Kayaking Monterey
A couple of weeks ago the kayak guy and I loaded the boats onto the Ultimate Driving machine and headed down the coast to Monterey for a couple days of paddling. We hit Monterey about 11:00 and quickly headed up to the city campground to grab a camping spot for the night. I was pleased to see the small campground was actually very nice, good tenting spots, clean bathrooms. It was then time for lunch at Ocean Sushi where we enjoyed yummy dishes of rice, miso, and ahi tuna.
Finally we headed down to the waterfront to put the boats in. The beach alongside Fisherman's Wharf provides a good spot to launch into the harbor. There are always lots of other boats going in and out of the harbor so you have to keep a sharp lookout for fishing boats, sail boats, other kayaks and the numerous sea lions. The sea lions are absolutely huge and loads of them pile onto the breakwater causing quite a ruckus.
Once out of the harbor we headed down past the main town of Monterey. Seeing the city from the waterfront you get a much better idea of how the canneries dominate than you do from walking through town. I could imagine the ships coming in and everyone rushing down from the hills to meet them. As we paddled through the kelp beds some harbor seals followed along and frequently poked their heads up right next to the kayak. We also saw quite a few otter lying on and swimming around the kelp. They're much easier to see when you're down on their level. all the usual seabirds were about - pelicans, cormorants, terns, some sort of murrelet. Also a great number of large jellyfish. The scientists say the ailing seas are causing an population explosion in the number of jellyfish around the world.
We paddled down past the aquarium and around a small point to a landing beach in Pacific
Grove. The swells of the sea always make me feel just a little bit seasick so I was glad for a rest. The paddle back was fast as we were helped along by the current. I was paddling a Sea Yak, a boat I really liked. It fits me well, has convenient hatches and a rudder which I don't usually use but it is useful when the boat is being pushed around by wind and waves. We were able to wash all the gear off at Monterey Bay Kayak before loading it into the car. After a welcome hot shower, a quick meal at the Crown and Anchor we headed back to the campground for an early bedtime.
The following morning we ambled around Monterey for a few hours before driving up to the wetlands at Elkhorn Slough. It's always a longer drive than I think it should be from Highway 1 into the Slough and so it was again. Eventually we reached the turnoff for Kirby Park where we would put the kayaks in. As we were unloading we met a couple other paddlers finishing their journey who reported they had headed inward and not seen anything of real interest. So we
decided to head out toward the mouth hoping for better luck. Paddling Elkhorn Slough lives up to it's billing. The the long grasses of the marsh areas are home to many wetland birds. The hills rising toward the inland sign are a beautiful mix of greenery. Once in a while a freight train passes. The otter and seals frolic near your boat. We explored a few of the small water paths going through the marsh which provided a good opportunity for practicing leaning turns. None of the paths we chose went very far so mostly we followed the main channel toward the sea. We were heading into the wind much of the way so it was a fairly strenuous paddle. Other boaters who had rented boats by the ocean side and paddled in were struggling to get back.
Near the mouth we stopped on a rock for a quick picnic lunch and much needed rest. The paddling back was quite a bit easier and we again ventured into some of the smaller channels only to get stuck in the weeds. It was late afternoon when we got back to
Kirby Park. To avoid the nightmare of Bay Area traffic we stopped in Half Moon Bay for dinner before returning to Oakland. Arriving after dark it was too late to wash the kayaks so we had to return to the kayak shop the following day to rinse off all the remnants of our journey. The Ultimate Driving Machine was also quite filthy from the excursion so it got a good cleaning too.
The areas around Monterey are certainly great for paddling. I find narrow channels such as Elkhorn Slough more interesting paddling than along the open coast where there is a certain sameness to it all. Every paddling situation is also an opportunity to learn more about how to handle the kayak. So in addition to good company, great wildlife viewing it was an excellent couple of days to build kayaking skills.
Finally we headed down to the waterfront to put the boats in. The beach alongside Fisherman's Wharf provides a good spot to launch into the harbor. There are always lots of other boats going in and out of the harbor so you have to keep a sharp lookout for fishing boats, sail boats, other kayaks and the numerous sea lions. The sea lions are absolutely huge and loads of them pile onto the breakwater causing quite a ruckus.
Once out of the harbor we headed down past the main town of Monterey. Seeing the city from the waterfront you get a much better idea of how the canneries dominate than you do from walking through town. I could imagine the ships coming in and everyone rushing down from the hills to meet them. As we paddled through the kelp beds some harbor seals followed along and frequently poked their heads up right next to the kayak. We also saw quite a few otter lying on and swimming around the kelp. They're much easier to see when you're down on their level. all the usual seabirds were about - pelicans, cormorants, terns, some sort of murrelet. Also a great number of large jellyfish. The scientists say the ailing seas are causing an population explosion in the number of jellyfish around the world.We paddled down past the aquarium and around a small point to a landing beach in Pacific
Grove. The swells of the sea always make me feel just a little bit seasick so I was glad for a rest. The paddle back was fast as we were helped along by the current. I was paddling a Sea Yak, a boat I really liked. It fits me well, has convenient hatches and a rudder which I don't usually use but it is useful when the boat is being pushed around by wind and waves. We were able to wash all the gear off at Monterey Bay Kayak before loading it into the car. After a welcome hot shower, a quick meal at the Crown and Anchor we headed back to the campground for an early bedtime.The following morning we ambled around Monterey for a few hours before driving up to the wetlands at Elkhorn Slough. It's always a longer drive than I think it should be from Highway 1 into the Slough and so it was again. Eventually we reached the turnoff for Kirby Park where we would put the kayaks in. As we were unloading we met a couple other paddlers finishing their journey who reported they had headed inward and not seen anything of real interest. So we
decided to head out toward the mouth hoping for better luck. Paddling Elkhorn Slough lives up to it's billing. The the long grasses of the marsh areas are home to many wetland birds. The hills rising toward the inland sign are a beautiful mix of greenery. Once in a while a freight train passes. The otter and seals frolic near your boat. We explored a few of the small water paths going through the marsh which provided a good opportunity for practicing leaning turns. None of the paths we chose went very far so mostly we followed the main channel toward the sea. We were heading into the wind much of the way so it was a fairly strenuous paddle. Other boaters who had rented boats by the ocean side and paddled in were struggling to get back.Near the mouth we stopped on a rock for a quick picnic lunch and much needed rest. The paddling back was quite a bit easier and we again ventured into some of the smaller channels only to get stuck in the weeds. It was late afternoon when we got back to
Kirby Park. To avoid the nightmare of Bay Area traffic we stopped in Half Moon Bay for dinner before returning to Oakland. Arriving after dark it was too late to wash the kayaks so we had to return to the kayak shop the following day to rinse off all the remnants of our journey. The Ultimate Driving Machine was also quite filthy from the excursion so it got a good cleaning too.The areas around Monterey are certainly great for paddling. I find narrow channels such as Elkhorn Slough more interesting paddling than along the open coast where there is a certain sameness to it all. Every paddling situation is also an opportunity to learn more about how to handle the kayak. So in addition to good company, great wildlife viewing it was an excellent couple of days to build kayaking skills.
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