Thursday, January 7, 2010

Morro Bay January 7, 2010


This might be my last paddle for a while, as it is back to school (work) on Monday. With the tide fairly low, I decided to head for Morro Bay, and put in at the marina. I paddled into the incoming tide, and worked my way up to the area of Morro rock. I passed seven sea otters right there near the rock, in the place where they are normally seen. There was much activity from the tugs, barges and dredgers, who are working hard to keep the channels deep and clean. There is a shovel type operation up near the Morro Bay Inn, and the results are loaded on to a barge which is pushed by a tug out into the ocean off of the sand spit, where it is deposited. The outgoing barges sit barely above the water, and the incoming ones are substantially (10-12 feet?) above the water line. The photo is of an incoming barge. There is also some kind of dredging activity near the harbor entrance, and a complex of semi-submerged pipelines carries matter from one place to another. I would like to learn more about what is actually transpiring. I floated around in the area of the jetty near the rock, enjoying the fine weather and clear water, and watching the barges come and go. On my return to the marina, I met Ron, who grew up very near me in New Jersey, and had an enjoyable conversation while loading our boats. I drove from there up toward Cayucos and watched a beautiful sunset. I'm a fortunate guy. What a week.

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