What Actually Lives in a Pineapple Under the Sea by Whitney Theriot

t most definitely is not Sponge Bob Square pants but a variety of sea creatures. The Monterrey Bay Aquarium was a fun look at the under the sea mix up for the Nothing but G's. We all enjoyed gazing in awe at the large assortment of marine life and birds that the aquarium had in it. I really enjoyed the bright colors and beauty there truly is under the sea. All the animals live and work as a team within the ecosystem. This aquarium was the first that I have seen that included fish along with birds that may be on the beach. The aquarium contained a variety of sand pipers and also included sea gulls. I also enjoyed the touch tanks that the aquarium had; one of the many tanks had bat rays, grouper, and other fun fish. Another tank had slimy sea animals, such as starfish, sea cucumber, sponges, and some crustaceans. Next, we went into a observatory that contained sharks. They had a cool camera that allowed us to view the sea life as if we were under the water with them. Next we went into the jellyfish exhibit. They had this one species of jelly fish that you cannot sea unless there is a light being flashed on them. On the way out to our surprise, we ran into the Black-footed penguin exhibit. I thought it was cool the way they had a brand on the penguins wing that had its name on it. Finally, we ended in the seahorse exhibit. I was surprised to find out that our 3rd expedition staff member, Derek, thought they were fictional creatures, like unicorns. I found the variety of seahorses spectacular; I was amazed at how many different types there were. I also thought it was cool that they had a pouch of live seahorse embryos that they had figured out how to show to the public. This was an adventure under the sea I will remember for a long time.

Nothing but G’s in the back country by A.C. Berry

The Nothing but G’s + the Backcountry = pain and awesomeness. On Thursday the 18 of March, we started our decent into the backcountry. For the first 20 minutes we were all hiking together. After that I had to fall back because Ashley (my backpack) was giving me a hard time. I had to stop and adjust my hip belt. While I was doing that, I saw Evan not too far from me. I caught up to him and we started to talk about our lives at home and how we miss them. We stopped a lot as well because the first mile was all up hill. That killed my hips. Some people said my hips were lying. Then it was killing my knees. Evan was a rookie to hiking, so he stayed in the back and hiked up that beast. I was already in the back with Evan, so I thought of cheering him on because it was his first hike with a very big backpack. After the all that up hill, it was a nice smooth breeze down to camp. Our campsite was called Barlow flats. A little fact about this campsite is that if you go to the restroom it is on top of a hill and you can see people passing by. Awkward, but the out come of the campsite was great; we had enough space to sleep and play.

While we were at this beautiful campsite, we did school everyday, but we also did some other fun activities. The day after we got in we took a hike to the hot springs. During that hike Evan, I.V., Ben, and myself got to know each other a little bit more. When we got to the so-called hot springs, we had to cross a river many times. We cheered Laith on because he was scared. When we got across the river we could not find the hot springs, so we took a break and ate snack while Ricky and Andrew dunked there heads in the water. Then we headed back to camp to finish off the day. The next day we had to clean up in the river. Some people jumped in right away, others like myself were pansies about it and did not want to get in. That water was some of the coldest water I have ever felt.

Then on the hike out again Evan and I were I the back up until we saw the van then I asked him you want to run to the van. At first he said no but then he took off and I tired to catch up but I could not because he did not give me a warning

As I wrap this blog up I just want to say that the nothing but G’s have gone through a lot to be at the position that they are in. I think that we can handle the next expedition, the one that we will run by ourselves, very well.

Megaman Battles by Ricky Diaz

Evan, Ben, Isaac, and I invented a game called Megaman Battles. As everyone should know, Megaman is a little blue dude with a blaster for an arm that kills viruses. It’s totally awesome! It really is! When have you seen a little blue dude that runs around with a blaster for an arm?!? You don’t see that anywhere other than Megaman games or the television show. Anyway, so what Evan, Ben, Isaac, and I did is we took our sleeping pads, rolled them up tight and tied string around them so that they would stay rolled up. Put them on our arms, and started battling each other with them. Here are the rules of the game. What you are trying to do is kill the other Megaman.The kills only count when you get a point blank face shot and two body shots, when you rip off their pad (it counts as a instant kill), or when you use their special move and the other person doesn’t block it within two seconds of you using it. Everyone has his or her own special move that you can use. You have to come up with one before you can play. Your special move is a move that can only be blocked by an energy shield, which means you punch the ground with your pad arm. It is a one on one match. We have played this game many different times but in many different forms. For example, at one point we were playing in a kind of arena. Other times we would do just free for alls at the campsite we were staying at. Basically, all I’m trying to say is it was a big game that anyone could join. That’s what made it fun. The more people the better. The reason why it made it more fun was because the more people the greater the challenge. Everyone has a different fighting style and brings different strategies to the table. It makes the game more interesting. This has been Ricky Diaz with SOAR news, over and out.

The nothing but G’s and Rock Climbing By Andrew Berry

The nothing but g’s went rock climbing in Santa Barbra. The road was in the middle of nowhere and was hard to find. It was hard to look for the trail down to the rock because it started back in the trees.
Once we got to the climb site, Jeremy helped us to set up the climb. He threw the rope down, we tied the rope in our harness, and we were ready to climb. Right when we got to the top we could see the ocean. The group finished their school work at the climb site. It was a nice place to do school because it was calm.
We enjoyed seeing the ocean from the top of the rock. I recommend you go visit this rock in Santa Barbra because it is a pretty cool climb.

The California Expedition Part 2

By Ben Sacks

Previously on the California Expedition, the Nothing but G’s went surfing. “Radical! Way to shred the waves!”

This expedition was extremely exciting. Three of the activities that the Nothing but G’s had were going to the Monterey Bay Aquarium, going to the beach, and celebrating my nineteenth birthday.

-It is now time for the exciting conclusion!

The first major group activity on the list is the Monterey Bay Aquarium. Now, this aquarium was really cool, not just because the group actually got to go to an aquarium, but because the Monterey Bay Aquarium is one of the best aquariums in the United States. The group really enjoyed seeing the incredibly wide assortment of animal life that was there. Some of the favorites were the Blackfooted penguin, Leafy Sea Dragon, Seven Gill Shark, Bat Rays, Giant Kelp Bass, Mahi-Mahi, and jellyfish. One of the best parts of the aquarium was the coral reef exhibit. Unfortunately, time was running out and the group needed to move a little more quickly. It was a great day though and the Nothing but G’s had a really great time.

The beach was the most physically active of the three activities. The final game in the Soaring Eagle Championship Series (SECS) was scheduled for that afternoon between the team Slash ‘n’ Smash (Derek “Strait Thuggin”, A.C. “Pretty Boy” Berry, Whitney “The Riot” Theriot, and Ben “Sack Attack” Sacks) vs. team Shock ‘n’ Awe (Wes “Wonder Bread” Stanforth, Suzanne “Sneak Attack” Siegel, Ricky “Ricky Bobby” Diaz, and Evan “Mr. White” Anderson). Three hours later, after the fourth quarter drew to a close, the final score was Shock ‘n’ Awe = 6 and Slash ‘n’ Smash = 8. That was a football game for the ages.

Last but certainly not least, (not by a really long shot) was my nineteenth birthday celebration. The Nothing but G’s went to an Italian-American restaurant called Fresco Café. The food was extremely good and was super affordable too. To add icing to the cake, there were two musicians playing an arrangement of blues and jazz music next to the table that the group was sitting at. After the group had full stomachs and was happy, the Nothing but G’s prepared for the return journey back to base.

A Visit Home by Isaac Inglis

The Nothin’ But G’z had just come on from a long and exhausting flight. It was late at night, but everyone was hyped up over their destination for that night, the house of the Inglis family. They had prepared a delicious meal of shepherds’ pie, ice cream, pavlova, chocolate cake, and soda. It was a feast to remember and was enjoyed thoroughly by all. They spent the night out on the front lawn, which was made of astro-turf, where counselor Derik, and student Andrew slept too close to the sprinklers for the few plants that needed the water, and got water on themselves.
In the morning, the G’z woke up to a wonderful breakfast, prepared by Annie Inglis, of homemade McMuffins with orange juice. It was a delicious breakfast. During breakfast, the guys talked with Zoe Inglis, Isaac Inglis’s sister, about different cars, and Isaac grabbed a few books to take with him on the expedition. Overall, this was an amazing time shared everyone and will be one of the things the Nothin’ But G’z will most certainly remember.

Camouflage with the “G’s” By: Evan Anderson

While the G’s were in the back country, at a campsite called Barlow flats, a game took place. Hidden in the trees, creeping up on you while you weren’t looking and when you least expected. It was called camouflage! This games objective was to hide in the forest, in a set of boundaries, and not be spotted by the person on the hill. When the person can’t find any more people, if any were found, they close their eyes and count to seven seconds. During those seven seconds, everyone that remains hidden must move three steps forward to a new hiding spot. You may use anything available to hide: trees, grass, dirt, rocks, under sleeping bags, behind tents, just anything to keep from being spotted. A.C. even put his hat somewhere other then where he was, to use it as a decoy. It sure fooled me. To win the game, you must get behind the seeker’s spot, or be the last person to remain hidden. This game is incredibly fun and I’m more than positive there would be no hesitation from the group to play again. This was our wonderful game of camouflage that the nothing but “G’s” played.

One Moment of Serenity….........By: Isaac Vaisberg

After a 9.4-mile hike through the redwood forests of Big Sur, the Nothin’ But G’s arrived at Barlow Flats. The campsite at Barlow flats was simple, cozy, and had a view of the mountains in the horizon, but its most magnificent feature was the river that flowed adjacent to it. The crash of the current against the rocks in the river gave the campsite an air of freshness unparalleled to anything I have ever smelled before. Along with the freshness came a sense of peace, a sense of belonging. While at Barlow Flats we all felt more connected to nature than we ever had before. One moment in particular remains in my mind. I was sitting on my Crazy-Creek by the river reading my book, The Fountainhead, when Ben Sacks came and asked if he could join me. I gladly invited him to sit next to me and join in my time of relaxation. Within seconds of Ben sitting down we were both in a trans-like state; our eyes attentively following the text, our ears eagerly listening to the running of the river in front of us, our noses vigorously taking in the scent of fresh mint from the surrounding foliage. We both, as I later found out from Ben, were, at that moment, at peace with ourselves as well as nature. Somehow, by silently reading next to each other, we managed to build a connection so strong that a small interruption by one of our teammates caused us both to, in unison, ask him to leave us to our Zen-like state. It was a moment of pure serenity and bliss. We were both focus on our reading, focus on our breathing, and focused on the rush of the water in the river. Nothing else mattered at that moment. No one else existed save the characters in our books and each other. When we were called to dinner it took us a while to be able to leave that tranquil state. We were both so in tune with nature at that point that it was hard to let go. We soon managed to get up and rejoin the group for a night of conversation and feast. Although the moment was gone, the memory remained. I’ll never forget that moment of pure serenity with Ben by the side of the river a Barlow Flats.

The Belize Expedition By Mitchell Wilkinson-Harrison

Have you ever been to Belize? It is an awesome place to visit. There are fun activities to do in Belize. You can learn about different things in Belize, such as the culture and languages.
On Tobacco Caye most of the Tickle Sticks went snorkeling and the rest of the team went diving. On one of our days in Belize, Big John took the tickle sticks to a beautiful waterfall and then I fell off the waterfall into the water, but I was okay. Then our last day of the Belize trip we went to buy stuff from Belize. The TIckle Sticks went to Black Rock to go swimming and they had wild horses on the property. Then Big John took the Tickle Sticks to the baboon center to learn about different kinds of baboons that live in Belize. On the last day of our trip we went to the Belize zoo to see all of the different kinds of animals that they have there. On one of the days in Belize we went to caracal and caye. The Tickle sticks met two people in Belize that were staying there, and their names were Eric and Colin. They got to hang out with us for two days in Belize.
In Belize they have a different kind of culture, speak a different language, and food different in Belize. The main food that they have in Belize is Chicken, Beans and Rice. The money is different from American money and everything costs a lot and the prices were different. Most of the Belize speaks Spanish and sometimes English too. They drive on the other side of the road than we do in Belize, and all of the roads were dirt and bumpy.

I like going to Belize because it is a nice place to visit. There are a lot of things you can do, and the culture is interesting. You can learn about a lot of different things in Belize and enrich your brain.

Caracol by JAMES PARKER

The Tickle Sticks took an amazing trip to Belize. One of the main attractions was Caracol, which is a Mayan Ruin. Big John, who was the staff on this trip, wouldn’t have done it without the help of two friendly fellows staying at the Trek Stop with us. These two fellows were Eric and Collin, both of whom were extremely fun and it was a joy to talk to others outside of our group for once. The drive was not something normal people experience. A large majority of the drive was on unpaved roads with large potholes all around. Not only was it not on paved roads, it was fairly long, about two hours. As we drove down this long lonely road we all thought to ourselves what this ruin would be like. After Big John described it he made it seem like it was the most incredible structure around. Anxiousness struck everyone in the van. We all wondered how much longer this drive was going to last. As we neared our destination and could see the park in the near distance. The excitement in the large 15 passenger van rose. We were here. The long journey ended and we were finally at Caracol. As we stepped out of the van into the warm tropical air everyone was full of energy from sitting for so long. We walked through the jungle a bit until we stumbled upon some massive trees. The name given to these trees are the Trees of Life. They have been around for ages upon ages. After seeing such incredible trees we continued the walk through the jungle to a clearing. We were behind an incredible structure. This structure was the great Caracol. Some of us climbed to the top of this structure and the views were incredible. Looking out you could see a court yard and another structure. Big John had definitely made this place up to seem what it really was. Everything he said was so true. After seeing this we didn’t think it could get any better but boy were we wrong. Following a trail we stumbled upon another massive and incredible structure. This was the main part of the ruin. As we climbed up towards what you thought was the top of this incredibly steep ruin we thought we would come upon a courtyard. Climbing up here was exhausting and just as you saw the courtyard and thought it was the top, there were more stairs to climb up till you were really at the top. Once we were at the true top of Caracol the views were amazing. What we saw is something that your average person never gets a chance to see. A courtyard below us followed by another part of the ruin then over the top of that part you could see miles and miles of mountain tops. It was so beautiful. Big John definitely was right. This was possibly the most amazing thing any of us had seen. Climbing down from such a height on such steep and oversized stairs was a bit sketch, but we all made it down safe and sound. After eating lunch in the provided picnic area, we hung around and discussed what our favorite parts were. After all this was done it was time to continue the long journey back to the Trek Stop. On the way back Big John surprised us by taking us to a swimming hole that had a huge waterfall flowing into it. There were some rocks that we were allowed to jump off of and everyone in the group pushed their comfort level and jumped off. After about an hour or two of having fun in the warm waters of Belize, it was time to pack up and continue the drive back to the Trek Stop…Joy.

Trip to Tobacco Caye By Dylan Smythe

While we, the SEC Tickle Sticks, were in Belize, we took a trip to Tobacco Caye. Tobacco Caye is a small island about three miles off the coast of Belize. When I first got there, the first thing I thought about how small it was. It was no more than the size of a large parking lot. I was amazed of how many conk shells there were around the island.
When we finally got unpacked and set up in our rooms, we went to get some lunch from the dining area. After finishing lunch, we went snorkeling off the beach a ways. There were so many fish it was ridiculous. There were many eagle rays and sting rays. There were massive schools of tarpon. There were small schools of barracudas and red snapper. There were many different kinds of fish that I cannot name but can say were exotically beautiful.
After we finished the snorkel trip, we went to the bar and chilled out for a bit. When it was time for dinner, we went to the dining room to some lovely fish. After that, we went to the rooms and chilled out on the hammocks that were already set up. After a few hours we went to bed, anticipating what tomorrow would bring.
The next morning we woke up and did some small exercises. We went to breakfast as soon as we heard the bell ring. After breakfast, and a cup of Belizean coffee, we went to the scuba master and got rigged up. After the first dive, we went to lunch. Soon after, we went back to do a second dive. After our dive we hooked up with the group and decided to chill on the beach. When it was dinner time, we went to eat and after a nice dinner, we went to bed early while some people did a night snorkel. We woke up then next day and packed up, ate breakfast, and jumped onto the boats that took us back to Belize.

Jake DeHaan

The Tickle Sticks had a fantastic time in Belize and had some amazing experiences that will be impossible to forget. The time that sticks out most to me is our time on Tobacco Caye (Key). Tobacco Caye is about 40 miles South East of Belize City and around 10 miles of Dangriga. Tobacco Caye has a permanent population of around 20 people. The people on the island were exceptionally kind and helpful. The group was greeted by some amazing prepared meals; that was a nice break from always having to make our own. The first meal we had was chicken, which, due to my distaste of meat on a bone was not fantastic, but everyone else seemed to enjoy greatly. After lunch that day we went out for a snorkel. It was one of the best snorkels I have ever been on. The abundance of wildlife and living coral was sensational. I have never seen so many eagle rays and conchs in my life. The eagle rays seem to just flow like slow moving birds through the water. After that the group had some time to relax. I had a great time reading now, one of my new favorite books, Ender’s Game. After this relaxing time, we went to dinner and had a fantastic meal. The dinner was red snapper with a sort of tomato sauce. We were all quite tired so we decided to go to bed. The next morning being so enwrapped in my book I got up early and watched the sun come up and read. When it was time to get going for the day we went to get breakfast, which was like all the meals before it quite good. Then the group went out for the morning exercise, which got some funny looks from residents and guest. The group then divided into two groups, the groups we’re divided into the snorkelers and divers. I was in the snorkeler group with Christian, Mitch, Shane, and Big John. We didn’t see as much as we did before, but we still had an amazing time. Then we went in for lunch. After we ate some of the students had extra spending money and decided to spend it on a second dive. The others went on a snorkel around docks and had a great time. After that we ate we had some more time to relax. The island had a bar, which we were able to use our money on drinks and small snacks. I had a really good time spending sometime with James and getting to talk. We then ate dinner, spent some more time relaxing then went to bed. The next morning we got up and packed our bags and left the island. Leaving was very sad; I had an extremely good time. I’ll never forget the time on Tobacco Caye and I hope I can take my family there sometime.

Our Trip To Belize By David Hollander

The South East Coastal tickle sticks went to Belize on our last trip; it was amazing. We arrived in Belize at about three pm, and we drove about two hours to the trek stop where we stayed for about five days. Our first adventure was to Cahal Peck, which is a ruin. Unfortunately the ruin was ruined.
There were two guys that we met at the trek stop and they were in Belize to volunteer. They were both audio engineers and they were helping out with sound in churches. They came with us on my favorite trip. We woke up really early and drove about three hours on a very bumpy road, and then arrived at a ruin called Caracal. After Caracal we ate lunch and drove to a cave. The cave we saw was huge; there was even a river, waterfall, and beach in the cave. It was possibly the coolest thing I’ve ever seen. After the cave the day was finally heating up and we were all sweating. John took us to a place called Big Rock where we had the opportunity to jump off a 15-foot rock into the water. It was a blast! The day ended with a nice dinner out! The food we ate there was amazing and it was so nice to have food prepared for us for almost every meal.
After our journey at the Trek Stop we headed to Tobacco Caye. The ride out to the island was crazy. We were in a small boat in huge waves! We were drenched by the time we got there but it didn’t matter because it was paradise. We snorkeled a lot when we were there. Some of us even had the opportunity to scuba dive. The diving there was amazing and some day I would love to bring my family back there. I had never been in a country so amazing, everyone there was so chill and I’ve never felt so welcome to another country. Everyone there is so kind. I would love to visit Belize again in the next couple years.

The Habanero experience by Alec Thompson 3/15/10

In the beginning of the Belize trip everything was going fine. Then during the expedition the tickle sticks thought about trying a habanero pepper. Most of them didn’t want to try one but Christian decided to do so. He knew what had happened to his friend last semester so he wanted to try it. There was a bag of peppers that he had purchased from a local market. We were in the van when he ate a big orange pepper. After he finished chewing his face turned red and tears started running down his face. He yelled in pain as the spices started to kick in. Big John handed him some tortillas and told him water won’t help. Christian drank some water anyway and his face was still red. He was still hot in the face when we got back to camp and he rushed to the kitchen. Then Christian drank some milk and ate some bread. This helped a lot and he soon started to feel better after a ton of milk. There was a problem,. Christian’s stomach didn’t agree with the milk and the bread he had eaten. 10 minutes after finishing the milk, Christian tossed his cookies (or threw up). Then later that day he wanted to eat another one in front of Cassy so she could see it but he never got to. Later the next day, Dylan decided to try a habanero pepper too. There was a big difference between Dylan’s pepper and Christian’s pepper. Dylan’s was a fingernail-sized pepper. I would say it had the same effects as Christian’s, but I can’t because it was so small. At first Dylan’s face got red and he said his tongue was on fire. He went to his cabin to try to cool down from his pepper, later he said it wasn’t hot at all. Now that the peppers are gone everyone on the tickle sticks team have thumbs up for Christian and one thumb up for Dylan.

The Magic of the Open Sea By Whitney Theriot

Even after the massive, 8.8 earthquake on the Pacific coast of Asia,the group in the channel islands experienced mediocre effects. Unfortunately, due to large waves and small amounts of flooding the group kayaking trip was postponed for 2 days. By waiting the 2 days, the effects the earth quake had on the water had calmed down dramatically. The ocean waves were almost completely back to normal and the Nothing but G's were able to embark on their epic sea kayaking excursion.
While on this adventure, the Nothing But G's experienced beautiful scenic views and beastly activities. One of these activities included an intense water fight in which 7 out of the 12 members of our team took part in. The war started off small, when A.C and Evan drenched Ricky. What they didn't know is that this was the start of a water war that would go on for the rest of the trip. This particular war involved kelp grenades and whips, and lots of water. Suzanne and myself made the mistake of joining in the middle of a battle. We were able to out paddle A.C and Evan the first time and seek safety without getting wet. But, when
Evan, A.C,teamed up with Ricky and Laith they cornered us and their was no escape. Shortly after this event , teams began to form, Ben, Evan and A.C vs. Ricky, Laith , Suzanne and I.It was not long until Evan, A.C and Ben Started using kelp as ammunition. By separating the buds from the kelp, grenades were formed and began flying through the air at rapid speeds. My team was sure to avoid Ben, He had a giant kelp whip and was not afraid to use it. The battle ended in a truce at the end of our kayaking extravaganza.
Another opportunity the group had on this trip was paddling through sick caves. The first cave we went through, Andrew and Derek crashed into the side of the cave when they were trying to figure out how to maneuver the kayak. One cave in particular that the team enjoyed, exploded water at us when we came near it. In the cave, there were huge waves. After Suzanne and I had paddled out of the cave and looked back we could not see anyone behind us because the waves were so big. The group seemed to enjoy moments like this because the ocean became a giant wave pool . This was because of the boats passing us as we paddled by.
We learned about Geographical features and sea plants. We saw an arch that looked like an elephant drinking, and that is how it got its name Elephant Arch. An interesting fact that I learned was kelp is an ingredient in many products in popular demand today. Kelp can be found in toothpaste, make up, food, and many other items we use everyday.
The group very much enjoyed this expedition through the south Pacific ocean. The group will forever remember the beautiful blue-turquoise water, the massive rock islands, beaches, and overall beauty of the magnificent Channel Islands.

California G-Surfing By Ben Sacks

For those of you who read the title of this blog (which you should have done so give yourself a big pat on the back), then you should know that this blog is about the “radical” surfing experience that the group had during the California/Channel Island National Park expedition. If you didn’t read the title (and you know who you are), then this introduction paragraph is for you.

Before we started “hanging ten”, we met up with Chipper Bro who is an extremely laid back, hilarious, and awesome dude. He was the head instructor in the surfing lesson. The first part was to find out foot positioning. There were two different stances, regular and goofy. Regular is with your left foot forward and goofy is with your right foot forward. Next he told us the proper way to catch the wave. Step one is to paddle hard until your feel the main part of the wave. Then you do a cobra, which is when you place your hands under your chest and push up until your upper body is off the board. Lastly, and this is by far the hardest part, you “pop” or quickly hop up into a crouch and eventually stand up to ride the wave.

When we actually put these tips to the test, it wasn’t so easy. Most of the time, the wave pummeled us, which was still really fun. I got smashed about eighty percent of the time. However, when one of us did stand up, no words could describe the feeling. There were many cheers of triumph and excitement which included “Cowabunga Dude!!”, “Yeeeeaaaahhhh booooyyyy!!”, and my personal favorite, “Rock on freaky bro”.

By the time our two hours of “gnarly wave ripping” were up, we all felt ecstatic, accomplished, and extremely wiped out. It was a very good day and one that we will remember for a while.


Part two of the California/Channel Island National Park expedition will be coming soon to a computer near you.

The “G’s” Frisbee Times By Evan Anderson

So we, the “G’s”, LOVE our Frisbee, no lie and no denying that, anytime, anywhere, or any weather, nothing gets us in the mood to not throw a circular spinning object through the air. During our expedition, we probably spent more time with a Frisbee than doing anything else. We might have played football more, but it’s hard to use a football when someone in our group named A.C. Berry, kicked it into a tree and got it stuck. Even the strongest winds won’t blow it out of its roost, so we stuck to Frisbee. Not even the miserable rains that usually keep everyone indoors kept us at bay. We would just throw on our rain gear and keep playing! Sadly however, one of the Frisbees cracked against a rock out on the beach, BUT, luckily, Derrick, one of the staff brought a Frisbee he found back home with him. He also made up a game or at least told us about this game, called hole in one. The point of the game is, you get a bunch of people to play and the first person chooses a spot to throw from, and also a target. The first person who hits the target first goes to the spot they just hit (along with everyone else), and that becomes the spot you throw from and the person who hit the last target gets to choose a new target for everyone to hit. And you keep doing that till everyone gets sick of it (no one ever did). The best place we played Frisbee, was at the beach in Carpenteria, near Ventura California. Reason being was that there was really no restriction to how far we could throw. So me, Ben, Wes and Derrick would throw the Frisbee incredibly far down the beach! Another good place was on Santa Cruz Island; near our campsite was a rather large gravel area with a road running along side it. There is so much more to write about but that would literally take forever! But from what you just read, you can probably tell that we love our Frisbee, told you I wasn’t lying.

Channel Island Ferry Boat By Andrew Berry

The boat we got on to take us to the Channel Islands was a catamaran. It went 25 knots. The name of the boat was Island Packer. You could see dolphins from the boat. The dolphins were surfing behind the boat.
We were 19 miles away from harbor on the Channel Islands. You do not want to get hurt out on the island. The helicopter ride would cost $9,000 to emergency lift you to the hospital.
There is only one departure time a day. You do not want to miss the 3:30 departure time to get off the island when you are ready to leave. You might run out of food or be behind on other plans.
So next time you get a chance to go to the Channel Islands, remember to look for dolphins, don’t get hurt, and make sure you make the 3:30 departure time off the island so you don’t get stuck.

Some of the Nothing but G’S favorite moments in California By A.C. Berry

There are so many exciting moments that the group had this expedition. Some of these moments consist of the Channel Islands, surfing, sea kayaking, and of course just the wonderful things about California.
I would like to start this off with an overview of California. California is wonderful. The ocean is always beautiful. It is also very cold. Something special about California is the Channel Islands.
Wow, what can I first tell you guys about the wonderfulness of the Channel Islands? One of the interesting facts about the Channel Islands is that it is in the Pacific Ocean. We got onto the island by ferryboat. Luckily no one got sick on the ferry. Wes was close to being sick, as was Derek. When we got to the island we had to make a chain of people to unload all of the stuff that was put into the boat. We stayed at the island for five days and four nights. The coolest thing we got to do as a group was sea kayaking. We had planned to do it Wednesday but it got canceled do to the fake tsunami that came in the day before. On Friday we got to go sea kayaking. That was so fun. We were splashing throwing kelp, pretending we were pirates bombing each other.
After we got off the island we went to Carpinteria, the cool thing about this campsite was there was a beach right next to the campsite. We went there and chilled for a couple of hours. The positive thing was that I got to go in the water, along with Ricky and Inglis. Once we got in we were got used to the water because we went numb.
A couple of days after that we went surfing. The negative to that was that we had to wake up at five thirty so we could be at our class that started at eight o clock. Everyone got to experience the wonderfulness of Chipper Bro. He was our surf instructor. Chipper Bro is fifty but he acts like he is in his twenties. The coolest part about surfing was that Chipper got a couple of his professional Canadians buddies to help us surf. They were on a road trip that was the only reason that they could help, but still it was awesome. A lot of us stood up on the surfboard. My teacher who happened to be Derek, has never surfed in his life. He started yelling out random things and I understood and stood up on the board. It was fun for him and I.

As I wrap this up, I just want to say that our team is doing wonderfully. I think that is mostly because of California. California made us chill surfer people. So we get along better now.

Talk to you guys soon
A.C.Berry

Does Curiosity Kill The Fox? – By Isaac J. Inglis

Well, apparently it doesn’t, because the South West SOAR group, the Nothin’ But G’z, seemed to encounter a lot of them on the Santa Cruz island in the Channel Islands National Park. They seemed to be everywhere and anywhere they could. Not to mention that they seemed to have the courage of a lion. So, it didn’t matter if you hissed at them, chased them away, swung sticks at them, or tried to catch them, they would just keep coming back without a single hit of fear, and even more sly and cunning ideas running round their minds about how to get to your food.
It didn’t matter what time of day it was, morning, midday, afternoon, evening, or even at night, you can always see 1 or 2 of these little guys slinking around the island’s campsites. They would even walk or trot their way up to you and try to steal some of your trail mix right out of the bowl next to you, as Laith Staffo found out one day while doing school work at the campsite. Another experience, one Andrew Berry and I both had, was when a fox just trotted his way across the campsite and right up to our feet and then passed on by to go and do whatever he or she was planning on doing. It was a very interesting experience considering how small they are.
These foxes aren’t that big, the island fox is about 12 to 13 inches in height and weighs only about 4 to 5 pounds. To put it simply, they’re about the size of a house cat. Their scientific name is Urocyon littoralis santacruzae and is in the Canine family, which means it’s related to dogs, wolves, and coyotes. They reason it has such a unique scientific name is because there are six different sub-species of Island fox, one for each of the Channel Islands. Island foxes have gray coloring on the back, rust coloring on the sides, and white underneath. The face has a distinctive black, white, and rufous-colored patterns.1
In the end, the entire experience with the foxes was really nice. They did manage to steal an empty can from the table once, but we were able to retrieve it from the fox. Plus, do to the sneakiness of the foxes I was put on fox patrol every night, me being the one on patrol because I have exceptional night vision and hearing, I could pinpoint the location of the 4 foxes that were in the trees waiting for a chance to try a grab for our food. The reason I’ve got good night vision is that I’m use to having to move about in the night without a flash light, my parents know this because they’ve caught me sneaking round the house at night a few times. This is also why I’ve got good hearing, after all, I’ve got to know when someone is starting to be woken up by my night’s excursions right? So, in the end I got put on fox watch during dinner, I got to wield a big stick I found as a deterrent to the foxes, and in the end we all had a lot of fun and excitement from our experiences with the foxes.

Bibliography
1 - The United States of America. National Park Service. U.S. Department of the Interior. Island Fox. National Park Service. Web. 8 Mar. 2010. .

The Serene Beauty of Santa Cruz…........… By: Isaac Vaisberg

Upon nearing the island, all of our troubles seemed to just melt away. The light ocean air made its way through our noses and filled our lungs, lifting us up to the highest state of Zen and tranquility. We were approaching what would be the most serene and beautiful place we’d ever seen.
The island was rather large; around 26 miles in diameter, but its hidden groves and harbors made it seem small and cozy. We camped about a quarter of a mile inland. The eucalyptus trees filled the air with a scent of mint and fresh air unparalleled by anything else. Wild foxes roamed the campgrounds in search of food and possible company but were driven away by the slightest of sounds. The hills were covered with green grass and the bloom of thousands of yellow and purple flowers. It appeared as though a painter had come and painted each and every individual flower in its perfect place. The beauty of the ocean and the plains were unparallel by anything else I had ever seen. The serenity too, was something magical.
At night I’d lie on my back and stare at the stars. The wide-open sky, free of pollution, appeared to be a canvas upon which a myriad stars were drawn, each one in its perfect place, shimmering in the splendor of the night, rivaling the moon’s brightness. The sound of a passerby Frisbee filled my ears. The guys were at play, enjoying the cool breeze of the night and the smell of the eucalyptus trees. The island seemed to calm everyone down. Its tranquil air brought everyone down to a state of peace. While on the island we all shared an unspoken bond; we were one: one with each other, one with nature.
We spent our days hiking the massive trails the island had to offer. Our footsteps echoed across the wide-open plains as we marched over to Smuggler’s cove. A covering of trees gave way to a small, hidden beach that we had all to ourselves. I stood and watched the guys run out and start throwing rocks at the ocean. As I took a deep breath I gained a new level of self-awareness. Somehow, just by taking that one deep breathe, I was more in touch with myself, my goals, my challenges, even my inner most thoughts, than I had ever been before. The serenity of the island brought out the best in me. It made me want to be a better person in every way possible.