High tides and good times

Three paddles in three days; vacation is good! I paddled from the Baywood Pier on a high tide early this morning. The temp was 40, the tide 5.7'. For only the second time in memory, I was able to drop my boat right off the pier and climb in without ever getting even my big toe wet. I paddled out across the flooded estuary, over sections that are normally above the waterline, and then along the peninsula south of the State Park Marina where they have recently built a long boardwalk for hikers to better experience the area. The picture posted here is of a downed tree that is usually sitting on top of the pickleweed in the area on the north end of the estuary. With the reflection, I thought it had a fish-like (albeit an odd one) appearance. I continued up past the museum and then across to the sand spit and eventually back to Baywood, where the water level had receded to more usual levels and necessitated a beach landing. It was sunny and windless, and definitely a good time to go out, as the wind really picked up later on. My hike at Montana de Oro was so windy in the afternoon that almost no one else was out, and, although I am always blown away by Montana de Oro, I literally was today. Back to the real world tomorrow.