Nehalem Bay Kayak Clinic

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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 kayak handling skills. This was important as the conditions would change through out the day and the next day. As the ebb time was going out we gained a bit of tidal chop and followed it out toward the mouth of the bay.  You could see the out going tide hitting the surf.  We had to slide across to a back eddy to avoid being pulled out.  We beached the kayaks and hiked to the point.  The surf was big and we all took time to stand and get blasted off our feet by the crashing wave.  Heading back home we encountered strong head winds.  It was a tough and long paddle back to the take out. That night we had dinner with another group on a Yoga and Meditation Clinic.  A little guitar music after dinner and back to the Yurts.  We then had a meeting on how everyone was doing and of they were getting what they are wanting from the clinic.  Then I went over the plans for day 2.

Day 2 the wind picked up over night and was sustained throughout the day.  With the strong winds we got the conditions we were looking for.  Plenty of chop to practice rescues and paddle strokes.  We were able to get part of the group out on the water and get some work done.  With the strong winds were worked hard and the day was a bit of an early conclusion.  Everyone was tired and it was time to relax, pack gear and head to Portland.

I headed to Vancouver Washington after the clinic and met a friend of mine.  It was lots of fun.  I had a great dinner with her family and was able to stay the night in the spare room.  It was great to catch up and meet her family.

Monday I headed to Seattle and stayed at my buddies house.  I got there early and need to fit some afternoon sleep in.  I met up with another friend of mine and we all took off to the pub. Tuesday I got up and went for a run around Green Lake with Eduardo.  Afterward we headed for breakfast.  I went to get my roommate from the airport and we headed back to the island.

It was a pretty busy little trip.  I got to do a lot in my short time.  Like I said it was a bittersweet trip and for those of you who know me, you know what I am talking about.  But sometimes life does not always work out they way you wish it to be.

Well I have quite a few pictures to share so I will stop writing and get to the photos.

  
Well on the first night we had a bit of and issue.  Some how in the moving of the trailer one of my kayaks got damaged.  It is hard to say what actually happened but the end result ended with a large hole in the stern of the kayak.  Here you see I have set up a cook stove to heat the hull and apply an epoxy patch to the hull.  The patch held up just fine and we were able to use the kayak all weekend.

 This where we stayed.  The Yurts were so nice to have.

 Finally we are getting on the water. Calm waters.

  
Time to practice rescues.                                       Oh no. Everyone capsized. LOL..

 I love the images of all the capsized kayaks.

  
Here we are at lunch.


Click on the images to make the larger.


Here is a sequence of the group holding a tight formation taking on the large waves as a team.
It was pretty fun.  Once you get hit by the wash it would take for a long ride back to the beach.

Day 2 we had high winds and choppy seas.  The pictures do not really capture the roughness of the sea that day.

Tumble of the surf and a distant view of the rough seas.


Time to pack up and head home.

Well I hope you enjoyed the pictures.

Comments

Monika said…
Beautiful panoramic shot. Did you stitch multiple images together yourself? I've always wondered how to do that seamlessly...well done.
October 29, 2008 at 12:38 AM
Penny said…
After all the gruff I gave you last night about how long it was taking to post all your pictures. They are great. :)
October 29, 2008 at 11:06 AM
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