Kayak, Bike, Nature and Travel

I thought that the clouds were not going to be here until late today.  But they were here when I got out of bed.  So I kind of had a slow start as I was not too excited about running around in the thick cover of the clouds.  I eventually made it out to go on a short run and took a little side hike down a trail I have not been on.  It was short but was really nice.  All you could hear was the water and near by birds moving around the forest.  The trail has some of the larger fir trees I have seen on any public land here on San Juan Island.  As you get closer to the coast you run into Pacific Madrone tress with bright red bark peeling back to a vibrant green.  Running along the main trail there are mushrooms everywhere.  The wet forest floor is perfect for mushrooms right now.  Over all it is a short and really nice trail and I almost never see anyone there.  Plus it is quite with no road noise, maybe the sound of a passing boat.  Today I was lucky to catch the sound of something moving ...

I am back home on San Juan Island tonight.  It was a interesting trip with a some what bittersweet ending for me.  Though there were parts of my trip that we challenging for me. There were great moments working with the young adults from Lewis and Clark College.  I really enjoyed Portland and I could say it is one of my favorite cities.  I wish I had more time and reason to be there.  On Friday I met the group on campus and we packed and loaded gear. Heading out with the sun falling for our destination at Nehalem Bay State Park.  We had nice Yurts to sleep in and they had heat.  It was amazing.  The night sky was vivid with bight bodies of light scattered as far as you could see.  The sound of crashing surf in the distance and great company.  It was nice to be out and nothing to worry about but kayaking.   Day 1 on the water was nice.  It started out with calm conditions which was great for assessing the abilities of each individual.  It also was great for working on rescue skill and k...

Well I got to Portland yesterday.  Spent some time catching up with someone.  Then headed to my buddies house to stay the night.  We are both leading a kayak skills clinic this weekend.  I am filling in as a leader for someone who could not make the trip.  I know I am a nice guy.  The trip is run through Lewis and Clark College Outdoors .  We are heading to Nehalem Bay, there are going to be a total of 13 of us.  It looks like a good time.  Tonight we loaded up the trailer with kayaks and went through the gear.  I went over a quick game plan for the outline of the clinic that we are going to follow.  All in all everyone should have a good time so that is the focus.  So I hope to get some good images of everyone on the water.  I will get some posted when I get back. We will be out Friday to Sunday.  So some time Monday I will get the images up. Above is a chart of the area we will be kayaking.  So check back Monday and I hope to have the images up.

It was a very slow day today.  Not much going on around town at all.  The wind that was in the forecast did not make it until the afternoon today and at that it was only breezy.  But with the add wind the air temp seemed cold.  A few rain drops fell and I headed out to take a shot of the Haro Strait.   We really do not get much of what many would think of as fall colors on the island.  But here are few trees showing some pretty fall colors.  In the background you can see the clouds encasing the Olympic Mountains.  There was a dark wall moving toward San Juan and it passed quickly and the sun came out.  Since then the sun has been in and out all day.

Last night was pretty fun.  We all gather at a friend local farm (Sweet Earth Farms) and had a Cider and Spice party.  Basically people brought apples and there was a press there and we made cider.  The made hot cider drinks and all the like.  It was fun to see everyone there and to have the feel of sharing harvest.   Today was not quite as sunny as yesterday.  But I will take it.  I woke to fog hanging low across the water.  Fog is common this time of year and has its own beauty when it wraps around the islands.   I got up early and headed for town with a book in tow and took a nice walk.  Ended up in town having coffee and sitting of the on the porch of the coffee shop looking out at the water.  It was nice and crisp out and I zipped my jacket to the top and had a nice time enjoying the feel of fall.  A got a text letting me I was going to be doing a day tour at 11am and I had 4 people.  I headed home to get my gear ready. The water was nice, a bit more texture to the water today tha...

Well the forecast was for sun and no wind.  I guess others looked at the forecast as well because I took 8 people out for a kayak tour today.  I had 6 of the nicest ladies from Houston and very nice couple from Portland.  Plus I had an opportunity for one of our prospects guides for next season tag along.  The day started great with an early start and breakfast at Rocky Bay with some friends. Then I packed my gear and got ready for my tour.  The group was in good spirits and ready to have fun.  As we reach San Juan County Park the conditions were as good as they get.  Flat water, sunny skies and not even a breeze.  Taking to the water was a perfect way to spend my day.  Plus I took along my new cam and have some pictures to post.     Like I said the water conditions were more than perfect.   On the way back I took a quick picture over my head.                          Lime Kiln Light House                                             Couple of the Houston ladies.     Looking out in the ...

Discovery Sea Kayaks was chosen to be in the Rough Guides.  Below is the letter we received today. I’m writing to let you know that your company has been specially recommended in the Rough Guide to Ultimate Adventures, published in September 2008. As you may know, Rough Guides is one of the most successful and respected travel brands in the world, with over 300 travel guides in print. We have a reputation for good writing, accuracy and honesty, and the inclusion of the very best that a destination has to offer in terms of hotels, restaurants, cafés and other businesses and services. To find out more about please log onto www.roughguides.com Only a few companies qualify for a special recommendation of this kind, which highlights your company as one of our authors’ favorites.  So you could guess we are most happy to have been selected for the guide.  It is once again a nice notice of the hard work that we put into running quality kayak tours.  Plus it ...

Well the title pretty much states it all.  It has really slowed down on the island.  We were lucky and had a nice weekend and had some tours out on the water.  I was in our shop downtown so I did not get to enjoy the weather.  Monday (today) I woke at 530am to see a heavy mist strangely suspended in the air. It never seemed like it was making it to the ground.  I decided it was a perfect morning to head to town and have coffee and read a book.   I finally made my way to open the shop and town was empty.  I decided I would hang around for the morning ferries and then head out for some fun.  After getting a small bit of work done I packed up and headed for British Camp to enjoy a nice run along Bell Point.  Bell Point is a small loop only about 2 miles.  So I had to take a few loops around to get much out of it.  But it is a wonderful trail. It snakes along the shore of Garrison Bay and rounds Bell Point to where you run along Westcott Bay.  The trail is nice and maintained with very li...

Today Jesse and I had a large group to take out on a tour.  It was a Cruise West tour.  Discovery Sea Kayaks is set as one of the events for the cruise when they come to Friday Harbor.  It was a pretty big group for us, the total being 17.  It was a bit windy but the water conditions were fine since the wind was out of the north.  It was a nice and easy trip.  The sun was high in the sky and Mt Baker was visible in the distance.   It is not a great picture as I am zoomed in via digital zoom.  But you can get the idea of how nice it was to be on the water.

So October the 8 th was my birthday I was lucky to have some good friends go on a paddle with me. It was a great day and the sun was bright.  Water conditions were calm with no wind to been seen. We took a nice easy pace and crossed San Juan Channel and made our way to the north side of Jones Island and entered Spring Pass and headed south toward McConnell Island.  We stopped and had lunch on Little McConnell Island and enjoyed basking in the sun looking back at San Juan Island.  We watched an adult bald eagle plunge towards the water to catch food.  Then fly back to where we were and land in a tree just above where we were eating.  After lunch we headed off to explore the Wasp Islands.  After a bit of time playing we headed back to San Juan Island.  Later that night we went to Steps Wine Bar and Cafe .  It was an amazing evening and I recommend anyone visiting the San Juan's to check out the restaurant. Rounding the north of Jones Island we encountered this seal hanging out on th...