Kayaking in Skagit Bay

Robb turned 29 this month. (Don't tell him I told you. He doesn't like that. It means he's even closer to 30. He's been worried about being 30 for like 7 years.) So this was the last birthday in his 20s and I wanted to make it extra special. I was trying to figure out what we could do and I thought I need to take him kayaking. All he's talked about since moving here (well actually he was anticipating this the day we decided to move to Washington) is going kayaking. And we've been here for a year and while I got to go kayaking with my Mom, Robb had never been. So I started looking up kayaking day trips close by. I found one that was scheduled for only a week before his birthday and it even included birding. For those of you that don't know, Robb has become quite the bird enthusiast. We have a book on Washington birds and several bird feeders in our yard. So this kayaking/birding trip looked perfect for Robb's birthday celebration!

So I only told Robb that I had a surprise for him and he needed to take that day off. The night before the trip I presented him with a waterproof camera and a synthetic quick-drying shirt to get prepared. He was very excited to go kayaking and we couldn't wait for the next day!

We got up early on Kayaking Day and drove north of Seattle to LaConner, Washington. This was the cutest little coastal town! It's definitly a tourist destination (in the spring the town is surrounded by tulips), but it still felt like a real town with its own local personality. After the kayking we were able to walk around town and pop into a few local shops. We'd like to go back one day around tulip time and also try some of the restaurants. (And notice the salmon shaped bridge that was in town -- super cute!)

We met for the kayaking trip under the Rainbow Bridge. (That's us in front of the Rainbow Bridge which was actually just orange.) It was a small group, 6 people total including our guide. The weather was cool in the upper 50s, but it was sunny and we had dressed appropriately.

The bad parts of the trip: There were not very many birds and the guide didn't seem interested in stopping to look at the birds we did spot. Additionally, while the guide was nice, he didn't seem interested in teaching us how to kayak or even basic safety skills. We often would be behind the rest of the group (or get stuck on a rock) and our guide never looked back to see if his group was with him.

The good parts of the trip: We stopped at an island for lunch and to wait for the tide and we got to explore. There was some type of predator on that island because we found interesting feather/bird remains. While kayaking we saw a few bald eagles flying overhead. We saw some herons and kingfishers (a type of bird for you non-bird-savvy types.) We spotted a raccoon along the edge of an island (aren't they supposed to be nocturnal?). And we saw tons of sea lions swimming in the water. It was fun to spot a sea lion's head bobbing along. We also kayaked along LaConner. It was fun to kayak along town and wave to people and go under footbridges and see town from a different perspective.

And Robb and I had a good time kayaking. He loved the sport as much as he imagined he would. We worked fairly well together as a team. And it was great, as always, to get out and try something new, do it together, and experience Washington in an athletic way.

Of course, kayaks cost like $3000. So I am now taking donations so that you can feel that you're part of the Robb and Katherine Kayak Washington team! We'll make up t-shirts to send to contributors.