Sunday, July 29, 2007
Mid-Summer Sea Kayaking
Somehow July blasted by us with hardly a passing glance. I suppose that Megan having a baby didn't help. Luckily she's one of those women that can't be slowed down, she was back in charge after only a few days. Little Tashi seems to like being strapped to her chest here in the store.
Although we had a little burp in the weather last week, it's been sunny and warm ever since. Kayaking out at Deception Pass has been awesome. On calm days we've been able to explore the caves up towards Sares Head. You can actually get a sea kayak all the way into these things and gaze up at the sea life that encrusts the walls and ceilings. Our kayak tours out at Cypress Island, and Burrows Island have been reporting on the growth of the newborn seal pups. It's amazing how fast they fatten up. I guess if you only have one month to nurse on mother's milk then you'd better make it count.
The lazy days of August are just around the corner. It's great to be here in the San Juan Islands!
Although we had a little burp in the weather last week, it's been sunny and warm ever since. Kayaking out at Deception Pass has been awesome. On calm days we've been able to explore the caves up towards Sares Head. You can actually get a sea kayak all the way into these things and gaze up at the sea life that encrusts the walls and ceilings. Our kayak tours out at Cypress Island, and Burrows Island have been reporting on the growth of the newborn seal pups. It's amazing how fast they fatten up. I guess if you only have one month to nurse on mother's milk then you'd better make it count.
The lazy days of August are just around the corner. It's great to be here in the San Juan Islands!
Thursday, July 19, 2007
Kayaking in the Rain?
Oddly enough, it's been rather soggy over the last few days. July is usually one of the driest months of the year, but a typhoon in Japan seems to be affecting us all the way over here.
We've been fielding a lot of questions about whether we still go sea kayaking in the rain. The answer is an emphatic "Yes!"
We would never think of canceling a kayak tour under such beautiful conditions. The still air, the calm waters, misty fog in the trees, not to mention the great feeling of satisfaction that everyone gets for "braving" the elements.
Our longtime guide Mira Lutz emailed us her thoughts on yesterday's trip:
Sufficiently clad against the damp and tucked into our cozy cockpits, we set the bows of our kayaks toward Burrows Island. Pausing at the mouth of the marina, we take in our surroundings. We sit suspended between silver sky and emerald sea, cradled amidst forested islands on all sides. Mist clings to the tree tops, bathing the slopes of Fidalgo Island to the south, and obscuring Fidalgo Head from sight. Clouds condense, empty their burdens, and move over the water in their ancient, cyclic dance. There is silence but for the soft sprinkle and occasional splash of rhinocerous auklets diving to fill their beaks with fish. Reverence: the only word to describe the mixture of awe and gratitude for this wonderland in our backyard, and the secret of sea kayaking on a day when most outdoor enthusiasts are hiding indoors. My guests today are from Phoenix and marvel at the climate contrast, and especially the quiet. The eagles, porpoises, seals, and coyote we are to meet along the way pay no heed to the gentle rain, why should we? Together, we have the eastern San Juan Islands to ourselves. A harbor seal rises to wonder at these guests in her domain as we cut the glassy surface on our way toward the island with mist on our eyelashes and excitement in our hearts.
Ear-to-ear smiles after the kayak trip let me know that these visitors now understand the secret of taking full advantage of a quintessential Pacific Northwest day!
We've been fielding a lot of questions about whether we still go sea kayaking in the rain. The answer is an emphatic "Yes!"
We would never think of canceling a kayak tour under such beautiful conditions. The still air, the calm waters, misty fog in the trees, not to mention the great feeling of satisfaction that everyone gets for "braving" the elements.
Our longtime guide Mira Lutz emailed us her thoughts on yesterday's trip:
Sufficiently clad against the damp and tucked into our cozy cockpits, we set the bows of our kayaks toward Burrows Island. Pausing at the mouth of the marina, we take in our surroundings. We sit suspended between silver sky and emerald sea, cradled amidst forested islands on all sides. Mist clings to the tree tops, bathing the slopes of Fidalgo Island to the south, and obscuring Fidalgo Head from sight. Clouds condense, empty their burdens, and move over the water in their ancient, cyclic dance. There is silence but for the soft sprinkle and occasional splash of rhinocerous auklets diving to fill their beaks with fish. Reverence: the only word to describe the mixture of awe and gratitude for this wonderland in our backyard, and the secret of sea kayaking on a day when most outdoor enthusiasts are hiding indoors. My guests today are from Phoenix and marvel at the climate contrast, and especially the quiet. The eagles, porpoises, seals, and coyote we are to meet along the way pay no heed to the gentle rain, why should we? Together, we have the eastern San Juan Islands to ourselves. A harbor seal rises to wonder at these guests in her domain as we cut the glassy surface on our way toward the island with mist on our eyelashes and excitement in our hearts.
Ear-to-ear smiles after the kayak trip let me know that these visitors now understand the secret of taking full advantage of a quintessential Pacific Northwest day!
Saturday, July 14, 2007
Sea Kayaking with Orca Whales......again.
The fun never ceases here at Anacortes Kayak Tours. We've had Orca whales here in Rosario Strait so many times over the last few weeks, I'm beginning to lose track of the sightings. Today was an incredible day as both our Multi-day Kayaking trips and our Outer Islands trips were graced with the presence of J-pod out near Cypress Island. It was an unusual sighting as well. The whales were coming down from Lummi Island, a common route for them to take, and when they reached Bellingham Channel they were hit by the full force of the flood tide. So they did what any smart whale would do when faced with the prospect of an "uphill" swim against the current, they took a nap. When Orca whales "sleep" they gather up quite closely and begin a series of rhythmic breathing patterns, moving slowly forward.
Monica called in from the campsite on Pelican Beach and told me that they were kayaking out in the Cone Islands when the whales came through. She said that all of her guests got a great look at all of the animals. When Freddie's Outer Islands trip came in I could see in everyone's faces that they had an incredible encounter. From their reports, the whales came right into Eagle Harbor on Cypress Island. If they hadn't respectfully paddled out of the way the whales would have apparently swam right under the kayaks. I was pleased to hear that Freddie was following the Best Practices Guidelines that have been developed over the years by the Whale Watch Association Northwest, a great organization of whale watching companies that we belong to. Resting whales should always be given a lot of room, even kayakers can possibly disturb them and so we always take the responsible approach and get out of the way.
I was told that the Island Adventures whale watch boat may have taken some nice photos of Freddie's encounter. I'll post them tomorrow, hopefully.
Apparently the whales were heading back north at the end of the day. We may get to see them again tomorrow!
In other news, our new baby Tashi is doing well. He's an great sleeper, and an incredible eater, which of course means.....lots of diapers.
Monica called in from the campsite on Pelican Beach and told me that they were kayaking out in the Cone Islands when the whales came through. She said that all of her guests got a great look at all of the animals. When Freddie's Outer Islands trip came in I could see in everyone's faces that they had an incredible encounter. From their reports, the whales came right into Eagle Harbor on Cypress Island. If they hadn't respectfully paddled out of the way the whales would have apparently swam right under the kayaks. I was pleased to hear that Freddie was following the Best Practices Guidelines that have been developed over the years by the Whale Watch Association Northwest, a great organization of whale watching companies that we belong to. Resting whales should always be given a lot of room, even kayakers can possibly disturb them and so we always take the responsible approach and get out of the way.
I was told that the Island Adventures whale watch boat may have taken some nice photos of Freddie's encounter. I'll post them tomorrow, hopefully.
Apparently the whales were heading back north at the end of the day. We may get to see them again tomorrow!
In other news, our new baby Tashi is doing well. He's an great sleeper, and an incredible eater, which of course means.....lots of diapers.
Tuesday, July 10, 2007
Introducing our newest kayak "guide-in-training"
He's finally here! After nine months of waiting, dreaming, and speculating, Megan gave birth to an 8 pound 4 ounce baby boy. We've named him Tashi, the Tibetan/Sherpa word for "lucky", or "good luck". Ironically he came into our lives on 07/07/07, an auspicious day if there ever was one.
It won't be long before he and his older brother will be leading kayak tours out here in the San Juan Islands.
In other news, the sea kayaking has been phenomenal this last week. We've had some pretty interesting seal encounters, and Julia had a great porpoise experience out at Burrows Island a couple of days ago. Yesterday south Rosario Strait, and the west shore of Burrows Island, was thick with Orca whales. K-Pod and L-pod came in from out by San Juan and Lopez Island and spread out across the entire area. L-pod actually continued north up Rosario Strait where they joined up with our other Resident whale family, J-pod. North bound orca whales in Rosario Strait is an uncommon event to witness. Today those same whales came right back down the strait, I saw them today as they swam right offshore of the Burrows Island lighthouse.
It's gorgeous weather right now, not a cloud in the sky and over 80 degrees air temperature. Perfect conditions for sea kayaking in the San Juan Islands!
Thursday, July 05, 2007
Independence Day Sea Kayaking
Wow, has it been nice out here! The sunscreen came out yesterday as we enjoyed the Fourth of July celebrations under clear and sunny skies. I've lived here my whole life and I can probably count on one hand the number of Independence Days that it did not rain. We actually joke about how summer begins on July 5th.
We've been kayaking all over the place this week. Jeff Hoeben has a group up at Sucia Island on a 5 day expedition. Todd has been sea kayaking around Cypress Island with some great folks over the last 3 days. Our Outer Islands trips have been going out every day, and our ever popular Burrows Island trips and Deception Pass kayaking tours have been filling up every day.Loads of seals are now being seen on nearly every kayak tour. The pups are so much fun to observe as they follow their mothers around.
All three pods of Orca whales finally got together in a "Superpod" celebration last night. It was the first time that this remarkable event has happened this year. Loads of breaching, lob-tailing, and general revelry. The summers are an incredibly important time for these whales to reinforce their social bonds, mate, feed, and teach their babies about how to succeed in their world. We are fortunate to be able to see these iconic creatures and be able to sneak a peek into their mysterious lives. The Superpod occured way up north in the Strait of Georgia. The whales stayed up there all afternoon and then came down Rosario Strait in the evening. I'm still waiting to hear from our multi-day kayaking trip that was up on Cypress last night, it's likely that they saw them. The whales were just off of Burrows Island at sunset.
In other news, this will probably be the last post for a few days. The next time that we post a report we'll most likely be the proud parents of another baby boy! Megan is due on Saturday morning. Keep an eye on this page, we'll post pictures as soon as we can.
