Liquid Fusion Kayaking

Talk of El Nino brings numerous speculations to the California Coast. Will we get a rainy winter?

Yesterday, we had the first rain of the season on the Mendocino Coast. It started just as we were getting ready to launch. It sprinkled then showered, and we commented that it might settle the dust. Moments later, it began to rain.

Excitement built throughout the afternoon paddle. The rain was warm and hope of a good winter warmed us further. In Mendocino County, rain means wild mushrooms and whitewater river kayaking.

Stay posted as we hope to be enjoying both mushrooms and whitewater this fall and winter. Our Mushroom Kayak Tour was mentioned in Oprah’s magazine in a feature article about food festivals. And yes, we will be venturing off of the coast this winter to paddle the whitewater creeks and rivers of Mendocino County.

Sooner or later . . . it was going to happen. BASH!

Brindle’s Bash is one of our favorite rock gardening features on the Mendocino Coast. As our typical NW swell wraps around the north point of Noyo Bay it hugs the shoreline and creates a very fun whitewater ride over a bedrock outcropping along the north side of the bay. On some tides and swells, the wave and whitewater ends with a spectacular bash on the rocky cliff.

The Bash is very spectacular – representing an explosion of whitewater hitting the rock and shooting away from the rock. “Waaaabooof and splash” is the sound that it makes (I must get some video to help with my description). Dramatic effect is very evident in this feature.

This year we have run it hundreds of times in both our whitewater and sea kayaks as well as coached our students in running it. On a high tide, Jeff has been riding the swell clear up above the bash and then sliding down with the spray of bash behind him. In skateboarding terms, it is kind of like doing a kick turn on the top of a half pipe.

My strategy has been to ride the feature with a low brace turn away from the bash letting the spray from the bash rain on me. Lately I have been taking bigger and bigger and bigger rides the ones that inevitably sweep the paddler into the bash.

Now the story of my bash . . .

It was a warm, sunny day on the Mendocino Coast – too perfect of a day not to be on the water. My friend Kim was visiting from San Diego and we were playing and exploring in the Noyo Bay and around the Fort Bragg Coastline. I had just finished explaining Brindle’s Bash and saw a nice swell on the horizon. I quickly excused myself and paddled around to get into position. It was a good size wave but no bigger than many that I have taken. I took a couple of forward strokes as the wave built behind me and was instantly elevated about 6 feet and swept over the rock in a rush of whitewater. I don’t know if the swell was bigger than I had anticipated or just what happened but I was being hurled directly at the bash with none of my usual low brace exit maneuvering.

Bashing was inevitable so I purposely capsized my kayak so that the bottom of the boat and not me would take the bashing. The pillow of water in the bash prevented collision with boat and rock; although, Kim reports that there was quite the dramatic “Waaabooof” sound of water hitting the rocks. I of course did not hear this as I was underwater in the swirling whitewater timing my roll.

Sorry to report for those who were hoping to hear of more significant carnage – I made my roll and my little mermaid boat and I were just fine but with a story to tell. Wheeeeeew!

Kim tells me that it definitely had entertainment value. Too bad she didn’t have the camera.

Sea kayaking on the Mendocino Coast is never complete with out some rock garden play and the Noyo Bay in Fort Bragg is one of our favorite play spots.

I was injured for over 6 months last year and couldn’t play . . . so now I am making up for lost time.

This week we were sharing a few rides with Chris and Hawk from Humboats . . .

How do you like dem apples?

If you stopped by our Fort Bragg location at Dolphin Isle this week, you are likely to see “We are out on the Water” posted on our gate.

WOW!!! We have been having the best stretch of weather and some of the nicest people to share it with . Sunshine, new birds, lots of active wildlife, glassy waters . . . makes kayaking on the Mendocino Coast all the sweeter.

Birds as usual are on my brain as I admire the gull chicks growing big on “First Rock” in Noyo Bay, the black turnstones on the shoreline, common loons swimming about with their heads tucked under the surface. The osprey have probably been a highlight for many of our guests. We watch and as they hover and then dive for a fish. After bringing it up, they shake their feathers out and circle before heading to their perch or nest.

My highlight has been seeing oystercatcher chicks. These guys are so well camouflaged that we rarely see them. Can you see the chick in this photo? If so, sign in and leave us a comment.

Kelp forests and kelp horns, jelly fish, sea urchins, sea stars, and sea caves have dazzled us all on our coastal paddles. Yes, we are back to our antics of making kelp horns. I share my french horn lessons from elementary school with the recipients of my kelp horns . . . make a tight embouchure to produce a clear sound.

Jeff and I have enjoyed sharing kayak adventures with families and friends from near and far. Jeff enjoyed a super fun tour of Caspar Bay with Michael who lives in Caspar and wanted to kayak in Caspar Bay for his 65th Birthday. We have had numerous local friends kayaking with us as well as some passing through. Some whitewater paddling friends from San Diego joined us for a rock gardening session this week that was definitely on the WILD side.

If you are perusing our blog, I hope that you are enjoying our posts and having as amazing a summer as we are. Leave us a comment if you can see the oystercatcher chick.

It has been sunny and warm on the Mendocino Coast with very calm, glassy ocean conditions. Yesterday, our day started with a WILD rock gardening session with some experienced whitewater kayakers, proceeded to a sea kayak coastal exploration, and wrapped up with a mild Noyo Meander (of course followed by a trip to North Coast Brewery).

Seeking whitewater with experience whitewater paddlers in calm conditions sent us to one of the outside reefs where it was anything but calm . . . Definitely WILD!!! I dropped an “F” Bomb going over one of the 12 foot drops when I saw the gigantic hole below. The mermaid boat submerged and flipped . . . but the mermaid in the boat was calm and cool (cold water helps with that) and rolled up.

In the afternoon, we toured in tandem sea kayaks the Noyo Bay and Fort Bragg Coastline. I was excited to have a 13 year old young lady paddling with me while her family waived to us from shore. We saw some amazing jelly fish and enjoyed the sunshine, wildlife, and meandering along the coast and checking out a couple of sea caves.

In the evening, I enjoyed the company of a family from Sacramento for a meandering paddle on the Noyo River. We enjoyed spectacular displays of marine mammals including a pair of sea lion pups jumping clear out of the water in unison. My streak for daily sitings of the river otters is continuing and my guests have been treated to displays of their quirky behaviors.

Ahhhh . . . I am enjoying a few minutes in the office this morning uploading photos and attending to communications but am looking forward to another afternoon of sea kayaking and wildlife watching on the Mendocino Coast (paddling paradise in my opinion).

August is an exciting and busy month for us on the Mendocino Coast and beyond. We have lots of adventures planned to share our passion for kayaking and the natural world. In Fort Bragg, we are continuing to make improvements to our Dolphin Isle Location. Check out my wildlife fact photo cards on the deck.

And Eric’s gate.

We have some exciting custom adventures planned this month. Saturday, we had an all day coastal exploration of the Fort Bragg Coastline. The group explored sea caves in tandem sea kayaks and meandered among the rocky channels leading up to Glass Beach. Of course a lunch break at Glass Beach was in store with beachcombing for shells and sea glass.

We are also excited about guiding a special wet and wild kayaking birthday celebration for some friends in Caspar.

Beyond the Mendocino Coast, we are preparing to present at the Bay Area Sea Kayakers’ August general meeting, and Jeff is preparing for a week of kayaking instruction and fun at the Lower Columbia Kayak Round-up.

As we get our ducks in a row for a busy month, our mother ducks on the Noyo River continue to line up their little ones. The number of ducklings on the Noyo River has been amazing this year with many late hatchlings. Today we saw another brand new set of mallard ducklings. They are sooo fuzzy and cute. It is neat to see them in all stages of their development. This is the proud new mamma getting all of her little ducks in a row.

In my last blog, I mentioned the shyness of our river otters. Ha! – they beg to differ with that comment and have been quite present lately. The kits have been playing around quite a bit – but definitely not in a row. I actually got a few photos of them.

Yesterday, Aften (my red doberman) went for her first paddle. Aften is not a “water dog” and is definitely not fond of swimming so we have been waiting for the right moment to try her out in the kayak. It seems to have gone well. She was interested in the birds and wildlife on the Noyo River as well as chilling out. Definitely a girl after my own heart.

Often people will compare one of our Mendocino Coast kayaking experiences to Disneyland. Lately Sea World has been the comparison. The herring and sardines are running on the Noyo River, and we are enjoying spectacular wildlife displays. Our visitors are also enjoying an escape from the fog as our Noyo River location is outside of the fog belt. This afternoon, we enjoyed a journey up the river wearing t-shirts.
Both the harbor seals and sea lions have been actively schooling fish on the river. It is pretty awesome to see the sea lions as they porpoise about in the river chasing the fish. The harbor seals are a bit more subdued by equally enjoyable. Jeff and I enjoyed our dinner one evening on the deck watching the show. Here the team from Visit Mendocino County checking out the wildlife from our deck.

Yesterday, the osprey who likes to perch in the Eucalyptus by our deck was 3 for 3 in diving for fish. I saw a different osprey snatch 2 fish from the river in one dive. This evening, a juvenile loon was enjoying some fishing time on the river. The great egrets must have heard about the plethora of fish on the Noyo as they have shown up this week. Jeff saw 4 of them this afternoon on the river.

The merganser ducklings are growing fast and the older set is just about the same size as their mother. We have several sets of late mallard ducklings that are so cute and fuzzy. The new gull chicks are starting to stretch out their wings, and we expect them to be fledging soon. It is amazing how fast they grow and develop, but they are still so far from reaching adulthood.

My odd duck – the harlequin- continues to hang around. We suspect that he is an old bird who has enjoyed wintering on the Noyo and now has selected it as his retirement community. Birders and wildlife enthusiasts continue to enjoy his presence. The mallard drakes don’t appear to mind his company either.

Our otters continue to be on the shy side. I regularly see them but they are elusive to many of our guests. Perhaps they have gotten to know me and pop up to say hi but are still wary of many people as a survival skill from years ago when they were hunted. Did you know that a group of otters is called a romp? Seems fitting.

The new born fawns have not been shy and seem quite curious about us as we quietly float by.

It has been really fun to share these wildlife experiences with all ages and many first time paddlers. Kayaking has its roots in hunting wildlife, today we are using it as a vehicle to appreciate it.

Yes, I continue to have birds on the brain. Yesterday, I was admiring the cormorant chicks at the Point Cabrillo Lighthouse after helping with the Point Cabrillo Breeding Birds Survey then I went to write my woman on water blog which ended up being a banter about birds. Yesterday afternoon, I was bringing gear off of the line in our back yard, and Osprey flew over me at low altitude (about 25 feet) with a nice size salmon in her talons. I was hoping for a dropsy but no such luck. I hope that she enjoyed her salmon dinner.

Prior to meeting my guests for a Sunset Bird Paddle, I warmed up on the Noyo with my greenland paddle and found myself birding again. I was stoked to have a few moments with my camera and am excited to share my shots with you. Yes, I photographed the male harlequin again and got a couple of great shots of a handsome great blue heron in breeding plummage.My favorite photo though is of the merganser and her ducklings – in this photo one was riding on mom’s back.

The swallows have been very active feeding and chittering away along the river. I had several great viewings of 3 barn swallows – close enough to see the irridescence shimmer in their blue feathers. There are a bunch of violet green swallows swooping about but elluding my camera.

And of course the mamma mallards had to parade their little ones around the marina just before we launched on our sunset bird paddle. They brought them past us in the water and then for a walk on a log floating next to the dock.

Who knows what we will see next.

Paddle, paddle, paddle . . . I started to write my blog about a week full of paddling and ended up with more bird banter than paddle prose. Oh well, nevermymind . . . check back soon for a paddling update or take a gander at our photo gallery to see our paddling adventures.

This week, we have seen lots of great wildlife including lots of babies. On the Noyo River, the mother merganser duck and her tribe are probably my favorite, and I haven’t gotten a photo of them yet. I love the way her ducklings take turns riding on her back. The violet green swallows have been swoooping through the air eating insects and appear to have a nest in one of the pilings by our boat slip. We have seen the osprey snag fish, and the acorn woodpeckers continuing to work on their granary. Many of the black crowned night herons are in their breeding plummage, and the juveniles are just as goofy as ever.

The air around the Noyo River is filled with the melodies of happy song birds. I was really stoked to see a Western Tanager with his brilliant colors shimmering in the sun. I have been regularly hearing the black headed grosbeak and have had a couple of sightings of him. We sighted an odd duck on the river that we still need to identify. Last night when we were hiking, we saw her with ducklings on a lagoon near the river. At first we were hopeful that maybe our beloved odd duck the Harlequin had found a lady friend, but it doesn’t appear so.

Regarding the mammals on the river, we are still watching for fawns to start appearing. There is a baby sea lion traveling about these days. He looks like a skinny teenager who hasn’t grown into his body yet. We have seen some harbor seals courting and the river otters frolicing about.

I often feel as though I am immersed in a National Geographic episode but even better as there is no script.