Kayaking

Thursday morning we went on a guided kayaking excursion. We paddled in the ocean out around a point where we got out and hiked up to an outlook point and enjoyed the beautiful view.

This is not actually us but is another couple whe were paddling without a guide coming into the same spot when we were up at the observation point. In the background is Mt Baker on the mainland of Washington.

We had a double canoe like the one in the picture. Steve was in the back working the rudder and doing the serious paddling. I was in the front trying not to splash water on anybody.  On the trip with us was a family from Guam who had moved to the US about 12 years ago. We really enjoyed them. It was the parents and 4 children. The boy had just graduated from college and the youngest daughter from high school. 

Here we are up on the look out point.  As you can see we are all bundled up.  I have been freezing ever since we got here but all the rest of the people just wear shorts and sandles like it was summer.  I do not know if it is my old dry bones from the desert country or what but damp feeling 64 degrees just does not seem warm to me.

 



Here is a picture of all our kayaks on the beach - all rocks in typical Pacific Northwest fashion.  Some of the members in the family we were with plus the two guides who accompanied us used the single ones.  On the way out we saw bald eagles and went up along the edge of the rocks at high tide and saw lots of purple and orange starfish or "tarpiths" as Jeff called them when we first moved to Alaska.  Speaking of Alaska - Dad saw a memory flashback docked in the harbor on the way to the kayak launch and just had to take a picture.  He did not cry for too long afterwards.

Just like the Bare Necessities but with the flying bridge.  We sure had a lot of fun in Alaska with that boat.

After getting back in the kayak and launching we went around the corner a bit further and came up on about 20 seals sunning themselves on a couple of rocks that were fast disappearing in the rising tide. The first kayaks got a bit too close and the front paddler in our boat kept paddling trying to get closer every time the photographer was trying to get a shot of the whole group - BUT before they were all scared back into the ocean Steve did get this shot of one cute little fellow.



We paddled on back home - lucky to go around the point where ealier there had been some sketchy currents going on at slack tide smooth as could be.  We had a race the last few hundred yards but even with the old folks handicap of being in front of them all to start we came in well back in the back smoked by the guide in his longer single kayak and the brother of the Guam family with his strong tatooed arms.

It was a very fun experience except for the getting in and out of the kayak but the guides and others so kindly helped me and Dad was kind enough to not take any pictures of! Stay tuned for whale watching next.