Wednesday at Freshwater Bay, Port Angeles Washington State

Not an ideal photo of Freshwater Bay

 "You're not going to keep taking my picture."

  Actually that was precisely my intent.  I've got the Olympic Foothills as a backdrop, trees and the bay.  It definitely looks like we're in Washington State.  I'd like to keep Mark posing until I get a Christmas Card shot.  Unfortunately my muse has no intent of staying in Freshwater Bay, he has every intent of paddling west toward the Salt Creek Recreational Area.  He's headed along a section of coast described in Kayaking Puget Sound and the San Juan Islands (by Rob Casey) as "a taste of Washington's outer coast" and "magnificent sheer rock cliffs topped with cedar fir and madrona."

Mark by Observation Point

   Our boats and gear are from Adventures Through Kayaking.  To demonstrate our worthiness to rent gear we've had two interviews, one with the employee on duty the day before, Jory, and one with Adventure Through Kayaking's owner, Tammi Hinckle.  Having an interview before being allowed to rent is a fairly common practice, more so with sea kayaks and especially near trickier waters.  They want to know what experience we have, what knowledge we have of potential risks and most importantly, what will we do if one or both capsize.  ("T" Rescue, roll or re-enter and roll, though we also practice other rescues.)  Tammi has trusted us with two Valley Aquanauts, two toasty wetsuits, pumps and paddle floats, paddles and at the last minute, found a couple spray skirts for our use.

    I don't have my Christmas Card shot yet, but Mark is right, we're here to paddle.  So we edge around Observation Point and Bachelor Rock, delineating the western edge of Freshwater Bay, and begin our exploration of many coves.

Rounding Bachelor Rock

   The tide is incoming, and there's a rare east wind blowing so the Strait of Juan De Fuca is choppy, but there's nothing massive.

    Again and again we'll cross beds of bull kelp as we dive into coves to explore.  The kelp is thick, more than once I'll get stuck and need to yank myself out.

Pretty thick kelp

   Each cove is different, some have beaches we can land on,

Gooseneck Barnacles on the beach

  Others dramatic cliffs

   or low caves.

  One has a ledge filled with seal pups.

  Harbor seals pup all summer in this area.  Not wanting to disturb the pups we take a quick photo then look away and paddle on.

   Nick, of Adventures through Kayaking is guiding two new kayakers in the Bay.  They're an adventurous couple, who came out to Washington on their honeymoon, moved out on their first anniversary and are celebrating their second anniversary with a kayaking lesson.  Their lesson lasts until 12:30, and we'll be riding back to the store with them.  In case they need to go back early, we head to Freshwater Bay with plenty of time left.

   We spend our extra time finally getting some pictures of the purple sea stars that have been eluding us.

   As well as a sunflower star

   and green anemones.

   It's an awesome time!  I can see where an array of small coves and interesting waters could easily keep me entertained for days on end.

   I can't tell you how many beaches we've walked looking for sea stars, how many docks we've wandered.  The walks weren't unproductive, we'd seen otters, an elephant seal, harbor seals, porpoises, anemones, jellyfish.  But only one small pasty pink sea star, no different from a east coast sea star.  Now, at last I have a photo of the purple sea star.  Yay!

Nick loads boats while I check my photos.  Bachelor Rock in the distance

   But, as it turns out, there was a much better place to go.  After the paddle we stopped in Port Angeles to visit the Feiro Marine Life Center.   Of course the Feiro Marine Life Center has a variety of sea stars, but the shot below is just taken from the edge of the seawall outside the Marine Center.  How many sea stars do you see?  I see 10. 

 (Not to imply that wandering a seawall in Port Angeles can compete with a morning playing out in the currents of the Strait of Juan de Fuca.)

Summary:  Rental:  Adventures Through Kayaking.  Boats:  Valley Aquanauts.  I found the boat very comfortable and secure.  It turned easily and rode well on the waves and wind. 

Many thanks to Tammi for renting us such wonderful boats and to Jory for telling us about the area and recommending we head west from Freshwater Bay!

A nice link for more information about sea stars of the west coast:   http://www.seastarsofthepacificnorthwest.info



 

Monday on San Juan Island, Washington

8 AM:  Exploring the shoreline at the Anacortes ferry landing

 The tides in Washington State are different from Maine’s; although there are two tides each day, one tide can overwhelm the other.  Plus, in Puget Sound, the timing of high tide varies drastically from location to location.  Still, 8AM is what our tide chart showed for the lowest low of the day, so at 8AM I was at the Anacortes ferry terminal scouting fruitlessly for sea stars on the pilings and among the rocks.  Our plan was to take the 9AM ferry to San Juan island, meet up with our guides from Outdoor Odysseys, get driven across the island, spend the day paddling along the shore, then get back in time for the evening ferry from San Juan. 

For the past week, the weather had been reporting that it would rain on Monday, but they were wrong- the skies above were blue!  The ride to San Juan was magnificent, the ferry quite spacious.  It's huge windows were being  freshly cleaned as we boarded. 

There was plenty of room on the ferry

 We chatted with other travelers on the trip across, a pair of women from Whidbey Island on a day trip to Friday Harbor (the one town on San Juan Island) and a woman from Oklahoma who was housesitting in the area and taking a small boat tour to see killer whales.

View from the ferry

Given the emptiness of the ferry, and the expected rain, I thought our kayak tour might be sparsely attended, but I was wrong.  There was a van full: twelve “sports” and two guides,  Kaitlyn and Sarah.  The San Juan Islands are a hot spot for kayaking.  Our fellow paddlers had come from all across America: North Carolina, California and Virginia.  Most intriguing were a couple in their 30’s, who had taken a month off work and were driving across the country and back.  They’d just finished camping in bear country and were looking forward to camping on bear-free San Juan.  Specifically, they were hoping to camp in San Juan Park, where we were launching.  Unfortunately no spaces were available there (another reminder of how popular this area is for kayakers), but there was another campground on San Juan they could stay at.

Carrying the boats to shore.

 Mark and I have been in tandems many times, but it’s been years since we’ve been in a tandem together.  Usually it's one of us and a child.  Even though tandem kayaks are often called “divorce boats”,  we were interested in exploring how fast two strong paddlers could go and how quickly we could turn.  I suspect if we got our rhythm down and could finalize on a left or right side, we could roll a tandem, but we weren’t planning on trying that.

Suited up and listening to instructions

 Of course, tandems have their downsides, chief among them weight.  We managed to get the boats to the beach by putting four people on each.  After some introductions and instruction we were on our way, launching out into wind and waves.

Gathering in the kelp

 We stopped by the first bed of bull kelp.  Gathering in the kelp is what the guides wanted us to do if conditions became hairy.  The kelp provides a dampening effect to wind waves and current, and if we were tired of paddling we could just grab the kelp and hold on.

Close up of bull kelp, which can grow a foot per day

 Both the wind and the current were against us on our projected route.  Based on how fast the water was traveling over the kelp, I would say we were fighting a 1-1.5 knot current.  And considering that a few of our tour group have never been in a kayak before, you can probably imagine the progress we were making.   And this was inside the bay, around the corner ahead the wind waves and current were likely to increase.   It wasn’t long before a decision was made to turn back and have lunch at a closer beach.

Heading out.  Note the container ship in the background

 Waiting for lunch I was fairly subdued. It was a lovely location, but it was pretty obvious that we weren’t going to complete the intended route.  

Lunch view of Canada

Kayaks parked in a cove, kayakers parked on the hill

 After a wonderful lunch, things seemed brighter.  There were lion's mane jellyfish in the water and an unexpected close encounter with a harbor seal that bounced between our kayaks.  

  Still, some of our group had had enough of waves rolling over their decks.  So the group was split, with Sarah taking folks back to sit in the sunshine, and Kaitlin taking the rest of us further along the shore.  And of that group, some bounced in the waves, and others stuck to tamer waters.

Cruising across the sea

 It might not have been a good day to paddle south, but it was a great day for testing boats.  Tandems generally come equipped with rudders.  I always figured that was due to their length, but as Mark and I puttered about, I realized it was also so that you didn’t have two paddlers correcting the kayak angle, then discovering they’d over corrected, etc.    That time and energy savings becomes more important if you’re taking a tandem out for twenty or thirty miles.  But, on this short run, Mark was in no hurry to use the rudder.   Rudder up, the Esperanto handled well, though we were kept busy paddling.  And as a team we could go pretty fast, and spin right about using sweep strokes.

Kaitlin paddles by some Madrona trees (with the spotted bark)

 All too soon it was the end of our tour.  

Playing in the waves

 It was a tough day for beginners; the current, wind and water temperatures all created significant challenges.  On the plus side, they learned a lot about boat capabilities and their own capabilities.    And they learned the most important lesson: the ocean (or lake or river) doesn't care if you've come across town or across the country.  The conditions are what they are, and sometimes the only wise choice is to change your plans.   Thanks to Kaitlin and Sarah for coming up with a fun alternative.

Exploring Friday Harbor after kayaking

 Summary:  Tour -  Outdoor Odysseys. Boat - tandem Boreal Design Esperanto.  Front pedals locked in place.  The tandem was entertaining enough that we might need to add one to our fleet. 

Wildlife spotted:  Harbor Seals, cormorants, sea gulls,  guillemots, vultures, limpets, whelks, lion's mane jellyfish.  Also spotted: lots of container ships (from China?)  No sea stars.  Odyssey Outdoor did a great job with the conditions.

If you were on the tour, and would like any of these photos, or for us to look through for photos of you, please write us at:  Penobscotpaddles@gmail.com.  The photos used in the blog are trimmed and re-sized to allow them to load faster.

A couple other companies also doing a great job:

Anacortes Ship Harbor Inn:  walking distance to the ferry.  The owner, Linda, marked up a map with parks we could explore in the area, noting which ones opened early.  And this was the view from our room.

Hotel view Ship Harbor Inn Anacortes

The Washington State Ferry System

Spotting another ferry while enjoying a sunset ride back to Anacortes

Sunday in Seattle

Hello Seattle!  We were up at dawn and the kayak rental would open at 10.  So after a quick breakfast we went first to Discovery Park, where we found the intertidal zone distinctly uninspiring, but the drift wood structures and lighthouse pleasant.

Then it was over to the locks; which were a world away from the east coast.
An elephant seal patrolled the water (and dodged our cameras.) The fish ladders were filled with trophy sized salmon.

And the locks were filled with sailboats headed out for a breast cancer awareness regatta.

10AM and we were at the Paddle Club, ready to rent boats.  The Paddle Club was ready to launch kayaks quickly.  On Saturday they'd had lines an hour long waiting for service, and they didn't want to get behind.  There was no discussion of which kayak to use: the man at the counter called over to the docks:  "A Looksha and a 17, two spray skirts."

A Paddle wheeler converted to a houseboat (sorry about the smudge)

  The 17 was for Mark, the sprayskirts a tribute to the Northern Light Paddle Mark had grasped in his hand.  Not too surprisingly, the Paddle Club did not offer Greenland Style Paddles.

   In the kayaks and on the water in just a few minutes.  They did adjust the foot pegs for us, but no time was spent on other adjustments.   Later at the Gas Works Park I'd stop and figure out how to adjust the backband to keep it from digging in.

A variety of boats on Lake Union, another duck boat is in the picture and probably a few kayaks

   And not much time was spent on kayak guidance or etiquette.  We were asked about our plans and when we said we were thinking of dipping into Lake Washington we were warned that before we entered the canal we should check the navigational light.  If it was green we could proceed, but if it was red, that meant a barge or other large vessel was traversing the canal and we'd be wise to stay out.

   I'm not sure if the lack of instruction was also due to Mark carrying his own paddle, but as I watched other kayaks haphazardly bounce about the lake, I couldn't help but feel some guidance about sticking to the shore would be useful.  

Cool graffiti by Gas Works Park.  Remnants of Coal Gasification equipment in the background

   That being said, the many houseboat owners are probably grateful to kayakers, who keep down the speed and wake of the many other boats in the area.

I like this houseboat because it has engines

  The area was entertaining, all types of boats, all sorts of people.  The Necky's felt marginal, the foot pedals were squishy, as they often are on ruddered boats.  

Still more houseboats and a few geese.  Note what a nice crossing they're doing; perpendicular to shore, tightly grouped

   After we finished we ate at Agua Verde,  just upstairs from the Paddle Club.  We had an amazing lunch, great food served quickly. If you're happy with a ruddered boat or a tandem and want a great meal after, this is a terrific place to go.

Taken from Agua Verde, this is a large group heading out, and some others headed in.

Summary:  Rental:  The Paddle Club
   It was a nice enough time, but I can't help but feel that it could have been better.  Specifically I think the Northwest Outdoor Center might have been better.  At the time I'd thought the Paddle Club was on Lake Union and Northwest Outdoor Center on Lake Washington.  I'm not sure why, other than in the week before we headed out a credit card was stolen, our bank account sold to a different bank, the lawn mower broke and, as a final straw, right before we went the iPad charger faded in a quick burst of light, so things became confusing.  
Animals seen:  Seagulls, Canada Geese, limpets, clams, elephant seal, salmon, crabs, barnacles, mussels (No sea stars...)

A gratuitous photo from Chihuly Garden;  including a boat or two

'Cross Country to Washington State

Mark's paddle is in his custom built carrying case, we've got our plane tickets and a guidebook; and we're off to Washington State!  Since we're renting boats, not BCU certified, and not taking any multiday trips I'm not sure how things are going to go.  But I'm looking forward to seeing the west coast, the San Juan Islands, Astoria Bar and huge West Coast Sea Stars!

Why We Went to Stockton Springs

 (I'm catching up on some earlier paddles - this paddle took place Aug 24; it makes sort of a nice followup to the Rockport to Camden series, because if that was our best paddle of the year, this is the tale of one of our worst paddles.)

    The launch in Stockton Springs enters into a big bowl, bounded on one side by Cape Jellison and the other by Sears Island.  As a result it is generally fairly quiet water.  Not generally what I'm looking for in salt water, but after a couple of terrible paddles on the Penobscot River , any other water would do.

   It started Monday morning, with a walk at the Bangor Waterfront.  As we strolled along, I noticed a grocery bag lying on the dock next to a boat.  The bag had a quart of milk in it, along with some other things, and appeared to have been forgotten by its owner.

    "We'll be seeing that in the river."  I remarked.

    Sure enough the next day, there it was bobbing along.  Knowing Mark hates the smell of spoiled milk, I got to it first, took the plastic container out, and holding it below the surface opened it.  This is our standard practice with any non-petroleum process.  Once rinsed I added the container to my back deck.  Then I reached in to see what else it contained.  Turned out it was spoiled meat and millions of nature's tiny recyclers.   

   While I was scrubbing those back into the water, Mark spoke up; "You're not just going to let that plastic drift to sea are you?"

     I wonder if Mrs. Trashpaddler ever threatens to dunk Al.  I would have considered it, but I need to make none of those little while maggots had crawled under my sleeves.  By the time I had finished, Mark had stepped up his game and pulled the plastic bag and tray out of the water.

     The next day was hot and sticky.  So much so that we only paddled a mile before turning back.  And there, in a spot we'd gone by not ten minutes earlier was a huge oil slick and at the center a five gallon pail with some unidentified gunk in it.  Once again Mark was the hero, balancing the pail and its contents on the back of his kayak, bringing it home and carrying the heavy bucket up the long hill.  Which is why, on Thursday, we went to Stockton Springs to take some lovely pictures at the low tide.  And those are the pictures displayed here.

Summary:  Launch: Stockton Springs Harbor, lots of parking, picnic tables, portapotties and a flush toilet with one of the prettiest views in Maine.  Chart of Stockton Springs can be found here.