Lindsey, Eddie, Karen, and Doug (Kathi and Alice in the background) on our lunch break, with a view of the San Francisco skyline.
Back in October 2016, after two years living in the Netherlands and Belgium, I made my first trip back to the US. My first stop was San Francisco, to visit friends and colleagues and my favorite sites around SF Bay and the open coast. Some of my favorite California kayaking buddies and I spent an afternoon on the water in Sausalito. Two years have passed since this trip, so this post will be more photos than words...
The (not so) new (anymore) Seatrek launch site.
We met at the (then) new Seatrek kayak rental location. We all rented some nice sea kayaks (except Alice, who had her own boat). They even let me rent a purple Avocet! The same as Big Purple. It had previously been located a bit further down the coast, but was now adjacent to the Bay Model. We paddled up the coast, exploring the always-quirky houseboats along the way. We crossed the bay to reach a small beach that is accessible at low tide, and ate our lunch.
Cheerful Alice!
Lindsey in front of a funky looking houseboat in Sausalito.
Lindsey, Doug, Alice, and Nena on the lunch beach.
On the way back, we passed by Dunphy Park, where Doug and Kathi were planning to get married the following spring! (Fast forward: they're now married! Unfortunately I didn't get to go back to California for the wedding, since I'd just been there a couple months earlier).
It was a gorgeous sunny day on the water, and fun to reconnect with old kayaking buddies. I hope I get to visit and paddle in the Bay again soon!
It was a gorgeous sunny day on the water, and fun to reconnect with old kayaking buddies. I hope I get to visit and paddle in the Bay again soon!
A seal following Eddie and Karen's boat.
The next day(?) I met up with Dan, a friend from my summer in New Hampshire, and we went surfing for a few hours in Pacifica. I really just wanted an excuse to share this non-kayaking-but-still-water-related photo with you, in which I look way more badass than I am:
Surfing in Pacifica, California. Photo by Dan Philp
And a few other nice photos of my visit to California...
Stinson Beach at sunset
Alice and Lindsey on our way to Stinson Beach
Lindsey and I stopped at Grey Whale Cove State Beach, just south of San Francisco, for lunch.
Drinks with old friends and colleagues from ESA in San Francisco :)
Hiking up Mt. Tallac, near Lake Tahoe, with Bailey and Maureen
View from the top of Mt. Tallac, over Lake Tahoe
Big pine cone. Bailey and Maureen in the distance.
After that, I headed north to Seattle, where I met up with Henk and Sara for some other hiking and kayaking adventures in the Enchantments and Vancouver (Vancouver #1, Vancouver #2).
Date: Saturday, September 25th, 2016
Distance: 4 miles (6.5 km)
Duration: ~3 hours?
Weather: Hot and sunny
Distance: 4 miles (6.5 km)
Duration: ~3 hours?
Weather: Hot and sunny
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