Adventures Through Kayaking

On Sunday morning Mom and I got up early and started the day at the Olympic Bagel Company for an incredible choice of bagels and cream cheese to start our day. We then headed to Adventures Through Kayaking. Mom and I signed up for a half-day of guided kayaking in Freshwater Bay (which was actually salt water in the Straits of Juan de Fuca). Besides the guide, it was just me, Mom, and a father-son combo. The father and son had lots of experience in kayaking. Mom and I had none. They gave Mom and me a tandem kayak to use, outfitted us in wetsuits, and taught us a couple of strokes. We had a fantastic time and quickly picked up on the kayaking coordination (our guide told us he'd never seen novice tandem kayakers work together so well.) As soon as we got on the water we spotted bald eagles in the trees. Then we saw something amazing: two eagles flying in the air, chasing each other, right over our heads. Really, really cool view of the eagles. We saw more eagles in trees and at the end of the day we saw two other eagles (different ones, these were brownish juveniles) flying around again. Our guide said it was extremely unusual to see so many bald eagles, he counts himself lucky if he sees 1 on a trip. On our trip we also saw beautiful iridescent seaweed, a variety of kelp, sea anemones (my Mom touched one, she's gross and brave), and dozens of starfish. These are amazing starfish that look fake and as though they belong in a Disney movie. It was a really awesome first kayaking experience. I can't wait to go again.

And, after our trip, we found it very convenient that a wine tasting room was connected to the kayaking company. We sampled four or five wines, Mom bought a bottle, and we headed back to the Olympic Bagel Company for lunch. (They should stick with bagels, their sandwiches were not as good.) Stay tuned for the next post describing our Sunday afternoon at Hurricane Ridge...