A few years ago, Kevin and I bought kayaks to paddle around the back channels of Canandaigua Lake. We didn't have much of an oppportunity to use them because of Kevin's deployment and our recent move. We brought our kayaks to California hoping to put them to good use. Saturday 9/19/09, we headed back to Monterey to paddle around the bay.
Monterey Bay from the water.
I wanted this to be a relaxing, jump-in-the-kayaks-and-go kind of day. The last thing I wanted was a big production to get down there. Well, the day before, Kevin informed me that the Pacific Ocean is very cold and we need to get wetsuits. Huh? In Canandaigua, we wore T-shirts and shorts. Kevin's reply was, "This isn't Canandaigua." We couldn't get any wetsuits from our local sporting goods store, so we hoped to find something in Monterey. Monterey Bay Kayaks was the answer to our prayers. They had everything we needed. The clerk informed me that we shouldn't wear anything cotton because we would get wet and cold. I had no intention of getting wet, but I didn't tell her that. My mistake. As much as I love the idea of the unitard, the wetsuits were a godsend. You do get splashed from time to time. Six-hundred dollars later, we got our suits, jackets and water shoes and were finally ready to kayak.
I wasn't sure what to expect. I thought we were just going to go in the calm water by the marina. As you can see by the pictures above, we were practically in the ocean. You had to be careful when fishing boats passed by because the wake they created could topple you if you were facing the wrong way. It was exciting to be out there and in retrospect, I'm glad we did. Once you paddle past the fishing docks, there is a rock wall alive with gulls and seals. The fish smell was very concentrated there and the seals were noisier than I ever remember. They were a riot. Many of them were just hanging out. It's hard to tell in some of the pictures, but it was actually a beautiful sunny day. The sky was blue behind us, but the fog rolled in ahead of us.
The best thing about being in the water was getting so close to the animals. The seals and otters would pop up around you going on about their business. Various birds flew all around us looking for their next meal. As we got closer to the aquarium, the sea kelp was more abundant in the water. Birds perched on top of it and the otters swam in the middle of it. It was hard to get pictures because the kayak was constantly in motion and I had to keep the camera dry, but I managed to get some good shots. The sea otters were very aware of our presence and often watched as we paddled by.
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Sea Otter Video Clip
The total trip was about three miles. We went as far as the aquarium and went ashore for lunch. Afterward, we headed back to the beach where we started. Any further and we would have been in the rougher waters of the ocean. I was so proud of myself for staying dry. I had just hit the beach and I was paddling to get further out of the water when a small wave turned my kayak sideways and I wiped out in front of everyone. Thank God I didn't wear cotton! We had a blast and the dogs were good. We headed home after sundaes at Ghirardelli. Another great day in Monterey!
Once we got home, Ingonish went to his favorite place - the fridge. He knows where ice cubes come from and was ready for a bedtime snack!
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