Seas and ponds

All on the same long weekend, I got to go sea kayaking with Sarah and quasi-hiking with Kristin. Does it really count as a hike if the trail is paved? Methinks not. But it was a pretty little stroll nonetheless.

First, the kayaking. Friday before Labor Day was a bit chilly and drizzly, but we stayed pretty warm once we were snugly tucked into our spray skirts and our life jackets, and exercising our arms.



We drove up to Anacortes, caught a water taxi to Cypress Island, and then paddled around the eastern side of Cypress Island. No orca sightings, but we did see several bald eagles, some sea stars (including a sunflower sea star with 20+ legs), some other birds whose name I've forgotten (Sarah, help!), harbor seals, and a glimpse of a harbor porpoise.



We paddled for a couple of hours and then beached for lunch in Eagle Harbor:



Another hour or so of paddling south brought us to Cypress Head, where the water taxi picked us up just as the clouds started to clear.



Then on Monday (a day graced by a bit more sunshine) Kristin and I drove east on I-90 to walk around Gold Creek Pond. It used to be a quarry, and now it's a serene little pool perfect for an afternoon stroll. We were a little perturbed upon arriving at the parking lot and seeing two trucks which had apparently parked there overnight (a nearby trail apparently went further into the mountains) and had their windows broken, glass fragments still strewn about the area. What a crappy thing to return to after a backpacking trip...But it was a lovely walk, and we returned to find Kristin's car intact.