Sunday, December 03, 2006

November 29 and 30, 2006






















I headed to Moss Landing this morning with the hopes of paddling on Elkhorn Slough. Just not meant to be I guess. First, it was low tide, 2nd, an early morning wind was already kicking and lastly, the water was so stirred up from the front, it was silty, which defeated the purpose.
No one to blame but myself. Had the best of all worlds on the southerly trip, yet I passed on every opportunity to launch. And so it goes.
I parked at the west side of the north harbor, brewed coffee and took in the wildlife. I could not believe the number of otter that was gathered in the north harbor. I made a binoc count of 52!, and there were still more moving in! Incredible. Further north of them the seals lay out in the sun. I cruised to the south harbor and stopped to watch an otter incessantly rolling in the water. A wildlife rescue officer stopped and asked if it were I who called in the report of it being in the road. Nope, and never saw it in the road. She explained this otter is the local ham, has been around for the last 15 years and is good for at least calls a day. She said that most post cards that feature a sea otter, he is the star. She said the rolling is for aeriating their fur.
I continued north to Santa Cruz, exploring the coast west of Watsonville on the way.
The Bay was just as silted and rough in Santa Cruz, and it seemed that Monterey would prove to be my last put-in. Went to light house point to do another search for the 2nd dead man's chest cache. After a good 30 minutes of fruitless search, I went back to the van and read the recent cache logs to see if someone may have spilled the beans. Nope, but one log mentioned the fact of realizing the leafless bushes they had been busting through in their search were in fact poison oak! Yep, sure enough! So, I called it a day early, and headed to New Brighton to take a dawn shower.
My thoughts by now were leaning towards the tasks at hand back home, and I knew it was that time of the trip :(.
After a great meal and fire, an early night, with travel tommorow.
November 30.
A early rise and on the road. I went up hwy 9, through Felton, Boulder Creek and then North on Skyline, taking in a few caches, and many stops on the way. I really need to take a day or two to travel Skyline. So many hikes and places to explore up here. Course, they had just discovered a couple who went out for an afternoon hike and spent 5 nights lost up here...

Anyways. A really great trip. Next time, There won't be a "travel day" to get back home....

No comments: