Elkhorn Slough
What I Learned
I bought a 2-person inflatable kayak made with drop-stitched materials and this was its maiden voyage. It is built similarly to my Razorlite, but it’s half the price, so I was a little wary of it at first, but it did great. It tracked well, it was stable, and it was comfortable for Cassie and me.
At the parking lot, we parked next to a person who had the exact same car setup as I did except that instead of a Chevy Colorado, they drove a Toyota Tacoma. I had a good conversation with her and her friends, about the experience of owning a Four Wheel Camper Model M and how we like to use it. Our experiences differed—she had only used hers a few times in the past few years, while I probably slept in mine more than 50 nights now. Still, it was fun to talk to a fellow owner, especially since Model Ms are not very common.
What Happened?
3.5 miles, 2 hrs 3 mins, 3-5 mph SE (wind)
I wanted to show Cassie how otters behave in the wild, so we went for a kayak ride. We were supposed to get out of the house by 6 AM, but we didn’t leave until 8 AM because we were a little tired from the previous day’s adventure.
We got there at 9 AM, which was fortuitous because the fog was beginning to lift. We missed the morning when most of the animals were the most active, but at least with the fog lifting, the animals we did see would be lit well.
With my familiarity with the slough, we booked it directly to the area where I spotted the otters previously—sure enough, we saw almost a dozen of them feeding, grooming, and lazying about. Of note were otters that were scratching their feet in the shallows—they seemed to have the biggest smiles on their faces when they hit the right spot! They’re just like us!
After about 30 minutes of watching the otters, we decided not to go all the way to the ocean and just head back. We got back to Kirby Park, packed up the boat, changed into our comfy clothes, and drove home.