Hope you aren’t tired of pictures of Crescent Beach. Here are a few from the opposite side: from the water. Father’s Day was one of those opportunities when the sun came out, the yard work was well, not done, but enough for now, and hey - it was Father’s Day - time to take time to do something fun. For us, that means getting in kayaks or on surfboards.
We chose Crescent Beach because it offers options: a lot of sand for picnics, rocky tidepools for exploring, sometimes quiet waters for paddling, other times high waves for surfing, and always scenic beauty. The gray whales hang out nearby for several months out of the year, and we thought there might still be a chance to see them. Nothing like the smell of whale breath and knowing they could be anywhere beneath you to make you feel small! (No such luck today.)
Still a gorgeous day, however, with the water and sky of varying shades of deep green to blue, lots of reflections, and initially calm enough to take an underwater picture of kelp. As the wind came up, we kept an eye to the weather blowing in from west. The water turned a bit choppy with the incoming swell bouncing off the nearby cliffs.
No matter how often we paddle these waters, we always see something new: today, an interesting sea cave on the cliffs, almost perfectly round. We could not get close enough to look inside; too many jagged rocks guarding the shore. We did get close enough to see hundreds of white-winged scoters. If you look closely at the cliffs, you can see them sitting on little rocky ledges (you will have to click on the pictures to get a closer look). We thought they could be nesting, and because several of them tried to chase us off, we left.
The Olympic Mountains were spectacular from the water side - and not everyone gets to see Turtle Island from this angle. (Please excuse the water droplets on my camera case; by this time, the water was a little rough, so most of my pictures were at weird angles and blurry!) The tide was coming in quickly now, and the waves were picking up, so we had the chance to play in the waves and do a little kayak surfing on our way in. No pictures here - had to focus on staying upright!
It gave me a chance to test out my Pygmy kayak in the surf. I am a little over 5′ high and just over 100 lbs, so my husband built me the Arctic Tern 14′ craft. It is a thing of beauty. But so far, I have only paddled it in quiet waters. Although I have handled fairly rough seas in my past, I am by no means a surf acrobat. I was a little nervous about testing this little boat in anything too violent, because if anything the ocean does, it quickly helps you recognize your limitations and demands your respect. These little waves folding in close to shore were perfect, however. I am used to a heavier, larger (too large for me) boat, so having something that was light enough to be tossed around a bit by the waves was a bit surprising at first until I got used to how it also responded immediately to my weight shifts, leans, and low braces. Very fun! Very maneuverable. It lives up to its name and reputation.
A great paddle; a great Father’s day; and a very special father in our family. We are so fortunate to be able to have these kinds of mini-adventures together! A great reminder: if we’re too busy thinking about getting a life, we’re not living it. Appreciate what we have; appreciate the time we have together; love one another. Look for the beauty in the world around us. Life is a gift! Live with gratitude.