just add your favorite meat and you have a delicious, country style meal.

After lunch we went to an observation area where we saw scarlet macaws, butterflies, birds and off in the distance, a crocodile on the banks of a river. In Costa Rica nature abounds. You only need to walk a few paces and you will see astounding beauty. Everything was green, lush, and full of life. We then moved on to our afternoon adventure which was to take a rainforest canopy tour using the best zip line I have ever been on. It had 12 platforms and the rides were long and fast. Sometimes, too fast. One of our students went zipping in so fast that she almost knocked the guide off the platform. They called that "Coming in Hot!!"

That's all for now. I will share more in my subsequent posts. Thanks for reading. 

As they say in Costa Rica "Pura Vida" 

The Captain

Welcome to my wheel house.

Captain's Wheel House

Blog #1

Todays forecast calls for light winds and overcast skies and slightly rough seas. But fear not, no tempest is on the horizon.

Welcome to my first installment of "Life is good in the fishbowl" 

This site is going to be dedicated to talking about exploring the outdoor world,  learning about botany and zoology, discovering new places, teaching students about nature and protecting our natural resources. This site will also update you on trips and expeditions that I go on with my students from the Poseidon Academy in Imperial Beach, CA.  However, I won't limit it to those topics only. 

Other things I may cover include medicine, health, music, hiking and education philosophy.

So, relax, grab a cup of coffee and take some time to read.

Costa Rica 2016

This summer I will be taking a group to Costa Rica to explore the rainforest and beaches in one of the most beautiful countries in the world. We will be visiting the Arenal volcano, the beach at Manuel Antonio and traveling down some beautiful rivers. We hope to see the beautiful national bird of Costa Rica, the Quetzal and observe the antics of spider monkeys as we practice our Spanish in a rich green land of peace, beauty and brotherhood.

Our expedition departs June 8th from San Diego Airport and we return on June 14th. I will update you on our daily travels and share some of the exciting moments that await us in the land where the motto is "Pura Vida"  Adios and Aloha for now.  Enjoy this day and remember that learning never stops...it only slows down so you can drink cafe con leche, eat, sleep and watch a little Seinfeld.

Happy Trails,  The Captain