Half Moon Bay, California - March 18, 2013

What a season! Barely recovered from a month down with anemia I ventured out on San Pablo Bay and ended up wrenching a shoulder. Pretty much recovered from that I joined fellow paddlers for a 3 day trip to the coast.  The day after I got back I was down with the worst flu you can imagine.  So now two weeks later I am finally recovering.  Though still wimpy I enjoyed a nice Easter with the family and look forward to getting active. 

Half Moon Bay is a beautiful coastal town famous for hosting the mavericks surfing events.  Friday found us starting out at Pescadero Beach for some beach combing and marsh hiking.

 

Saturday dawned foggy and cold but we were prepared for cool weather and headed out to the Bay.

 

The sun attempted to peak through but never quite made the big show.  The bay was calm and peaceful as we headed out and explored the harbor.  Pelicans and seals made for a great show as we explored.  The wind kicked up pretty good and eventually sent us scrambling for a beach break and lunch.

 

 

 







 

 

 

 

After we got back and packed up the boats we headed over to Mavericks beach to check out the famous waves.  There were a couple of brave kayakers out playing in the surf.  Some of us gals headed out for some shopping and then we headed back to the house for a potluck dinner and night of games and relaxing.  Our kayak group trips have always been a diverse group of paddlers and I am always so pleasantly surprised by how well we all mix and play well together.  Having that common bond of love of water and nature sure brings the right folks together.

 

The next day we did some tide pooling before heading home.  Another great weekend playing outside. 

 

Paddling on, looking for the sun.

 



Winter Paddling Peytonia Slough and The American River

2/16/13

My paddling pod has been getting out more this winter and it has been a whole new experience.  We took advantage of a fairly warm winter day, in the high 50’s, and traveled down to Suisun City to explore the sloughs.  To be honest, not much there to see, lots of dead grass and muddy brown water.  Wildlife was pretty scarce probably due to a lot of fishing type folk around.  Although it was nothing to get excited about, it was a good day on the water.  And it is always fun to explore new places.

This winter play has been an adventure that I am enjoying more and more.  It is a different world out there in the winter, much quieter than summer…peaceful.  And, I have two ocean trips coming up.  With all the cold water paddling I have been trying to find the right mix of warm clothes.  The feet have been the biggest challenge.  If you don’t get them wet, no problem!   Launching, lunching and landing have all tested how well the booties and water socks keep my feet warm and dry.  If you don’t have that great seal all is lost.  I just got a new pair of Kokatat Nomad paddling boots.  I think this may be the answer.  They have a strong enough shoe for those short walks and a knee high gaiter that is soft and flexible yet secures firmly under the knee.  I plan to test these boots in a couple of days down at the lake. 

We paddled the American River on Presidents day.  This was another peaceful winter morning with 10 of us exploring the rooms along the river. We are never disappointed with the wildlife we find here.  We saw many different birds, Egrets, Herons, Hawks and of course the usual gaggles of ducks and geese.