Avila Beach June 29, 2009

A GREAT paddling day!
Mary F. and I paddled out from the ramp at Port San Luis and headed up through the pier and along the shore line to the beach where the sea wall extends out into the harbor. We viewed a work crew high up in the hills constructing a set of stairs for what must be a new (or improved) trail (the view from the top must have been spectacular). We continued out along the sea wall, past a cacophonous chorus of hundreds of seals and sea lions, and out to open water. From there, we paddled about 1.75 miles toward Shell Beach, choosing a spot just south of Pirate's Cove as our destination. The sea was smooth, windless, with a small swell; the air warm but not hot, and the visibility good, with some cloud cover. We paddled around near the cliffs, and picked up a fair amount of trash in the kelp beds (Hey Mickey, you're so fine, but also a choice of litterbugs who heave your empty 32 ounce bottles overboard!). We paddled in through Pirate's Cove, truly a beautiful place, even considering the ridiculously sized homes that overlook it. We continued north along the bluffs, where there are numerous and wondrous geological features. Once past the bluff areas, we headed into a fairly stiff breeze with quartering whitecaps that made our return leg back to Port San Luis a pretty decent workout. Mary experienced a new way of arriving on the beach. Total time on the water was 4 hours, and we paddled between 6 and 7 miles as calculated later on Google Earth. We returned wet, hungry and tired. Perfect.

Morro Bay June 28, 2009

Paddled out on a cresting tide in the late afternoon from Pasadena Point, where numerous fishermen lined the banks. Several had catches of bat rays and leopard sharks. Paddled down to the rookery near the museum, where hundreds of cormorants and herons perched in the denuded eucalyptus grove. Continued down to the sand spit across from the embarcadero, and walked up the dunes to see what was displaying the tall masts that could be seen from the bay side. A large vessel was backing up right in the mouth of the channel, and is presumed to be tasked with dredging said channel. Returned to Los Osos by paddling up the sand spit side. Here's a bad picture of the ship in the channel.

Lake Kaweah June 22, 2009

Bennett and I paddled the Slick Rock area of Lake Kaweah this morning, and went up the mouth as far as the first river drop. We did some playing around in the eddies and currents. Lots of sun and wind. The fish were jumpin'.
The photo shows Bennett at the new launch ramp and dock at Slick Rock.

La Jolla Cove

June 18, 2009


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My Dad and I paddled La Jolla Cove this morning. We rented a tandem sit on top from the La Jolla location of San Diego Bike and Kayak Tours, who did a fine job of getting folks out with little or no hassle. There are several rental companies doing a brisk business from the beach in La Jolla Shores, where it is easy to get out through the surf and close to the cove. I chose this company because I saved $5 by reserving online. Total for 2 hours with a tandem, 2 pfds was $40. They have free lockers to store your valuables, and a place to change.
The water was nice, the weather pleasant, and the paddling easy. They have caves in the cove, but it is not legal to enter them without being in tour group. It was easy to look inside, and also easy to see how folks who don't know what they are doing could get hurt. The cove is famous for its clear water and abundant sea life (star fish, leopard sharks, seals, etc.) but on this day, we had only 5-6 feet of visibility, so we had to settle for great company and a fine paddle off of one of California's prettiest beach towns.

Montana de Oro June 12, 2009

As promised, we are back today! We paddled out from Spooner's Cove just after 9:30 and spent 3 hours paddling down to where you can see the Diablo Canyon power plant (and back). Along the way, we investigated several coves, did some minor rock gardening, and enjoyed the numerous seals and sea otters. The seals were the only ones around who might have been having more fun than us. Another awesome day kayaking!

Montana de Oro June 11, 2009

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Linda, Mary and I put in at Spooner's Cove in Montana de Oro State Park this morning around 9:45. This is an amazing place enjoyed by many; hikers, bikers, equestrians, surfers and tide-pool explorers, as well as typical "family day at the beach" outings. Anyone who thinks of closing a place like this to save State funds has no soul.
The put in was easy, with very small breakers at the beach in the cove, but wind and tight swells made paddling a bit dicey, especially heading out past the point in the "whacky water" that is trying to go several directions at once. We paddled out to the kelp beds, where the water is settled. From there we paddled south for a quarter mile or so before returning because the conditions were un-predictable. We enjoyed a fine roller coaster ride back into the cove and spent some time playing around the rock features there. A great paddle and a promise to return.

Morro Bay June 10, 2009

Paddled from 4-7 today from Pasadena Point north past the museum and then over to the sand spit side. Followed the spit south and spent some time up on the dunes. Spotted more bat rays, near the oyster farm where the channel goes into the estuary. This is the first time that I have seen rays there.

Morro Bay June 9, 2009

Another late afternoon paddle from the Baywood Pier to the sand spit and down to shark inlet and returned past Cuesta inlet and Sweetwater preserve. Saw several bat rays in the Baywood cove.

Morro Bay June 8, 2009

Nice paddle from Baywood Pier over to the sand spit in the late afternoon. Met fellow paddlers M and L who expressed interest in paddling out of Montana de Oro. Hiked up King dune to admire the 360 degree awesomeness.

Back Bay May 15, 2009

One of the reasons that I started this blog was that the back bay was filled with algae last May, and I couldn't recall if previous years had looked the same. Well, I've confirmed that there is quite a lot of algae growing along the sandspit in the back bay for at least the past two (months of) May.
This was a pleasant paddle on a Friday evening in the hour or so before sunset. Calm winds, and a westward paddle with the sun directly in the eyes. On the return trip to the Baywood Pier, I looked for, but did not see, batrays that had been so prevalent in April.

Lake Kaweah April 26, 2009

Brought my kayak home from the coast because it will be weeks before I can return. The nearest local lake is Kaweah, which is just below the town of Three Rivers. This man-made creation was about 20 feet or so below high water marks, which leaves plenty of water for paddling, and lots of places to go that aren't dominated by jet skis, ski boats and bass boats.
There is an area at the northern end of the lake that is called Slick Rock. There is a parking lot and restrooms there; a favorite place for families to swim and fish. When the water level is low, Slick Rock is just a small river running into the lake, but when the lake is full, the Slick Rock area forms the northern section.
I put in here, and paddled into the wind until I came into the main lake section, then reversed and let the wind take me back. I continued up until the lake became a river again, and went up as far as the first drop and rapids. The water is fast and clear here, and it was fun to paddle up the calm side and then into the short section of rapids that came off the drop. Nothing too scary for this solo paddler in a sea kayak; I played it safe at all times.
Between this area and the Slick Rock put in, there were numerous anglers on the banks, and perhaps a dozen more in several boats. The wind was kickin' pretty good, and the return trip was a good workout. I'm hoping to return soon with some friends, before the water level drops too much.

Morro Bay April 18, 2009

From Kayaxeman

Today I paddled from the marina dock at Tidelands Park in Morro Bay and out to Morro Rock. I took a nice break on the jetty next to the Rock, and watched the ocean swells for a while. On the way back, I was near Target Rock (out of the channel) when the Coast Guard rescue vessel poured on the power and created INSTANT 3 foot wake that had a very angular cut to it. I turned into the wake and rode over (and over) and was just amazed at the power of it. Glad to have those folks out there practicing; they do some amazing stuff.

Rook(ed)ery

For the 3rd morning in a row, I got out on the water (8:45) for a paddle in the back bay. This morning, I joined friends Jim and Linda, who paddled over from Cuesta. We were treated to a bay full of water, no wind for 2 hours, lots of otters, harbor seals, sun, scenery and camaraderie. We paddled toward Morro Bay for a look at the blue heron rookery, but saw no herons when we arrived. We paddled east across the bay, just north of Grassy Island, and returned, making a nice little circuit. The wind came up about 3/4 of the way back, adding to a great workout and even more appreciation of the windless conditions we enjoyed for most of the paddle.
Last night I walked down to the Baywood Pier to watch the sunset, and watched 30+ bat rays as they cruised up and down the Baywood channel, sometimes creating big splashes with their antics. Mating season? Definitely returning tonight, and might put a boat in if the wind and water cooperate.

Bay Cleaners

I got out this morning and on the water early enough to enjoy a few hours before the tides drained the back bay. A perfect, windless morning. Besides the usual water birds, there was an otter in the back bay, and a very young harbor seal accompanied by a more mature seal. Along the sand spit, I paddled over to visit Mike and Mark from Orchid Outriggers, who were paddling one of their outriggers and picking up trash along the shore of the sand spit. They do this on a regular basis, and equip themselves with trash bags for smaller items. By the time I caught up with them, they had a boat filled with all variety of washed up items. They mentioned that on a recent outing, they had recovered nearly 30 tires! Some of what gets washed up are accidental items; the result of capsizing or just the pounding of the tides on land and boats. Much more is just litter tossed from boats or left on beaches that get blown into the bay. I appreciate the efforts of stewards like Mike and Mark, and have always tried to bring back a little more than I take along. We all need to.

Mud Fun

I arrived in Los Osos last night, and the wind was blowing hard. Since today promised more of the same, I got out early to get in a quick paddle before the wind came up. The bay was draining quickly, and the back bay would be a mud flat by noon. I hit the water at 9 am and needed to be off within the hour to have a mud-free landing. On the way back, I took a phone call from my buddy Jim Pappas and talked for a while (I know, you think I'm a jerk for taking my phone, but it's pretty handy, and so much fun to call back east from the kayak and gloat). Jim and I caught up, and by the time I reached shore, my mud-free zone had disappeared, so I stepped out and sunk almost to my knee in the finest back-bay slime. All good. Still had a great sunny, windless paddle. Tomorrow I'll go earlier....
On shore, I met Baywood Navy originator and local salty sailor Jack (originally from Massachusetts)and his friend Eleanor. I have nodded and waved to Jack a few times while we were out on the bay (he sails a Pelican with a red sail)and it was nice to finally meet him and chat a bit. I received some insider info on the location of a hose that could be helpful in de-mudding myself. He left me with the parting words "Boats and men rot on land".

Morro Bay March 14, 2009

As I am only a part-time resident of the central coast, I go paddling when I can. Since I was here for the weekend, and the tides looked ok for a back-bay paddle, I headed out from Pasadena Point just after noon. It was so windy, the only reason I could carry my boat from the truck to the beach was that I was able to point it directly into the wind. The bay greeted me with 2 foot standing wind waves that were only 5 feet apart. I wanted to lean forward to get the strongest possible vertical paddle in, but was frequently forced to lean back to keep the bow out of the approaching waves. Slicing through the waves was not an issue, it just brought too much wind-driven water into my lap (chest, face, etc.). I can not recall a more tedious crossing than the one I made this day. Forward progress was very slow. Upon reaching the sand spit, I got out for a break, and pulled my boat up where it got minimal punishment from the sand blowing off of the dunes. I hooked my spray skirt over the bow to try to dry it out some, and hiked up the dunes for a look at the ocean and a scenic spot for a snack. The sun was shining, but the wind blew so hard that even in protected spots it was difficult to look west with getting an eye full of sand. Quite enjoyable, actually, and a reason to appreciate the windless trips just a bit more. The paddle back took no paddling at all; I just got blown back to Los Osos.
Back home, as I cleaned my gear, I was appreciative that it always holds up so well. My 8 year old plastic Necky Kyook is a great all-around boat that performs well (with the rudder) and is still in great shape. It is garage kept and cleaned after each paddle (or several if paddling consecutive days). The Werner carbon fiber paddle given to me by my friend Jim Lile is light and strong, and the Snap Dragon spray skirt does its job and still fits great. Just add water.

Sail Away Camp

I was admiring an old BMW 320 at the Coffee and Things parking lot, and found that I was speaking with Dave (the owner) who also happens to run the Sail Away Camp for teaching sailing right in the bay by the Baywood Pier. What a great treat for would-be sailors. Camp times are determined by favorable tides in the back bay during the summer. Check out the camp times here.

Backbay February 21, 2009

It was a bit chilly this morning, but, with no wind, I warmed up quickly while paddling in the back bay of Morro Bay. The tide was receding as I left from the Baywood Pier and headed across the bay to the sand spit. While paddling along the spit, I noticed several areas where the reeds had died out. I have no idea if this is usual or not, or if they die back like grass in the winter, but, since I saw healthy sections of reeds as well, I took a picture to compare during later paddles.
One unusual thing that I did notice today was that I spotted about a dozen white pelicans but no browns. Normally, the browns out-number the white ones by a considerable multiplier (50 to 1?). At any rate, I did snap a couple of pictures with my iphone, which works fine close up but that's about it. I couldn't get too close.
A hike up on the spit to view the ocean side rounded out my paddle.
Another great day (morning) on the bay.

Section of dead reeds

Morro Bay January 18, 2009

Another impossibly beautiful day! Not a cloud in sight, barely a breeze, and temps in the low 70s. I paddled from the Tidelands marina out to the south jetty across from Morro Rock, hung out on the beach for a while, and paddled back. The usual otters, seals and sea lions were hanging out near the harbor entrance, where the outside swells would occasionally crash over the north jetty. Awesome.
The kayak rental folks had to love this day; I don't think that I have ever seen so many paddlers out on the bay. On the return trip, I wondered aimlessly, merely to prolong my time on the water. Made it back home in time to wash the boat and check out the sunset in Baywood. My sincere thanks to ever water god or goddess who has ever been named.

Morro Bay January 17, 2009

This was the kind of day that makes mid-westerners despise Californians.
Sunny and cloudless, a slight breeze, and temps around 70 degrees. Paddling without a shirt in the middle of January!
I paddled with my neighbors, the Wishons, who took a canoe. We paddled from Pasadena Point and headed SW to the sand spit, to the dune known as King Dune. This is probably the tallest point along the sand spit, and we hiked to the summit to enjoy the views; then continued down the ocean side to the beach, where the twins explored and drew artwork around the jellyfish that had been washed up on the beach. The breakers were big and plentiful, the sand warm. The return trip was just as pleasant; a perfect two and a half hour outing. Thanks.