Back before the wild pigs were eradicated, I had a 12ft catamaran sailing boat, an AquaCat, that i would usually sail in and just outside Newport Beach harbor. But of course Catalina beckoned to me often. So I made plans and had the boat car-topped to Alamitos Bay, a closer port for crossing the channel. Not taking chances, the boat's hulls were foam filled and I wore a wet suit the whole time, I set out with a jury rigged small outboard, on a dead calm, clear day to be able to see my way to Catalina. I ran out of gas about a mile off of Avalon, drifting for six hours in the still, warm October evening, becalmed. A freshening breeze brought me into the harbor to anchor by midnight. Refueling after breakfast the next morning, I was told I could not use any of the small beaches up the landward side for camping as I left the harbor. I was young and it was off season, so I disobeyed and spent the day scouting the southern tip of the island, heading back north until I found a cove with no apparent beach routes on either side, I knew of the buffalo, of course. Around 2AM, with the boat beached, and me in my sleeping bag on its trampoline, I was awakened by a noise close by. Reaching for my high powered SCUBA type flashlight, and my dive knife I searched the beach. Two beady eyes and a pair of tusks greeted my gaze about three yards away. Lucky for me the trampoline was higher than its head height, and the wild boar decided it was facing a larger foe on its beach. Wild goats were on the cliffs above me that night as well. Come daylight, I sailed back, all the way to Newport Beach, as the wind had begun to build back to more normal October conditions. Surfing the swells I gladly rounded the breakwater into the familiar harbor. Thanks for rekindling those memories for me.
In '79 (dating myself) we were backpacking on the island and spent the first night on the beach on the Cat Harbor side. In the morning, we awoke, surrounded by a couple dozen bison, grazing on the grass near the surf. We woke up fast and got outta there as quick as we could. We like to stay at the Banning House at Two Harbor, and there's always a couple bison hanging out on the grass.
Nice vid. My wife and I are from Northern California and we've visited Catalina Island and taken the tour. We did see Bison along the way up the ridge and at Middle Ranch. It was a real treat.
Seeing the Catalina fox was the real treat. I did some work for the Catalina Conservancy in the late 90's. We stayed at the volunteer camp which has big canvas tents erected on a wood platform. Bison can't step up. We wore- up the next morning with the "Buffalo" standing beside the platform peering into our tent. The uncooperative beast took off before we could get our cameras. Drat ! A great memory.
My family has owned property in Avalon for over 100 years. My childhood is full of Catalina memories. Yes, I've seen bison as well as the wild boars back in the '70's.
@@SidetrackAdventures The casino had been closed down for some ten years back then, yet there were a few places the locals would hang out after hours. If you leave the beach and head up the canyon, there were two establishments- one a restaurant and the other a karaoke bar both owned by my great uncle that were the places to be after hours. They were both known as, 'Chuck's' Place'.
@@kmm129 Yes... and no. Lemme explain. The Casino was not a gambling hall but a grand theatre and ballroom, specifically designed as a weekend retreat/reception facility for the rich and famous of 1920's and '30's LA- most of which were Hollywood moguls wanting a good destination after a day of yachting. by the late 1960's the place was still used for these purposes though as a private venue and not a public one. During their 1969 US tour, yes, the Rolling Stones did go there while on tour; but not to perform. They were invited there for a couple of days while in SoCal to relax. This is why you can find period photos of them being at the Casino and elsewhere (Chuck's Place had a prominent signed photo of Mick Jagger. I think my cousin Karen has it now...) so yeah, they were there, but as guests and didn't jam.
Superb, fascinating. Appreciate the history from discovery to present day. When I was 16 years old I worked over there in 1959. There were wild boars as they were called then. Crude traps were made to catch them as needed for food at the Catalina Island boys camp where I was working. Howland's landing. One of the best experiences of my life was working there as a kitchen boy and assistant to all around maintenance and construction man, Ray Arnold, 21 years old from West Virginia who could do anything, from construction, to auto maintenance, to horsemen, to singing cowboy. Now youth spend twelve years in school, 4 years in college, and can't do squat.
Cool to see WV mentioned in your comment. I was born and raised. I lived in San Diego for 20 years, until Sept 2021…regret that I never made it to Catalina Island.
"Twenty-six miles across the sea Santa Catalina is a-waitin' for me, Santa Catalina, the island of romance, romance, romance, romance." (And bison) Great Video, Steve!
Okay, here's the real reason why both bison and boars were brought to the island. It has nothing to do with movies. William Wrigley was a hunter, and enjoyed going on safari in Africa in the 1920's. He specifically brought both species to the island for private hunts.
If you are talking about the Valient, she was not a sailboat, and she burned off St. Catherine, that is off Casino Point. I've dove on the wreck many times.
I've hiked the TCT (Trans Catalina Trail) twice, actually just returned from a three day trip yesterday. No shortage of Bison on our trips. This time there were a couple dozen near Black Jack campground, both in the valley and higher up near the peak. They blocked our path for about 20 minutes, eating and taking their time while we waited. Kinda rude if you ask me.
It's been a few decades, but we camped at Shark Harbor on the back side of the island one time and woke up one morning to a herd of bison in our campsite. They were quiet and peaceful and curious about our tents. We were the only people camping back there. I highly recommend it.
Fun fact. My mother grew up on Middle Ranch and as a kid I got to spend time out there. My parents met in Avalon. We still go back to the island when we can. My mother even graduated from Avalon High school. Also in the 20s or 30s maybe My years may be off but the Chicago Cubs playef ball on the island. Its a beautiful place to go and it's great that you got to see the interior of the island.
I worked for Air Catalina (seaplanes) in the 70s and flew in and out of Pebbly Beach, Airport in the Sky, and all the coves around the island dropping off and picking up (by raft) all the "special people" that were allowed to camp without permits...that chartered the seaplanes. I also still sail there and have been flying my own plane of in and out of Airport in the Sky for 30 years. The best place I have found to see the Bison is from the restaurant at Airport in the Sky as they roam the hills in and around that area.
We've sailed out to Catalina many, many times. Caught more lobster than we could eat. We normally sail to Cat Harbor on the backside of Two Harbors, the Isthmus. We always anchor out and that is one of the calmest anchorages. Then a short sail over to Little Harbor where the lobster are plentiful and you can go ashore and of course see lots of Bison. Always an interesting sight.
Glad you’re feeling better. I had an inkling the pic was Catalina. Will be there in June and you just gave me a great idea for a memorable event! Thx for all you do.
Awesome. Made me plan a visit. Around 1971 our Boy Scout Troop 715 camped on Catalina at the Boy Scout’s Camp Cherry Valley. We were warned to beware of wild pigs, which we heard as they ran through the camp at night. Camp still there but not the pigs.
Doing a Boy Scout camp in the early '80s near Two Harbors, we definitely saw bison. I remember several scouts slipping on bison - erm - deposits. Cool video, need to go back. I've only been to the coast off of Catalina in the past 20 years for tuna fishing.
Recommended video subject: those Channel Islands foxes!! A great story. Brought back from near extinction, plus cute and friendly. Whatever you do, I'll watch... love your channel; it's stoked me for a trip west. Thanks!
I took my oldest son out there with a group of YMCA Indian Guides. Great time looking back at the mainland from a hike to the hill top. Also impressed by Crystal clear water while rowing a small boat. Nice video even without seeing some bison.
We backpacked Catalina Island in the late 80’s when I was in the Boy Scouts. We saw the bison a few times along the way. But we were there for a week. So it’s not surprising to me at all, that you missed them. It’s a pretty big, little island and the length of it would be a better way to see them. You guys just drove over the middle, side ways. But I enjoyed the video, so definitely worth going. If nothing else, you saw parts of the island most people don’t get to see. Thanks for bringing us along.
In the 80’s I went to The Catalina Island Marine Institute summer camp a few times. Late in the evening and early in the morning the field in the center of campus would have a good number of bison and deer grazing. It was awesome as a youngster!
Wow very expensive tour ride and no bison! I've been to Catalina couple times with my families we took bus tour we saw alot of Bisons. Only paid $20/person we had a great time! I like the submarine ride too.
My friend’s father owned a sailboat that he allowed him and a friend or two to sail from Marina del Rey when he kept the 35 or so miles to Catalina island, specifically to that section of the island was lower then the rest and we tie it up in the little harbor. We did hike one day in hills, and learned that a movie co. had left the small herd of bison they had brought over to film, and never took them back. The herd had grown in 30 years since, this was the 1970’s so they had been there half a century, no much more time has passed.
Great video! The scenery reminds me of a similar, if not identical backcountry route a Catalina local once took me and friend on.. 40 years ago! Also, I once spent a week at Camp Cherry Valley (boy scout camp near Two Harbors) when I was 15 and was *very* surprised one morning by two bison walking straight through our camping area, less than 20 feet away!
My dad volunteered at Camp Cherry Valley as the camp doctor every summer growing up of a week vacation in the summer. We used the hike around and explore old gold mines. One time while hiking we turned a corner and ran face to face with a bison. The thing looked huge. I never ran so fast. Boars used to come to come into the camp at night as well.
I remember going to Catalina in the late '60s-early '70s. The herd, Zane Grey's house, Duke the unofficial official greeter, the penny arcade, the horn sounding when someone brought in a shark. Great memories. I live in Montana now so, plenty of bison in the area.
Based on the comments, I feel blessed. I just got back from a 4 day trip on Catalina, and on 6/18/2023, we took the 'Bison Tour', and were fortunate to see a HERD of at least 20 Bison. They were on a ridge, near the airport, in the fog. The dominate male bull was on the left side of the road, and the rest of his crew was just off the side of the road, on the right. I'm a professional photographer, so you know I was in 7th Heaven.
Been to Catalina Island many times and we were fortunate to see bison on one of the island interior tours. At the time they took refurbished 1940's buses to take us across the island. I'm sorry you didnt get to see the bison, but, Catalina Island is a beautiful place to visit. Thanks for the great video. I wouldnt expect anything less from you Steve!!! Keep up the good work!!
We were there in 2002 as chaperones for our daughter's middle school class trip to a marine camp in a bay close to 2 Harbors. It was an amazing 5 days. We learned to snorkel, got to go kayaking. And the bison would show up near camp early in the morning.
I've done that excursion many times. Usually you only see two or three bulls in random places. I went last Labor Day weekend during the heatwave. There was still a major drought in California, and because of the drought, the whole entire herd was near the road, and not inland like they normally are. Near the roads the Catalina Island Conservancy puts hay and water in the troughs near the road. That was to our benefit, that there was no green grass inland, and they were forced out. Although I don't wish a drought on anyone.
One of the last stands of the wooly mammoth was on the Channel Islands. I don't know whether they survived on Catalina. The last ones died out 3000 years ago. They were a dwarf variant of the giant pachyderm, standing about six feet high. Great video!
Glad to see you are feeling better. Great tour! The foxes are so cute. Beautiful scenery. My Mom grew up in L.A. and loved Catalina. I think she even when skin diving there (though she also loved to dress up and go to the casino). This was back in the 1950s. Really enjoyed this video; you kept up the suspense, and finished up with your special brand of low-key humor. It would be fun to see more of the island. I loved the book Island of the Blue Dolphins when I was a kid...
I'm going to go and try to see the bison. I have been to Catalina, and Santa Cruz and Santa Rosa islands. I recommend you consider a trip to those and other islands. Love your channel!
Thanks for the knowledge of why there are bison on the island. In the 70s, I flew a small private plane around the perimeter of the entire island a few times, and one of the highlights of those flights was that I indeed saw a herd of bison! Beautiful animals.
I took my wife to Catalina back in June of 2015, we took the island tour and saw a couple of Bison. Sorry you missed them! Yep, they are out there, but since they aren't on a time clock, it's hard to guess when you will see them!
They could have been right over one of those hills. Apparently because of the recent rains they have more water sources available making them more picky about where they can hang out.
Love all of your shows. I don’t know. That was a pretty expensive Uber ride with no AC for no bison I remember one time going on a fishing host and nobody caught any fish. They said “it’s not called a catching boat”.
Bison-tennial…ha ha Steve! Thanks again for a neat video! The closest I got to Catalina Island was just offshore when the Frigate I was stationed on sailed by it.
Another wonderful video! It was truly saddening to not see any bison, but the scenery and the absolute amazing views made up for it. Looking forward to your next video. Take care, stay safe and God bless. Steve from Oklahoma
didn't know there were bison or pigs on Catalina until went camping there one time. wild boars kept us awake snuffling about during the night, and in the foggy mists of the morning OMG, bison surrounding our tent!
I've been out to Catalina many times but never further than Avalon. I'm really stoked that you got to see two(!) Catalina Island foxes. Thanks for taking us along.
I have to tell you, every year, my Father would take the family to Catalina for a month (he had connections that would give him a house for a 'pitance'). From 1960 to about 1974......it was an awesome time and, my folks never had to worry about 'losing their kids' (as we'd often bump into each other throughout the day - whether they were at the beach, golfing, having a drink or strolling the shops in Avalon). And - In all the times I've been there, I've NEVER failed to see a Bison (or two or three, or more).......and I can't tell you how many times the wild pigs/boars would surprise us on a trial by the old Wrigley Mansion and chase us off it - but what my brothers and i NEVER saw - during all those times on the island, was a (living) Catalina Island Fox (and you saw TWO of 'em!!!). Consider yourself lucky!!!!
I remember seeing pigs on the island at Toyon Bay when where was a baseball camp there, which I stayed at for two weeks. That was back in 1967 I believe. Amazing place and had lots of fun.
Diving in the ocean sanctuary areas is neat dive: the larger fish and island Garibaldi ( a bright orange , spotted fish) are not at all afraid of divers.. We'd dive deeper and unzip to cool off! Visibility is great and the ocean floor sometimes only ten fathoms down.
I have a grudge against Catalina. I attempted to backpack the Trans Catalina Trail a few months back and the weather conditions turned sour on us. We ended up getting stuck in the dark and in the rain for 6 hours where our headlamps barely did anything because it was so misty. The soil on Catalina has a ton of clay in it as well that just sticks to your shoes worse than any other trail I've been on, made our shoes weigh at least 5lbs each for 10 miles. During that time we couldn't see 15ft in front of us we were terrified of the bison since the worst thing you can do is get too close to them, and we had no idea if we were getting too close to any (we had seen 3 earlier in the day so we were definitely paranoid). Hopefully if you go back to Catalina you can see some bison, just be sure to give them their space, you don't want a multi-thousand pound mass charging at you at 30mph.
Saw a bison charge and overturn a new jeep Grand Cherokee at Harvey’s (has a casino at S. Lake Tahoe) ranch in Carson Valley Nev. -not a pretty sight!!
So enjoyable to come along with you Steve on these types of Field Trips! Having grown up in Southern Cal, I have been to Catalina many times but only once did we venture into the inner part of the Island. We usually had relatives and we all hung out around Avalon Bay! Dad was USAF and after our deployment at the Old March AFB, we lived on Oahu via Hickam AFB and as you mentioned, Catalina is much like Hawaii in many ways! The old joke in Newport Beach was on a clear day you could see Catalina from the beach and smell the Butt Of The Queen Mary docked in Long Beach! 🤣 Really appreciate the time and effort in editing, music and filming! Cheers From COW-lumbus, Ohio MOO and GO PADRES
Another great video, San Diego Steve! That's a bummer you didn't see any bison. For $100 per person, they should know exactly where at least one bison is (via a GPS tracker).
Back in the late 90s we took a shorter tour, and like you, saw no bison. Also like you we saw a rare island fox and that meant more to me than seeing bison. I haven't been there since, need to go back! I also enjoy the boat ride out there and back with the many sightings of dolphins and flying fish. I do remember when many of the bison were relocated tho. Great dad joke there at the end Steve!
As usual, excellent video. Informative and entertaining. Sorry you didn't see any bison. I did a similar tour a few years ago and we saw some bison and went to the airport. I hope to backpack the trans-Catalina trail in the near future. When you are on Catalina Island you feel like you are far away from the rest of the world. We stayed at the Hamilton Cove resort and at that time your condo included a golf cart so we got to explore the island even more. There is also a large amount of feral cats that you see when you drive around at night.
Beautiful scenery. Great ride over and back. A fun adventure. Round it out with a nice Bison-tennial dad-joke at the end. Cool video. Thank you for sharing. Safe travels
Good job Steve. Most folks never make it beyond Avalon which is certainly a charming town. I guess it was about an hour or two getting out there and again coming back. Wrigley also had the Chicago Cubs spring training on the island behind the Casino. I think they also still have glass bottom boats with flying fish night tours? A unique and beautiful place! 👏🏼
I thought about doing something on the Cubs there. Its hidden in plain sight, but the ballpark they used to play in is still there kind of. Maybe next time. They do have glass bottom boat tours still.
In the 80's I sailed to Catalina several times and saw bison a couple times around the Two Harbors area. I also saw and heard mountain goats on the cliffs. There is also a decent bison heard onboard MCB Camp Pendleton.
Hey Steve, I really like what you are doing, with your adventures. I've watched quite a few of your videos and I like the places that have shown us, I love traveling and sight seeing , I have done a lot of traveling in the past with my family my 2 girls and 2 boys and my wife, we haven't done any traveling for at least 20 years or so maybe more, as my kids are grown up and have kids of their own now, and don't get as many opportunities to do any traveling like they did as kids because of how busy they are with the usual things that life has. But they are thankful for the times we had together seeing the country that they had as kids.
Bison-tennial. My kids groan when I do stuff like that. I love it. Great video. We say some of those little foxes on a tour of the channel islands. I think there was a fine if you fed them.
I am pretty sure in fact I am quite certain that somebody knows where those bison are ... The reason I say that is because if they made an approach to the town that would stir things up immensely. And they have to monitor the population?
There's multiple herd's of Bison on the catalina islands you just never got to see all of them. ALSO your information is very wrong. You can drive the entirety of Catalina Island without any permit or anthing. It's not required nor enforced. You sir got scammed. Good job!! You're welcome for providing the actual facts. So for ANYONE wanting to visit Catalina Island just know you DO NOT require a permit you can simply drive around as you please. As the supposed "tour" you went on isn't even an actual official tour you simply got scammed and it was well deserved as you clearly didn't do enough research before coming here. I hope you've learned from your mistakes
Same as Jeff below, in 1972 while at Emerald Bay Scout Camp (N/E side) I took a war canoe trip up the coast, we camped on a mesa and I WAS WOKEN BY SNORTING SOUNDS. I opened my eyes to see the belly side of a bison, then looked around and discovered that the twelve scouts that were on the trip were all underneath a large herd of bison. 51 years latter I can still see that belly and it's huge attachment, scarry.
You should check out the lesser seen Channel Islands , some have good stories like the wild pigs that had to be hunted by helicopter or the woman who lived on the island by herself for decades
I think that the problem would be gaining access to a spot where they can be viewed. The tour company is probably only allowed to drive on the graded roads. Somebody needs to start up a helicopter 🚁 bison 🦬 tour business! For a thousand dollars a person! THEN they could guarantee that you'll see a bison! 🦬 🦬 🦬 🦬 🦬 🦬 🦬 🦬 🦬 🦬 🦬 🦬 🦬
@@straybullitt yeah! Run a few choppers overhead, stampeding bison herds, stress them out; what a monumentally STUPID idea. Just so some rich assssholes can see an animal! 🤮🤮🤮
Cool I spent a weekend there in the 80s.... Lived in Long Beach across from the harbour & attended CSULB! I forget what other islands have Sheep population!
I went camping over there with my friend who reminds me of you. We saw everything, including the wild boar. I want to take a bike ride over the island.
Wife and I stayed onCatalina for a week rpobably 5 years ago, we saw Bison up by the little airport on top o f the island, one was blocking the road so we had to wait for him to move out of the way!
Back in the early 80’s there was a wild bison heard on Camp Pendelton….we saw them whenever we fished the big and little casey lakes in the middle of the base. They were very timid but they were still dangerous.
Some years ago we vacationed at Two Harbors, staying in the Bed and Breakfast there. Eventually we made our way to Avalon, taking the regularly scheduled bus route (not a Greyhound, trust me) across the island. Imagine our surprise when we came across a small herd, just by chance. Sorry, Steve. Anyway, I thought the scenery along the way was more interesting than the bison.
Sorry you didn't get to see any Bison. We took an inland tour in the mid '90's and rounding a curve came across a small herd just standing in the road. Calves with their mothers and big (six feet at the shoulder) bulls. After a few minutes they just wandered off. At the island airport you can get Bison burgers!
Still never been to Catalina Island. It looks gorgeous!! Oddly never knew there were bison on the island. How wild! Shame you didn't see any (as the tickets are kind of pricey) but the foxes were ADORABLE. Hope you're feeling better!
Thanks, I'm feeling good now. Surprisingly there is another bison herd in Southern California on the Camp Pendelton Marine Base, but that one isn't accessible at all. Also due to the motion picture industry.
My girlfriend and I visited Catalina Island a few years back for a couple of days and I found it very peaceful on the island but man, it's expensive! I cant imagine how much it would cost to live on the island.
Maybe they brought the bison out to serve as sort of a standby reserve for filming movies as needed. And it's pretty neat that you got to see an island fox; they're near-threatened.
Back before the wild pigs were eradicated, I had a 12ft catamaran sailing boat, an AquaCat, that i would usually sail in and just outside Newport Beach harbor. But of course Catalina beckoned to me often. So I made plans and had the boat car-topped to Alamitos Bay, a closer port for crossing the channel. Not taking chances, the boat's hulls were foam filled and I wore a wet suit the whole time, I set out with a jury rigged small outboard, on a dead calm, clear day to be able to see my way to Catalina.
I ran out of gas about a mile off of Avalon, drifting for six hours in the still, warm October evening, becalmed. A freshening breeze brought me into the harbor to anchor by midnight. Refueling after breakfast the next morning, I was told I could not use any of the small beaches up the landward side for camping as I left the harbor. I was young and it was off season, so I disobeyed and spent the day scouting the southern tip of the island, heading back north until I found a cove with no apparent beach routes on either side, I knew of the buffalo, of course.
Around 2AM, with the boat beached, and me in my sleeping bag on its trampoline, I was awakened by a noise close by. Reaching for my high powered SCUBA type flashlight, and my dive knife I searched the beach. Two beady eyes and a pair of tusks greeted my gaze about three yards away. Lucky for me the trampoline was higher than its head height, and the wild boar decided it was facing a larger foe on its beach.
Wild goats were on the cliffs above me that night as well. Come daylight, I sailed back, all the way to Newport Beach, as the wind had begun to build back to more normal October conditions. Surfing the swells I gladly rounded the breakwater into the familiar harbor. Thanks for rekindling those memories for me.
In '79 (dating myself) we were backpacking on the island and spent the first night on the beach on the Cat Harbor side. In the morning, we awoke, surrounded by a couple dozen bison, grazing on the grass near the surf. We woke up fast and got outta there as quick as we could. We like to stay at the Banning House at Two Harbor, and there's always a couple bison hanging out on the grass.
That has to be pretty scary to wake up to bison in your camp.
@@SidetrackAdventures yes sir, and that's why we got away as quickly and quietly as possible!
*You **_know_** that tour compamy is going to be using your _Bison_tennial joke before you even get off the island.*
You could have saved $300 Steve
Nice vid. My wife and I are from Northern California and we've visited Catalina Island and taken the tour. We did see Bison along the way up the ridge and at Middle Ranch. It was a real treat.
Seeing the Catalina fox was the real treat. I did some work for the Catalina Conservancy in the late 90's. We stayed at the volunteer camp which has big canvas tents erected on a wood platform. Bison can't step up. We wore- up the next morning with the "Buffalo" standing beside the platform peering into our tent. The uncooperative beast took off before we could get our cameras. Drat ! A great memory.
The Bison-tennial! LOL That was a Dad joke for sure! Nice tour!
My family has owned property in Avalon for over 100 years. My childhood is full of Catalina memories. Yes, I've seen bison as well as the wild boars back in the '70's.
That has to be pretty cool. I imagine it is incredibly peaceful in the evenings after most of the tourists head out.
@@SidetrackAdventures The casino had been closed down for some ten years back then, yet there were a few places the locals would hang out after hours. If you leave the beach and head up the canyon, there were two establishments- one a restaurant and the other a karaoke bar both owned by my great uncle that were the places to be after hours. They were both known as, 'Chuck's' Place'.
@@VintageCarHistory Rolling Stones at the Casino? True or false. Asking for my ex who says he was there.
@@kmm129 Yes... and no. Lemme explain. The Casino was not a gambling hall but a grand theatre and ballroom, specifically designed as a weekend retreat/reception facility for the rich and famous of 1920's and '30's LA- most of which were Hollywood moguls wanting a good destination after a day of yachting. by the late 1960's the place was still used for these purposes though as a private venue and not a public one. During their 1969 US tour, yes, the Rolling Stones did go there while on tour; but not to perform. They were invited there for a couple of days while in SoCal to relax. This is why you can find period photos of them being at the Casino and elsewhere (Chuck's Place had a prominent signed photo of Mick Jagger. I think my cousin Karen has it now...) so yeah, they were there, but as guests and didn't jam.
Luckieeeee
Superb, fascinating. Appreciate the history from discovery to present day. When I was 16 years old I worked over there in 1959. There were wild boars as they were called then. Crude traps were made to catch them as needed for food at the Catalina Island boys camp where I was working. Howland's landing. One of the best experiences of my life was working there as a kitchen boy and assistant to all around maintenance and construction man, Ray Arnold, 21 years old from West Virginia who could do anything, from construction, to auto maintenance, to horsemen, to singing cowboy. Now youth spend twelve years in school, 4 years in college, and can't do squat.
Cool to see WV mentioned in your comment. I was born and raised. I lived in San Diego for 20 years, until Sept 2021…regret that I never made it to Catalina Island.
"Twenty-six miles across the sea
Santa Catalina is a-waitin' for me,
Santa Catalina, the island of romance,
romance, romance, romance."
(And bison)
Great Video, Steve!
I admire your calm demeanor.
Okay, here's the real reason why both bison and boars were brought to the island. It has nothing to do with movies. William Wrigley was a hunter, and enjoyed going on safari in Africa in the 1920's. He specifically brought both species to the island for private hunts.
The scuba diving is great on Catalina, with kelp forests and lots of fish. There’s even a sunken sailboat off of the pavilion about 120feet down
I think that boat might have been brought out there as a tourist attraction then sunk. I definitely want to get back out there.
If you are talking about the Valient, she was not a sailboat, and she burned off St. Catherine, that is off Casino Point. I've dove on the wreck many times.
I've hiked the TCT (Trans Catalina Trail) twice, actually just returned from a three day trip yesterday. No shortage of Bison on our trips. This time there were a couple dozen near Black Jack campground, both in the valley and higher up near the peak. They blocked our path for about 20 minutes, eating and taking their time while we waited. Kinda rude if you ask me.
It's been a few decades, but we camped at Shark Harbor on the back side of the island one time and woke up one morning to a herd of bison in our campsite. They were quiet and peaceful and curious about our tents. We were the only people camping back there. I highly recommend it.
Gotta love a good dad joke. Fun video! The island scenery looked spectacular.
😂😂Great start!! “Hopefully this isn’t the only one we see today”.
Now onto the rest of the video
5⭐️
Fun fact. My mother grew up on Middle Ranch and as a kid I got to spend time out there. My parents met in Avalon. We still go back to the island when we can. My mother even graduated from Avalon High school. Also in the 20s or 30s maybe My years may be off but the Chicago Cubs playef ball on the island. Its a beautiful place to go and it's great that you got to see the interior of the island.
I just discovered this channel and Ive been binge watching every video. Great channel!
Thank you, I appreciate it!
I worked for Air Catalina (seaplanes) in the 70s and flew in and out of Pebbly Beach, Airport in the Sky, and all the coves around the island dropping off and picking up (by raft) all the "special people" that were allowed to camp without permits...that chartered the seaplanes. I also still sail there and have been flying my own plane of in and out of Airport in the Sky for 30 years. The best place I have found to see the Bison is from the restaurant at Airport in the Sky as they roam the hills in and around that area.
We've sailed out to Catalina many, many times. Caught more lobster than we could eat. We normally sail to Cat Harbor on the backside of Two Harbors, the Isthmus. We always anchor out and that is one of the calmest anchorages. Then a short sail over to Little Harbor where the lobster are plentiful and you can go ashore and of course see lots of Bison. Always an interesting sight.
Glad you’re feeling better. I had an inkling the pic was Catalina. Will be there in June and you just gave me a great idea for a memorable event! Thx for all you do.
Toured Catalina Island in 1975 and saw the bison herd; they were awesome!
Awesome. Made me plan a visit.
Around 1971 our Boy Scout Troop 715 camped on Catalina at the Boy Scout’s Camp Cherry Valley. We were warned to beware of wild pigs, which we heard as they ran through the camp at night. Camp still there but not the pigs.
I've never seen the Catalina Island before so I was more interested in the Island itself. Thanks for the video
Doing a Boy Scout camp in the early '80s near Two Harbors, we definitely saw bison. I remember several scouts slipping on bison - erm - deposits. Cool video, need to go back. I've only been to the coast off of Catalina in the past 20 years for tuna fishing.
Recommended video subject: those Channel Islands foxes!! A great story. Brought back from near extinction, plus cute and friendly. Whatever you do, I'll watch... love your channel; it's stoked me for a trip west. Thanks!
I work on San Nicolas island and I see those foxes everyday.
I took my oldest son out there with a group of YMCA Indian Guides. Great time looking back at the mainland from a hike to the hill top. Also impressed by Crystal clear water while rowing a small boat. Nice video even without seeing some bison.
I was in Indian Guides out of N. Hollywood '71-'73. Fun times.
Your attempt at humor is appreciated.
We backpacked Catalina Island in the late 80’s when I was in the Boy Scouts. We saw the bison a few times along the way. But we were there for a week. So it’s not surprising to me at all, that you missed them. It’s a pretty big, little island and the length of it would be a better way to see them. You guys just drove over the middle, side ways.
But I enjoyed the video, so definitely worth going. If nothing else, you saw parts of the island most people don’t get to see. Thanks for bringing us along.
In the 80’s I went to The Catalina Island Marine Institute summer camp a few times. Late in the evening and early in the morning the field in the center of campus would have a good number of bison and deer grazing. It was awesome as a youngster!
Wow very expensive tour ride and no bison! I've been to Catalina couple times with my families we took bus tour we saw alot of Bisons. Only paid $20/person we had a great time! I like the submarine ride too.
My friend’s father owned a sailboat that he allowed him and a friend or two to sail from Marina del Rey when he kept the 35 or so miles to Catalina island, specifically to that section of the island was lower then the rest and we tie it up in the little harbor. We did hike one day in hills, and learned that a movie co. had left the small herd of bison they had brought over to film, and never took them back. The herd had grown in 30 years since, this was the 1970’s so they had been there half a century, no much more time has passed.
Beautiful scenery and excellent narration. Thank you!
Great video! The scenery reminds me of a similar, if not identical backcountry route a Catalina local once took me and friend on.. 40 years ago! Also, I once spent a week at Camp Cherry Valley (boy scout camp near Two Harbors) when I was 15 and was *very* surprised one morning by two bison walking straight through our camping area, less than 20 feet away!
Oh wow, I don't think I'd want a bison walking through my camp!
My dad volunteered at Camp Cherry Valley as the camp doctor every summer growing up of a week vacation in the summer. We used the hike around and explore old gold mines. One time while hiking we turned a corner and ran face to face with a bison. The thing looked huge. I never ran so fast. Boars used to come to come into the camp at night as well.
Pretty place.
Loved the pun at the end. ❤
I remember going to Catalina in the late '60s-early '70s. The herd, Zane Grey's house, Duke the unofficial official greeter, the penny arcade, the horn sounding when someone brought in a shark. Great memories. I live in Montana now so, plenty of bison in the area.
Based on the comments, I feel blessed. I just got back from a 4 day trip on Catalina, and on 6/18/2023, we took the 'Bison Tour', and were fortunate to see a HERD of at least 20 Bison. They were on a ridge, near the airport, in the fog. The dominate male bull was on the left side of the road, and the rest of his crew was just off the side of the road, on the right. I'm a professional photographer, so you know I was in 7th Heaven.
Been to Catalina Island many times and we were fortunate to see bison on one of the island interior tours. At the time they took refurbished 1940's buses to take us across the island.
I'm sorry you didnt get to see the bison, but, Catalina Island is a beautiful place to visit.
Thanks for the great video. I wouldnt expect anything less from you Steve!!! Keep up the good work!!
We were there in 2002 as chaperones for our daughter's middle school class trip to a marine camp in a bay close to 2 Harbors.
It was an amazing 5 days. We learned to snorkel, got to go kayaking. And the bison would show up near camp early in the morning.
It is good to see that you are feeling better Steve
I've done that excursion many times. Usually you only see two or three bulls in random places.
I went last Labor Day weekend during the heatwave. There was still a major drought in California, and because of the drought, the whole entire herd was near the road, and not inland like they normally are. Near the roads the Catalina Island Conservancy puts hay and water in the troughs near the road. That was to our benefit, that there was no green grass inland, and they were forced out. Although I don't wish a drought on anyone.
The guide did mention because of the recent rain there are water sources in more places right now allowing the bison to hide out more.
One of the last stands of the wooly mammoth was on the Channel Islands. I don't know whether they survived on Catalina. The last ones died out 3000 years ago. They were a dwarf variant of the giant pachyderm, standing about six feet high. Great video!
Glad to see you are feeling better. Great tour! The foxes are so cute. Beautiful scenery. My Mom grew up in L.A. and loved Catalina. I think she even when skin diving there (though she also loved to dress up and go to the casino). This was back in the 1950s. Really enjoyed this video; you kept up the suspense, and finished up with your special brand of low-key humor. It would be fun to see more of the island. I loved the book Island of the Blue Dolphins when I was a kid...
I'm thinking the island of the blue dolphin was San Nicolas. Check out Island Packers in Ventura and visit the Channel Islands national park.
@@edwardanderson1562 Yes, I realize that. The Channel Islands in general made me think of it.
I'm going to go and try to see the bison. I have been to Catalina, and Santa Cruz and Santa Rosa islands. I recommend you consider a trip to those and other islands. Love your channel!
Always wanted to go to the island. Maybe someday.
I lived on Catalina in 1975, USC marine lab, we saw bison everyday. Fun to see the island scenery again.
Thanks for the knowledge of why there are bison on the island. In the 70s, I flew a small private plane around the perimeter of the entire island a few times, and one of the highlights of those flights was that I indeed saw a herd of bison! Beautiful animals.
I took my wife to Catalina back in June of 2015, we took the island tour and saw a couple of Bison. Sorry you missed them! Yep, they are out there, but since they aren't on a time clock, it's hard to guess when you will see them!
That look on Steve's face at the end at 9:23 is priceless.
I really enjoyed this episode. Catalina rocks!
It’s rather amazing that beasts as large as bison can hide???
They could have been right over one of those hills. Apparently because of the recent rains they have more water sources available making them more picky about where they can hang out.
Catalina has incredibly rough back country. Elephants could hide there. Mammoths once did.
With 130 bison, that is less than 2 bison per square mile.
Love all of your shows. I don’t know. That was a pretty expensive Uber ride with no AC for no bison I remember one time going on a fishing host and nobody caught any fish. They said “it’s not called a catching boat”.
Bison-tennial…ha ha Steve! Thanks again for a neat video! The closest I got to Catalina Island was just offshore when the Frigate I was stationed on sailed by it.
Another wonderful video! It was truly saddening to not see any bison, but the scenery and the absolute amazing views made up for it. Looking forward to your next video. Take care, stay safe and God bless.
Steve from Oklahoma
didn't know there were bison or pigs on Catalina until went camping there one time. wild boars kept us awake snuffling about during the night, and in the foggy mists of the morning OMG, bison surrounding our tent!
Great video,and learned something new! 👍
It's great to see another view of the island .
Clever pun at the end.
I've been out to Catalina many times but never further than Avalon. I'm really stoked that you got to see two(!) Catalina Island foxes. Thanks for taking us along.
I have to tell you, every year, my Father would take the family to Catalina for a month (he had connections that would give him a house for a 'pitance'). From 1960 to about 1974......it was an awesome time and, my folks never had to worry about 'losing their kids' (as we'd often bump into each other throughout the day - whether they were at the beach, golfing, having a drink or strolling the shops in Avalon). And - In all the times I've been there, I've NEVER failed to see a Bison (or two or three, or more).......and I can't tell you how many times the wild pigs/boars would surprise us on a trial by the old Wrigley Mansion and chase us off it - but what my brothers and i NEVER saw - during all those times on the island, was a (living) Catalina Island Fox (and you saw TWO of 'em!!!). Consider yourself lucky!!!!
You picked a perfect day for this adventure😉
Great job👍
I remember seeing pigs on the island at Toyon Bay when where was a baseball camp there, which I stayed at for two weeks. That was back in 1967 I believe. Amazing place and had lots of fun.
Diving in the ocean sanctuary areas is neat dive: the larger fish and island Garibaldi ( a bright orange , spotted fish) are not at all afraid of divers.. We'd dive deeper and unzip to cool off! Visibility is great and the ocean floor sometimes only ten fathoms down.
I have a grudge against Catalina. I attempted to backpack the Trans Catalina Trail a few months back and the weather conditions turned sour on us. We ended up getting stuck in the dark and in the rain for 6 hours where our headlamps barely did anything because it was so misty. The soil on Catalina has a ton of clay in it as well that just sticks to your shoes worse than any other trail I've been on, made our shoes weigh at least 5lbs each for 10 miles. During that time we couldn't see 15ft in front of us we were terrified of the bison since the worst thing you can do is get too close to them, and we had no idea if we were getting too close to any (we had seen 3 earlier in the day so we were definitely paranoid).
Hopefully if you go back to Catalina you can see some bison, just be sure to give them their space, you don't want a multi-thousand pound mass charging at you at 30mph.
Saw a bison charge and overturn a new jeep Grand Cherokee at Harvey’s (has a casino at S. Lake Tahoe) ranch in Carson Valley Nev. -not a pretty sight!!
So enjoyable to come along with you Steve on these types of Field Trips! Having grown up in Southern Cal, I have been to Catalina many times but only once did we venture into the inner part of the Island. We usually had relatives and we all hung out around Avalon Bay! Dad was USAF and after our deployment at the Old March AFB, we lived on Oahu via Hickam AFB and as you mentioned, Catalina is much like Hawaii in many ways! The old joke in Newport Beach was on a clear day you could see Catalina from the beach and smell the Butt Of The Queen Mary docked in Long Beach! 🤣 Really appreciate the time and effort in editing, music and filming! Cheers From COW-lumbus, Ohio MOO and GO PADRES
Another great video, San Diego Steve! That's a bummer you didn't see any bison. For $100 per person, they should know exactly where at least one bison is (via a GPS tracker).
I didn't mind that much. The views were great.
Back in the late 90s we took a shorter tour, and like you, saw no bison. Also like you we saw a rare island fox and that meant more to me than seeing bison. I haven't been there since, need to go back! I also enjoy the boat ride out there and back with the many sightings of dolphins and flying fish. I do remember when many of the bison were relocated tho. Great dad joke there at the end Steve!
As usual, excellent video. Informative and entertaining. Sorry you didn't see any bison. I did a similar tour a few years ago and we saw some bison and went to the airport. I hope to backpack the trans-Catalina trail in the near future. When you are on Catalina Island you feel like you are far away from the rest of the world. We stayed at the Hamilton Cove resort and at that time your condo included a golf cart so we got to explore the island even more. There is also a large amount of feral cats that you see when you drive around at night.
Beautiful scenery. Great ride over and back. A fun adventure. Round it out with a nice Bison-tennial dad-joke at the end. Cool video. Thank you for sharing. Safe travels
Glad you enjoyed it
Good job Steve. Most folks never make it beyond Avalon which is certainly a charming town. I guess it was about an hour or two getting out there and again coming back. Wrigley also had the Chicago Cubs spring training on the island behind the Casino. I think they also still have glass bottom boats with flying fish night tours? A unique and beautiful place! 👏🏼
I thought about doing something on the Cubs there. Its hidden in plain sight, but the ballpark they used to play in is still there kind of. Maybe next time. They do have glass bottom boat tours still.
In the 80's I sailed to Catalina several times and saw bison a couple times around the Two Harbors area. I also saw and heard mountain goats on the cliffs. There is also a decent bison heard onboard MCB Camp Pendleton.
The goats are all gone too. Would live to see the Pendleton herd, but they don't exactly allow visitors out there. Great for the bison though.
Hey Steve, I really like what you are doing, with your adventures. I've watched quite a few of your videos and I like the places that have shown us, I love traveling and sight seeing , I have done a lot of traveling in the past with my family my 2 girls and 2 boys and my wife, we haven't done any traveling for at least 20 years or so maybe more, as my kids are grown up and have kids of their own now, and don't get as many opportunities to do any traveling like they did as kids because of how busy they are with the usual things that life has. But they are thankful for the times we had together seeing the country that they had as kids.
I’ve been to Catalina once with the Boy Scouts. It’s so green compared to when I went.
Looking forward to the Bisontennial vlog, but I suspect I'll be history by then (as will most of us). Lol 😊
Your channel reminds me of Huell Howser’s California Gold. Love it!
Bison-tennial. My kids groan when I do stuff like that. I love it. Great video. We say some of those little foxes on a tour of the channel islands. I think there was a fine if you fed them.
I am pretty sure in fact I am quite certain that somebody knows where those bison are ... The reason I say that is because if they made an approach to the town that would stir things up immensely. And they have to monitor the population?
I am glad you mentioned the pigs. I was wondering about them.
I hope you can do a story on Turnbull canyon in Whittier CA. A lot of history in those hills
There's multiple herd's of Bison on the catalina islands you just never got to see all of them. ALSO your information is very wrong. You can drive the entirety of Catalina Island without any permit or anthing. It's not required nor enforced. You sir got scammed. Good job!! You're welcome for providing the actual facts. So for ANYONE wanting to visit Catalina Island just know you DO NOT require a permit you can simply drive around as you please. As the supposed "tour" you went on isn't even an actual official tour you simply got scammed and it was well deserved as you clearly didn't do enough research before coming here. I hope you've learned from your mistakes
That was kewl even without bison 🦬. 👍☮️🌞❤️
Great video! I'm getting ready to head over there. This helped out tremendously.
Glad it was helpful! I want to head back there.
There are bison on Camp Pendleton also. And they can be hard to spot. They can be like a cell phone with no service. .....roaming.
They have taken some of the bison from Camp Pendleton and exchanged them with some of the bison on Catalina.
Love your videos. You are always informative with the history
Thank you!
Same as Jeff below, in 1972 while at Emerald Bay Scout Camp (N/E side) I took a war canoe trip up the coast, we camped on a mesa and I WAS WOKEN BY SNORTING SOUNDS. I opened my eyes to see the belly side of a bison, then looked around and discovered that the twelve scouts that were on the trip were all underneath a large herd of bison. 51 years latter I can still see that belly and it's huge attachment, scarry.
You should check out the lesser seen Channel Islands , some have good stories like the wild pigs that had to be hunted by helicopter or the woman who lived on the island by herself for decades
For $100. Per Person they Should be Keeping up on Where They are.
I think that the problem would be gaining access to a spot where they can be viewed.
The tour company is probably only allowed to drive on the graded roads.
Somebody needs to start up a helicopter 🚁 bison 🦬 tour business!
For a thousand dollars a person!
THEN they could guarantee that you'll see a bison! 🦬 🦬 🦬 🦬 🦬 🦬 🦬 🦬 🦬 🦬 🦬 🦬 🦬
@@straybullitt yeah! Run a few choppers overhead, stampeding bison herds, stress them out; what a monumentally STUPID idea. Just so some rich assssholes can see an animal! 🤮🤮🤮
Cool I spent a weekend there in the 80s....
Lived in Long Beach across from the harbour & attended CSULB!
I forget what other islands have Sheep population!
We saw bison last time we were there a couple years back. The tour was great fun, though!
I went camping over there with my friend who reminds me of you. We saw everything, including the wild boar. I want to take a bike ride over the island.
Always wondered what the Catalina Island Interior looked like. Thanks.
Wife and I stayed onCatalina for a week rpobably 5 years ago, we saw Bison up by the little airport on top o f the island, one was blocking the road so we had to wait for him to move out of the way!
Bisontennial! Nice. Beautiful place. Being a native So. Californian, I wish I'd been out there. Still time. Keep up the great videos.
Back in the early 80’s there was a wild bison heard on Camp Pendelton….we saw them whenever we fished the big and little casey lakes in the middle of the base. They were very timid but they were still dangerous.
I flew to Catalina Island a long time ago. At the restaurant you could get buffalo burgers. I don't remember if we had any or not.
That was great...makes me wanna go!
Some years ago we vacationed at Two Harbors, staying in the Bed and Breakfast there. Eventually we made our way to Avalon, taking the regularly scheduled bus route (not a Greyhound, trust me) across the island. Imagine our surprise when we came across a small herd, just by chance. Sorry, Steve. Anyway, I thought the scenery along the way was more interesting than the bison.
Wow the island looks great. Normally those hills are aired and desert like.
Sorry you didn't get to see any Bison. We took an inland tour in the mid '90's and rounding a curve came across a small herd just standing in the road. Calves with their mothers and big (six feet at the shoulder) bulls. After a few minutes they just wandered off. At the island airport you can get Bison burgers!
Still never been to Catalina Island. It looks gorgeous!! Oddly never knew there were bison on the island. How wild! Shame you didn't see any (as the tickets are kind of pricey) but the foxes were ADORABLE. Hope you're feeling better!
Thanks, I'm feeling good now. Surprisingly there is another bison herd in Southern California on the Camp Pendelton Marine Base, but that one isn't accessible at all. Also due to the motion picture industry.
It's pretty but you're confined to the tourist trap that is Avalon. Been there once, no need to go back.
I've paid more than that to see beaver
My girlfriend and I visited Catalina Island a few years back for a couple of days and I found it very peaceful on the island but man, it's expensive! I cant imagine how much it would cost to live on the island.
Maybe they brought the bison out to serve as sort of a standby reserve for filming movies as needed. And it's pretty neat that you got to see an island fox; they're near-threatened.
Oh well, I have seen the bison herd on Catalina, it is very cool, looks like it was still a fun ride.