Despite our numbers, librarians’ families are generally an invisible community. For example, I can’t think of any TV shows or movies that featured librarians as parents, so we don’t get any Hollywood representation.

Because our stories are so rarely told, I’m sharing a few stories now.

Saturdays in the Library

Gail Schlachter at Cal State Long Beach circa mid-1970s

My mom worked as a reference librarian at Cal State Long Beach in the mid-1970s. She was the single parent of two children (me and my sister, 3 years older than me), working full-time and living on a librarian’s salary.

This was an era before workplaces routinely offered childcare to their employees. When mom had to work the reference desk on weekends or other days we weren’t in school, she couldn’t always obtain or afford childcare. Instead, she’d schlep her two young children with her to the library while she worked. She’d set us up in a corner of the library, away from the reference desk but in line-of-sight. We’d play, make art, and read while she worked.

As kids, we didn’t love this. It meant we’d be stuck indoors on beautiful sunny Southern California days. And if we had to be indoors, we’d much rather watch TV. Nowadays, if we had to go to the library with mom, she could set us up with an electronic device so we could binge-watch TikTok videos for hours.

Back then, we didn’t have anything so portable as a mobile device for entertainment. Instead, we brought all of our entertainment with us, which meant we’d bring stacks of our own books and art supplies, enough to keep us entertained, or at least distracted, for hours. I was a geography nerd back then, so I would also bring my 12-inch globe. I’d spend hours spinning the globe and memorizing far-away country names and capitals and rivers and mountain ranges. I can only imagine how I must have looked to library patrons…a young child in the library’s corner, randomly studying his globe.

My sister and I were good kids, mostly, and we didn’t want to make trouble for our mom as she worked. But we were kids, and sometimes youthful energy would overwhelm us. We’d start getting antsy and rowdy as kids do. Our mom would have to shush us, as librarians are always stereotyped as doing.

Family Vacations at the ALA Annual Meeting

Mom attended the ALA Annual Meeting faithfully. The conference was usually a highlight of her year—a chance for her to see her friends and colleagues and nerd out on librarianship. Bringing two small kids in tow surely wasn’t ideal for her, but it was her reality.

She made the best of the situation. We’d tag along with her to the social events. We enjoyed the free food, but we were bored by the adult conversations. The novelty of having young children at the professional event delighted the other attendees. Whenever I run into one of mom’s friends from the old days, they will inevitably (and truthfully) say “I remember when you were this tall!”

For us as kids, the conference exhibits were the highlight of the Annual Meeting. The 1970s was a different era: libraries had money to spend, and publishers competed to get it. The publishers would put on lavish displays in the exhibit hall, their booths loaded with free schwag. We’d grab an ALA totebag and then make our way up and down the exhibit aisles, taking one of everything. It was a bit like Halloween, except we didn’t have to say “trick or treat.” Many vendors had candy and pencils or pens, which we grabbed anyway despite their banality, but occasionally we’d find little toys or stuffed animals or items we could actually enjoy. We’d take our stuffed bags up to the hotel room and compare our loot, showing off the goodies we had found but our sibling had missed.

After my mom transitioned into the publishing industry, libraries remained a part of our family vacations. We’d go check out the local public libraries to see if they had copies of my mom’s books. It would be a great joy being in some obscure (to us) corner of the country, seeing my mom’s books on the shelves and imagining how she was helping people we’d never meet.

An Archivist’s Tale

My mom kept papers from everything. We sorted through dozens of boxes of papers after her death. She kept our art doodles from the long afternoons in the Cal State Long Beach library. She kept the internal staff newsletters for the Cal State Long Beach library, written on typewriters and mimeographed. She kept her ALA papers, which now reside at the ALA Archive at University of Illinois. She kept a complete collection of the hundreds of books she published, which now reside at San Jose State University.

Like my mom, I’m an archivist. Over the years, I’ve cleared out some of my papers, but I still have boxes and boxes of papers in my garage. I have all of my childhood correspondence, papers from jobs when I was a young adult, and printouts of virtually every email I sent and received in the 1990s. I don’t envy the chore my kids will face sorting through my paper archives if I don’t clean them up before I die. At least my electronic archives won’t force them to park one of their cars outside their garage.

Freedom of Expression

My mom firmly believed in public access to information. She saw libraries as a way to reduce information divides and make available, free of charge, credible and reliable information to everyone.

For decades, this function of libraries has been under attack by censors who wish to control information flows to advance their normative or partisan ends. The library community is one of the OG defenders of free speech. In this respect, libraries are like canaries in the free speech coal mine, usually at the vanguard of the censorship battles. My mom started fighting those battles in the 1970s, and I’m sure she’d be aghast today at how censors continue to aggressively implement the same condemnable playbook decades later.

Even as the Internet plays an increasing role in our information ecosystem, the services provided by libraries remain a threat to those in power, and efforts to censor libraries are taking place in parallel with their efforts to censor the Internet. Just as libraries have been targets for decades, censors are trying to shape Internet content to serve their normative or partisan objectives. I’ve seen this story before through my mom’s eyes. As a law professor, I spend much of my professional time today carrying the OG free speech banner, with an emphasis on digital battlegrounds. My mom’s legacy includes my efforts to stand up for the freedom of information.

About the Author: Eric Goldman is a law professor at Santa Clara University School of Law in California. He acknowledges Dusty Springfield for the title inspiration.

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Ed and Zahr are exceptional professors and revered colleagues. Together, they greatly enhance Santa Clara Law’s position as a leader in technology law. On a personal note, I have known and respected Ed and Zahr for many years, and I’m excited and honored to be their colleague.

This post expands on those thoughts.

[Note: I served on the appointments committee this year].

About Ed Lee

Ed and I have noteworthy parallels in our career arcs. In Fall 2001, we both worked in the Bay Area. Ed was a fellow at Stanford, and I was General Counsel at Epinions. That means we were both in the same entry-level applicant pool for tenure-line positions starting Fall 2002. From that search, we both landed tenure-track positions at Midwestern schools (Ed at Ohio State, me at Marquette Law). And now, we have both returned to California and joined the Santa Clara Law faculty after our Midwest sojourns, though on very different timelines. I spent only 4 years in the Midwest, while Ed took 22 years to find his way back.

Ed enjoying a snack at the 5th Internet Law WIP at SCU

Ed and I have been professional friends for years. We’ve been to conferences together, we’ve commented on each other’s drafts, and I’ve spoken at events he’s organized.

I want to relay one standout incident. In 2014, SCU hosted WIPIP. For game night, we did IP pub trivia. The questions were hard by design. After the competition was over, we still had some unused questions that we shared with the entire room for anyone to shout out an answer. In a room filled with some of the brightest minds in IP law, posed with tricky questions about obscure corners of IP law, several times Ed was the only person in the room who knew the answer.

Ed’s intellectual interests are a perfect fit for Santa Clara Law. Ed’s recent work has addressed AI, NFTs, and content moderation–all key topics for the Silicon Valley. Furthermore, his global leadership in International IP beautifully crosses over to SCU’s Center for Global Law and Policy.

About Zahr Said

Zahr and Eric at AALS 2015 along with Bill McGeveran and Jeremy Sheff

I first met Zahr at WIPIP 2008 in New Orleans. We clicked immediately. After that, I became one of her peers and informal mentors. As with Ed, we saw each other at conferences, we commented on each other’s drafts, and I spoke at her events.

In 2014, I submitted a letter in support of Zahr’s tenure application at UW. Reviewing one of her advertising law articles, I wrote:

the article establishes Prof. Said as one of the world’s foremost experts on sponsored literature; and it cements Prof. Said’s leadership role in the nascent community of advertising law scholars

I also wrote:

Prof. Said has quickly integrated into the national community of IP academics, as evidenced by her rapid rise in AALS section leadership. Her social connections give her a great foundation for future recognition of her work and contributions to the discourse.

As an applicant for the Santa Clara Law position, Zahr exceeded all of our criteria, but what really stood out about her candidacy was the cultural fit. For example, during her screening interview, her answers to our questions repeatedly anticipated the next question we planned to ask her. It’s like she innately had the same intuitions as the committee.

Conclusion

Hiring two IP colleagues probably will be a once-in-a-career bonanza for me personally. In my 20+ years as a full-time professor, I’ve actually only had 3 IP colleagues join me as a faculty member: Irene Calboli at Marquette and Colleen and Brian at SCU. (I wasn’t on the appointments committee for any of those hires). I’ve never been in the circumstance where my institution hired two IP faculty in the same year or hired an IP lateral. It’s unlikely I’ll have this remarkable experience again.

Santa Clara Law is a long-time leader in high tech and IP law, and adding two superstars to our community boosts our ongoing efforts. Congratulations to Ed and Zahr on their move forward to the next stage of their careers, and I’m delighted and honored that I’ll get to share that experience with them. Their banana costumes have been ordered.

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In California:

* Inspiration Point, Anacapa Island
* Bennett Point, San Miguel Island
* The Desert Divide, Garner Valley, Southern California
* Fern Canyon/Gold Bluffs Beach, Del Notre County (this is where Lisa and I got engaged )
* The Mendocino Coast
* Top of Half Dome (but the whole hike is amazing)
* Any old-growth redwood grove. I love them all, but some favorites include Montgomery Woods and groves off the Avenue of the Giants

Beyond California:

* The drive from Haines, Alaska to Haines Junction, Yukon. A contender for one of the world’s most scenic drives
* The Western Wall, Old City of Jerusalem
* Tent Rocks, New Mexico (1, 2)
* Kalalau Trail, Kauai
* Pinea Trail, Kauai

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About Redwood Forests

I love redwood forests. I find them calming and spiritual. Photos and videos never do justice to redwood forests. You have to experience them firsthand. Whenever tourists ask me about what to do in California, visiting a redwood forest is my top recommendation. A person’s first visit to a redwood forest often changes their worldview forever.

Not everyone shares my passion for redwood forests. A common sentiment: if you’ve seen one redwood grove, you’ve seen them all. If you agree, then the Headwaters Forest Reserve probably isn’t for you. You can find nice old-growth redwood groves that are easier to get to.

About the Headwaters Forest Reserve

Redwood forests thrive in central and northern California’s coastal area. Loggers have logged old-growth redwood trees for 150+ years. The logging leads to second-growth groves, which are degraded both biologically and scenery-wise.

By the 1980s, few large areas of old-growth redwood groves hadn’t been logged and remained unprotected by the government. Headwaters Forest was the largest remaining old-growth redwood forest in private hands. Pacific Lumber owned it. Although all logging of old-growth redwoods hurts the ecosystem, Pacific Lumber was regarded as a relatively gentle land steward. That made them a juicy target for a corporate raider. Charles Hurwitz of Maxxam did a hostile takeover of Pacific Lumber and initiated more old-growth clear-cutting. Activists pushed back and turned Headwaters Forest into a cause celebre. This spurred Congress and California to purchase 7,472 acres of the Headwaters Forest for $380M.

There are two public access points. On the north side is the Elk River Trail, which the public can access without restriction. On the south side is the Salmon Pass Trail, which can be accessed only via a ranger-led tour. The reserve’s heart, about 2,500 acres of unbroken old-growth redwoods, has no public access.

The Elk River Trail

Access to the Elk River Trailhead is via the paved Elk River Road, about 15 minutes from Eureka. Along the way, check out the covered bridges at Zane’s Ranch and Bertas Ranch. The road ends at a paved parking lot.

The trail is 11 miles roundtrip. This map (apparently not available elsewhere online) depicts the trail:

The trail has landmarks every mile:

• Mile 1: the paved trail ends at the site of Falk, an abandoned company town. There are few artifacts remaining. Check out this video on Falk. There are some picnic tables around here if you want to lunch with the mosquitos. The first mile had educational signage and two bypass trails on the southside. A short bypass is marked on the map; the longer bypass isn’t.
• Mile 2 bridge. More buggy picnic tables near here.
• Mile 3 bridge. The trail’s steepest and most overgrown parts start here.
• Mile 4 bridge (actually a small boarded crossing over a creek, and the map doesn’t depict a second boarded crossing soon after). We think the mile 4 bridge is more like 4.25 miles from the start.
• Mile 5: the beginning of the old-growth loop.

The mile-apart spacing of the landmarks made it easy to track our progress. At our hiking speed, each landmark was roughly 30 minutes apart. The trail is nicely graded, well-maintained, and well-signed, making navigation a breeze. Everything about the trail is in great condition.

The scenery is standard for the area. The first three miles follow the riverbed. We enjoyed snacking on trailside vine-ripened blackberries and other edible berries. We saw plenty of flowers in early August. Until the old-growth loop, the forests are clearly second-growth–nice but unremarkable. The trail’s big payoff is the old-growth loop. Still, per my introductory remarks, it looks like other old-growth redwood groves.

The bottom line: this is a lovely 5 hour hike through typical North California terrain. But if your goal is to see old-growth redwoods, you can find just-as-nice groves that are quicker to reach.

The Salmon Pass Trail

The Salmon Pass Trail requires advance reservations. The gathering point is at Newburg Park in Fortuna. A sign near the parking lot entrance lets you know you’re at the right place. Ranger Julie led our tour. She offered to give us a ride, but we followed her in our own car. The road to the trailhead passes over private property, so it is restricted by a gate. The road is mostly dirt/gravel and has a few steep parts that strained the Prius, but the Prius had enough ground clearance to handle the road.

Like the Elk River Trail, the Salmon Pass Trail hikes through logged areas to reach an old-growth redwood grove. The contrast between the logged and old-growth areas was stark. Some of the areas were clearcut within the last 40 years. Those areas are dominated by red alder trees that, over the centuries, will give way to the redwoods. As with the Elk River Trail, the old-growth grove is great but looks like other old-growth groves. Many redwoods were marked with blue paint, indicating that they had been scheduled for cutting. I’m so glad they survived. The trail runs about 4 miles, and our group spent about 3 hours on the trail (plus the drive time to/from Newburg Park to the trailhead).

If you have to pick between the Elk River and Salmon Pass trails, I’d recommend the Salmon Pass hike. Both trails are beautiful, but Salmon Pass is shorter and benefits from expert narration. However, if your schedule doesn’t sync with the Salmon Pass reservation options, you’ll still enjoy the Elk River trail a lot. If your goal is to experience an old-growth redwood grove with as little time investment as possible, then skip both hikes and go to the Avenue of the Giants, which has multiple awesome old-growth grove options right along the road.

Other Nearby Attractions

On this trip, we also stopped at the following places:

• Avenue of the Giants. One of the most beautiful auto tours anywhere. The road runs along the river and weaves through wonderful redwood forests, dotted by quaint towns and quirky roadside attractions/tourist traps. Our favorite stops were the Founder’s Grove and the Gould Grove trail across from the visitor’s center, but all of the stops are great (though, if you think redwood groves are all the same, they may feel redundant). Although the groves are part of the Humboldt Redwoods State Park, access is free. The Humboldt Redwoods State Park has many other first-rate trails; it’s the world’s largest remaining old-growth redwood forest.
• Humboldt Bay National Wildlife Refuge. Conveniently located off the 101, it’s easily overlooked. We hiked the Shorebird Loop Trail and, in less than an hour, saw bunnies, a skunk, a deer, and many birds, especially egrets on the hunt. We saw plenty of flowers in early August. This place would be awesome at sunrise and sunset, but it’s only open 9-5.
• Ferndale. A little touristy for my tastes, but the Victorian-era buildings are amazing.
• Downtown Fortuna. My 15 year old daughter loved seeing an old-school downtown like this. Perhaps it’s not as scenic as Ferndale, but it feels more authentic.
• Old Town Eureka. More Victorian gems, including the amazing Carson Mansion and the Pink Lady across the street. We enjoyed watching the harbor seals.

Though we didn’t visit them on this trip, I also love the Redwoods National Park and Prairie Creek State Park further north of Eureka. Gold Bluffs Beach (including the elk herd!) and Fern Canyon are stunning.

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About San Nicolas Island

The 8 Channel Islands run from approximately San Diego to Santa Barbara. The most famous is Catalina Island, which offers many tourist services. Five islands (Santa Barbara, Anacapa, Santa Cruz, Santa Rosa, and San Miguel) are part of the National Park Service and have some tourist access, except for temporary restrictions on Santa Barbara Island. I’ve been to all of the foregoing islands except Santa Barbara Island.

Dan from Brussels, Europe

Civilians generally aren’t allowed on either San Nicolas or San Clemente. However, CIR has a contract with the Navy to restore native plants on San Nicolas Island. Unfortunately, years of misuse have afflicted all of the islands, so restoration can improve these globally significant and highly imperiled ecosystems. CIR accepts volunteers to help with its restoration projects. Volunteer spots for San Nicolas Island are in high demand, so it took a while to secure my spot.

About the Trip [Note: Trip itineraries and Navy procedures vary from trip to trip.]

We met at the Point Mugu Pass and ID Building (116 Naval Air Road) parking lot at 5:45 am, then caravaned to the Las Posas gate. The security officers confirmed our names on the list, then we parked in the lot across from the unassuming “terminal” building on Ronald Reagan Avenue. A private contractor operates the flights to San Nicolas Island, and the no-hassle terminal check-in process reminded me of flying pre-9/11. While waiting for the departure, we thoroughly cleaned our shoes to remove any potential contaminants. This would be a good trip to bring less-dirty shoes/boots to. The plane was a 2-engine turboprop that seats about 40. The flight left at 7 am and took about 25 minutes.

Once we landed, a shuttle van drove us a few miles to “Nictown,” the primary base on the island, where CIR’s nursery is located. Across the street is the Ship’s Store (with a limited supply of San Nicolas Island-branded gear) and bathrooms with running water. The nearby galley might be a place to get a meal, but I preferred to bring my own lunch. Everything on the island is cash-only.

We arrived at the nursery around 7:40 am, had an orientation, celebrated the broadcasted flag salute at 8am, worked, took a short bathroom break/visit to the Ship’s Store, worked, took a lunch break, and worked some more. I potted catci and vines and cleaned seeds. The shuttle picked us up from the nursery at 1:30 for a scheduled 2:30 flight back to Point Mugu. I was in my car before 3.

In addition to the trip leader, there were 7 volunteers. This volunteer group was mature (the youngest participant was probably 40), highly educated, and professionally successful. We all got along great and everyone took their volunteer responsibilities seriously. Many hands make light work.

Even in Nictown, the island was quiet and peaceful. Many flowers were still out, but the coreopsis blooms were done for the season. Weather on the island was pleasant–high 50s, overcast, with light winds. Below the marine layer, we could see Santa Barbara Island. We spotted a few elephant seals and heard some sea lions barking. Unfortunately, I don’t have any photos from the trip. The Navy bans both cameras and cellphones.

The Channel Islands are a national treasure. Despite years of land abuse, they remain some of the best places to experience what pre-statehood California must have been like. With some TLC, the islands can get even closer to a pristine state. I was grateful for the opportunity to advance that cause.

Prior posts about the Channel Islands

* My Visit to San Miguel Island
* “Island Hopping in the California Channel Islands” Tour Recap

Photo albums from the Channel Islands

* Anacapa Island
* Santa Cruz Island
* Santa Rosa Island
* San Miguel Island

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Travel

• I spent a day at Valley of Fire state park in Nevada. It’s a 45 minute drive from Las Vegas and definitely worth the trip. I loved it!
• On my actual birthday, the family and I hiked among the wildflowers in Calero County Park in South San Jose, and then had lunch at Happy Hooligans (this place advertises itself as “Vegan Comfort Food”…my kind of place…).
• I spent a couple days in Acadia National Park in Maine as an extension to a business trip to New Hampshire. It’s a lovely park, and I’m glad I went. However, I’m not sure I’d make the trip specially from California.
• I climbed Half Dome! It took me 11 tries to get permits through the lottery, and I was further limited by the Ferguson Fire that shut down Yosemite for a couple of weeks. The effort was all worth it when I was blessed with a fabulous day. 
• I camped on San Miguel Island. A truly magical place. I wrote a separate blog post about that trip.

In addition to these trips that I expressly designated as “birthday” celebrations, I did some additional celebration on trips to Palm Springs, Beverly Hills, and Washington state.

Other

• I joined AARP! It turns out you don’t need to be 50 to join. I can’t say I’ve reaped many benefits yet. I guess I’ll have to wait a while for the real senior citizen discounts to kick in.
• I had my first colonoscopy! According to my doctor (this is an honest-to-god quote, I wouldn’t make this kind of stuff up), I have “the colon of an 18 year old.”
• My colleagues conspired to throw a “surprise” celebration for my birthday at one of the major conferences for intellectual property professors (IPSC). I put “surprise” in quotes because I tried multiple times to thwart any such public celebration of my birthday. Still, it was heartwarming to feel the love from so many of my cherished and longtime colleagues. And we celebrated with 2 birthday cakes with emojis…

(yes, that’s a poop emoji birthday cake!)

“Gifts”

I have more than enough stuff, so I didn’t ask for any big-ticket goods. Still, my kids felt they needed to buy me some sort of gift. As a result, at my request, my kids bought me an emoji tie. I rarely wear ties, but the emoji tie has become my go-to attempt at cosplay for my emoji-related talks.

Also, though I didn’t need my birthday as an excuse, I bought myself some emoji stickers to decorate my new office.

My March post indicated what I really wanted for my birthday: I asked friends. colleagues, and family to submit their “favorite or most memorable story or anecdote about” me to my wife. She collected dozens of submissions from all stages of my life and turned them into a remarkable book.

My kids and I read a few stories from the book each night over the course of a couple of weeks. There were so many amazing stories that I had forgotten or hadn’t even realized happened. Just a few examples: how I helped a summer associate peer through a rough patch back in 1993; an unfulfilled promise I made to my mentee’s dad in 1993 or 1994 that he hadn’t forgotten (I finally closed the loop 24 years late); how I’d helped my student intern in 1988 type up a love letter to his now-wife that they have framed in their house, even though it contains a painful typo I made; how I’d kept one of my Marquette students from dropping out of school after failing a course…and he’s gone on to be a partner at a major law firm; and so many more. We laughed, we cried, we were deeply moved. The book is the single best gift I could have received, and I thank everyone who submitted. We’re going to do another printing to accommodate some late submissions, so if you haven’t made your submission and still want to, please email my wife!

As part of this book, my daughter painted the front and back covers. These paintings are now sitting on my office desk, a constant reminder of my wonderful birthday year.

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Getting to San Miguel Island

San Miguel Island is the westernmost of the 8 Channel Islands off the Southern California coast. It’s southwest of Santa Barbara and roughly south of Point Concepcion. It’s often covered in fog and relatively low-slung, so it’s often visible from Santa Barbara only on clear days.

Island Packers has an exclusive concession for commercial boat rides to San Miguel Island. The boat leaves from Ventura Harbor and stops at Santa Rosa Island on the way. This stop adds about 45-60 minutes to offload/onboard Santa Rosa Island campers. Dock-to-beach travel time was about 5 hours out and 4.5 hours back. On the way out, we had some rolling seas which led to several folks getting seasick (I didn’t think it was too bad personally). On the way back, Island Packers usually makes a short detour into the Painted Cave seacave on Santa Cruz Island (see photo at right). Odds are good of seeing some marine mammals on the way, plus the coastline views of Santa Cruz and Santa Rosa Islands are pretty. The round-trip boat ride to San Miguel Island cost about $250/person.

Transferring from the boat to the beach requires skiffs. This means you’re likely to get a little wet. If the seas are too choppy in Cuyler Harbor, skiff landing isn’t possible at all. Island Packers schedules the trips to reduce this risk, but it can’t be eliminated.

Channel Islands Aviation may fly charters to the San Miguel Island airstrip. (Their website has inconsistent information). Cost: $1,200+.

Hiking on San Miguel Island

The island has 2 “unrestricted” hikes: (1) along the Cuyler Harbor beaches for about a mile or so, and (2) up the canyon to the campground, Cabrillo Monument, the Lester Ranch ruins (not much to see), and the Ranger Station. It’s a steep but short hike of less than a mile.

The remaining hikes require the presence of the ranger or a volunteer. The justification is that the island used to be a bombing range, and there’s unexploded ordnance still around. The ranger/volunteer is present on the island only some of the time, and the NPS says the island is closed to all visitors when they aren’t. So you really can’t visit or stay at the island whenever you want; you need to sync up your visit with the ranger/volunteer. All Island Packers weekend trips should satisfy this requirement, but visits at other times may not be allowed.

The 3 remaining hikes:

• the hike from the campground to Lester Point (3 miles each way). The hike navigates the cliffs overlooking Cuyler Harbor, with fantastic views of the harbor, the surrounding cliffs, and Prince Island; then through rolling grasslands; and then to Lester Point, with potentially fabulous views of Harris Point, Simonton Cove, and the island itself. On our May 2012 visit, Lester Point was fogged out, so we saw none of those. On our September 2018 visit, clear skies led to a truly spectacular view (see right).
• the hike from the campground to Cardwell Point (about 2.75 miles each way). The hike gradually descends rolling hills to Cardwell Point, which has several overlooks to see sea lions, elephant seals, and other seals. We saw hundreds of critters. The overlooks are quite close to the beaches, so the viewing is more intimate than at Point Bennett.
• the hike from the campground to Point Bennett (5+ miles each way). The hike goes up-and-down two peaks and over many rolling hills, with a detour to the Caliche Forest. The trail eventually turns at the western airstrip and follows a dirt road to the scientists’ residence. The trail then navigates down the palisade, with fabulous views of offshore islets, until it reaches a sandy bluff about a 1/4 mile away from the beaches. We stopped at the bluff. Because of the distance, we didn’t have as intimate a view of the marine mammals (including lots of sea lion babies!) as we did at Cardwell Point. Still, Point Bennett is truly gorgeous with blue and green water, wide beaches, rocky points and islets, and hundreds of marine mammals. I rank Point Bennett as one of the top 10 prettiest places in the United States.

On our trip, we arrived at 1pm Saturday, hiked to Lester Point from 3-6 pm, hiked all day Sunday to Point Bennett, and then hiked to Cardwell Point on Monday morning before the 12:30 boat departure. 48 hours on the island was a perfect amount of time to do all three hikes.

Camping on San Miguel Island

There are 9 campsites on the island. They all have a food locker, a picnic table, and a much-needed windbreak. There is one outhouse for the campground. (There is a second outhouse at the ranger station about 1/4 mile away, and a third outhouse at the scientists’ residence on the other side of the island). The campsites are all comparable, except for #5, the group site. It has two food lockers and tables and double the space. It also has the best view of all campsites–an unobstructed vista of Santa Rosa Island to the east and a pretty good northern vista of Prince Island, parts of Cuyler Harbor, and the Santa Barbara coastline.

Water is a top consideration: you must bring 100% of the water you use for drinking, cooking, and cleaning. You might plan on 1 gallon/person/day. Each gallon weighs 8 pounds. So if you’re going for 3 days, you should bring 24 pounds of water. The hike from the beach to the campsite is short but steep, and carrying that much water in addition to my gear was more than I could handle. Several campers and I made a second run to carry the water rather than try to do it all in 1 trip.

(Packing note: Island Packers wants you to store both the water and any fuel on the boat deck, not in your gear).

Believe it or not, I did get 1-2 out of 5 bars on my cellphone from the beach and campground. But you’re on a remote and scenic island–put the phone away!

Should You Go?

Years of sheep ranching and naval bombing have taken their toll on the San Miguel Island ecosystem. Still, it’s one of the world’s beautiful places. There’s so much to enjoy: the island and ocean vistas; the azure and turquoise water; the marine mammals; the flora (including wildflowers and coreopsis), the birds, and the island fox (which I sadly didn’t get to see); the serenity and remoteness; the jaw-dropping stars at night (including the Milky Way); and if the fog doesn’t foil your plans, the sunrises and sunsets. When life gets hectic on the mainland, I let my mind wander back to the island and it calms me.

That said, I’m not sure when I’ll go back. Other than the elusive island fox, I saw everything I wanted to see on the island. Sure, I’d love to see it all again, but I have other priorities too. I’ve now been to five of the 8 Channel Islands (Catalina, Anacapa, Santa Cruz, Santa Rosa, San Miguel). I’ll go to Santa Barbara Island when access is fully restored; and maybe I can find a way to get to San Clemente and San Nicolas Island.

Personally, I don’t recommend San Miguel Island as the first Channel Island to visit. Catalina is the easiest island to get to, and the most visitor-friendly. Anacapa Island is a great day trip, but the real magic happens at sunset and sunrise at Inspiration Point. Camping overnight there is sublime if you can ignore the foghorn. Santa Cruz Island is big enough to keep visitors busy for a while, and it’s more visitor-friendly than Santa Rosa or San Miguel–shorter and more frequent boat rides. and more services for campers.

Whichever island it is, go if you get the chance. They are all amazing, and all of them are worth the effort!

Photo Albums

• San Miguel Island Trip 2018
• San Miguel Island (covering both 2012 and 2018)
• Santa Rosa Island
• Santa Cruz Island
• Anacapa Island

Selected Videos (I have a bunch more at my YouTube page)

• Baby sea lion at Cardwell Point
• Sea lions in the surf at Cardwell Point
• Sea lion entering the surf at Cardwell Point
• Sea lions at Point Bennett
• Baby sea lions crossing the beach at Point Bennett
• Panorama of Point Bennett
• Dolphins on boat ride to Santa Cruz Island
• Cormorants flying in a line
• Fog rolling over the grasslands
• Time-lapse of fog rolling over Prince Island

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In April, I spoke on online trademark and marketing issues in Israel, legal education for high tech law in London and Section 230 in Brighton. Lisa and I (without the kids!) spent 4 days in Tel Aviv, 2 days in Jerusalem, 4 days in London and 2 days in Brighton. It was a remarkable trip, made even more meaningful because Lisa could successfully make the trip. We mostly focused on mainstream tourist destinations and classic landmarks, and we also saw some old friends, visited other folks with ROS1 lung cancer, and ate lots of vegan food. Photo album from Israel. Photo album from England.

I’ve posted several reviews from the trip to TripAdvisor. I’m reposting them here:

Rehovot: Ayalon Institute Museum

This is a tour of the “kibbutz on the hill,” also home to Machon Ayalon, a secret bullet factory for the Israeli independence movement done right under the noses of the British Mandate. You get to see it all: the kibbutz, the underground factory, and some of the equipment used in both. The tour guide answered all of our tough questions, ranging from “why here?” to “why this particular type of bullet?” to “how in the world did they keep it a secret from the British and everyone else?”

My wife and I found everything about this place fascinating:
– the courage and idealism of the factory workers
– how many people were involved yet it remained a secret
– the thoughtful planning, patience and cleverness of the independence movement leaders (the process of getting this factory running took many years and lots of clever moves)
– that no significant industrial accidents occurred despite the suboptimal working conditions and explosive materials. As the tour guide noted, we celebrate the miracle of Chanukah and oil for one day lasting for 8; but it’s REALLY a miracle that they manufactured 4.5M bullets without a mishap.

Regardless of how you feel about Zionism, this tour gives you fresh and thought-provoking material to consider the issues.

This is a destination better known by tourists than locals. When we told Israelis we went to Rehovot, they had no idea why; and many of them had never heard of the tour. It’s a mild schlep from Tel Aviv. It took a full afternoon, including $40 taxi rides each way; and there won’t be any taxis waiting to take you back, so keep your taxi driver or plan on calling a local Rehovot cab. Despite the logistics, the time and money was totally worth it. This visit was a major highlight of our Israel trip.

Jerusalem: 7Kook Boutique Hotel

I consider this hotel a real find. The location was terrific: a block away from Jaffa Road and less than 20 minutes to the Old City’s Jaffa Gate. Because the hotel is set back from a quiet side street, our room was remarkably quiet. It is rare to find a quiet room in such a great location. At $100/night, we thought the hotel was a very good deal.

London: Norman’s Coach & Horses

As a vegetarian, I love the idea of getting traditional English pub food vegetarian-style. Plus, the restaurant was just down the street from our hotel, so we had to go!

We were confused about arrival about where to eat. The downstairs bar is a little more crowded and rough-edged than we were looking for. When we told the bartender we planned to eat, he directed us to the upstairs dining area, which was more to our liking. The room wasn’t large but it was calm and quiet (there was only one other group eating there) and charming in a typically precious English way (the pink wallpaper is a little much).

We met a foodie friend for dinner, and I instantly became nervous that he would hate me forever for dragging him to such a funky place. Surprisingly, he seemed to enjoy his chef’s special (a savory pie), and he cleaned his plate. My wife tried the black bean burger with a stack of onion rings on top and barely ate half of it. She also tried the french onion soup and stopped after one bite (I finished it off and thought it was fine for what it was). At the waiter’s recommendation, I got the tofuish and chips. I loved the concept of a vegetarian fish and chips, but the taste was a little bland.

I’m glad we tried the restaurant, and I really enjoy vegetarian adventures like this regardless of how good the food is. But given the high level of vegetarian restaurant competition in London, I wouldg prioritize other options over visiting this place again.

London: St Martins Lane London Hotel

St. Martins Lane Hotel met or exceeded all of our expectations. The room was tastefully decorated, fully equipped and spacious enough. Despite its central location, it was remarkably quiet; we didn’t hear any internal noise and minimal noise from outside. We slept well each night. The breakfast was excellent, and my picky wife even praised her options. And the location! Right in the heart of Covent Garden, it was an easy walk to restaurants, shopping, tourist attractions and the Leicester Square tube station. We would gladly stay here again. We paid about $330/night including breakfast for 2, which we felt was a nice price given its location and quality.

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Separately, I took my son on a quick father-son trip to Death Valley. My photo album. So photogenic!

At TripAdvisor, I wrote this review of Darwin Falls:

I love desert oases. I never get tired of the contrast between the hot and dry desert and a cool and lush oasis.

Darwin Falls is a great example. There are other riparian areas in the Death Valley area, but most of them are shadeless and salty. In contrast, Darwin Falls has it all: trees, mossy and grassy areas, flowers and cooler temperatures from the mist and shade. The hike starts in a hot and shadeless canyon, then you’ll start to see some greenery, then hear burbling from the creek, and eventually reach a small but lush riparian area framed by the bone-dry cliffs. The falls themselves are lovely, and they feel like a wonderful reward after the short hike. My 13 year old son ranked the Darwin Falls hike as one of his top 3 moments in Death Valley.

Access is via a gravel road that’s easily passable by passenger cars. Just drive carefully. There are no services at the trailhead, Route-finding is easy–just stay in the canyon (or follow the water pipes). Watch out for slippery rocks, and it may take some careful maneuvering to keep your feet dry on the hike once you get into the riparian area.

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View of the San Jacinto Mountains from the balcony.

In the summer of 1991, I couldn’t find a 1L summer job anywhere. My mom suggested that I could stay in the Palm Springs condo for free–I’d just have to pay the air conditioning bill–so I redirected my job search to Palm Springs and found a receptive job market. I got hired at a firm then called Sanger & Stein as a law clerk. Later, on my trips back to Palm Springs, I would sometimes visit with Howard Sanger socially. During winter break 1993, I visited the condo to hike and relax, and Howard graciously invited me to join his family for a New Years eve dinner. At dinner, I met Howard’s daughter, Lisa, who was applying to law school and had some questions about the process. We continued our conversation on email…and fell in love, got married, had kids and built our lives together….

I can’t promise you’ll find the love of your life because of this condo, but I can say you’ll find a wonderful getaway. It’s located on the second/top floor of the building with staircase access and a 2nd floor balcony. It has 2 master suites, each with an en suite bathroom, so it’s great for 2 couples or a family. There are pretty views of the San Jacinto and Santa Rosa mountains. We just redid the carpet and paint.

The condo is located in the Desert La Palme development. I visited the development in November and was impressed at its condition; the HOA is doing a fantastic job maintaining the place. The common areas include an inviting pool and hot tub just a few steps from the unit.

The condo is conveniently located in town. It’s virtually across the street from the Palm Springs airport, and you could easily walk to/from the airport terminal to the condo. Downtown Palm Springs is 2 miles away, and there are several shopping centers and other services within walking distance. When I worked at the law firm, I even walked to work. Often, when I’d come out for the weekend, I would walk everywhere and leave my car parked the entire time.

The MLS listing. I believe there will be an open house this Sunday noon-3.

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