Blog - The Naked Kayaker

Day 11: Speedy Sunset Paddle in East Sound, Orcas Island

7/29/2014

I slept in a couple hours longer than Sara to try and rid myself of a standard migraine (which usually lasts through 2 or 3pm the next day). Around 10:30 we headed into town (Eastsound) for some coffee ands discovered pistachio fig chocolates and mint ice cream. Mmmm breakfast! At a little park on the north end of East Sound, Sara made some phone calls to work and Southwest baggage. Southwest informed her that her second bag, which contained all of her camping/hiking/running gear, was considered permanently lost. Southwest agreed to reimburse her for the cost of the items, with depreciation, but it’s not clear exactly what that means. It’s a sad day :(

Day 10: Sunset Paddle with Mt. Baker and a Hike up Mt. Constitution

7/28/2014

A quick nap on the way to Mt. Baker.

Monday morning we “slept in” and made a dinner-breakfast of spaghetti with tomato sauce, supplemented with mushrooms and chard – yum! Sara and I packed up our tents and left camp earlier than the rest of the crew. Everyone else was headed back to Anacortes later that morning, but we were headed to Orcas Island to continue the second half of our San Juan Islands trip. Even after multiple calls to the Southwest Airlines baggage counter (at 3 different airports), there was no indication that Sara’s two checked bags would be delivered, so we headed into Friday Harbor to replace some of the lost items. A 45-minute shopping spree later, Sara was the proud owner of some new chacos, underoos, paddling gloves, and other items. We made the usual stops for water, ice, and coffee before boarding the inter-island ferry.

Day 9: Kayaking with Orcas in Haro Strait!!!

7/27/2014

Another (attempted) early start! At 6:50am (only 20 minutes late) we departed the campsite, made a quick-ish coffee stop in Friday Harbor, and continued to our second San Juan Island kayaking destination: Haro Strait. This strait runs along the west side of San Juan Island and is known as the best location for orca whale sightings. The main public put-in site is at Smallpox Bay in San Juan County Park, which is apparently where a number of Native Americans plunged into the icy cold water to rid themselves of smallpox and instead died of pneumonia...

Day 8: Ferry to San Juan Island, Paddle Griffin Bay

7/26/2014

Sunrise at the Anacortes Ferry Terminal

5am: it’s time to wake up for the earliest ferry! In classic Nena-style we (Nena/Sara/Bridget/Ale/Alex/Maria) took the first ferry from Anacortes to Friday Harbor at 6:25am. We were directed to Lane #4 where we parked, ate yogurt and cereal, and watched a gorgeous sunrise. We wandered into the waiting area and found a Seattle’s Best coffee machine, which delivered wonders for $1.50. “Now boarding the 6:25 ferry to Friday Harbor.” Oh crap, we return to the car just in time to board the ferry, parked behind another pair of kayakers and next to a massive flammable liquids truck. The ferry to Friday Harbor lasted ~1 hour.

Day 7: Errands in Seattle and Deception Pass State Park

7/25/2014

I slept in at the AirBnB until ~9am on Friday, lounging, doing some work, and discovering free snacks in the cupboards until it was time to pick up delayed-Sara at the airport. One drive-through coffee later, I stopped by REI to pick up a couple bottles of fuel for Sara’s stove. I waited outside the airport for ~30 minutes before receiving a text from Sara: “just landed… no bags… I’m back in line… totally lost.” We immediately made a list of the essentials that would need replacing in order to have a remotely successful camping trip: sleeping pad, socks, sleeping bag, sun hat, kayaking clothes. Bridget had not yet departed Corvallis yet, so she kindly agreed to bring the extra supplies. We made another stop at REI to pick up a sleeping pad and stove (yay, now I have a functioning stove!).

After a delicious lunch in Capitol Hill, we stopped at Einstein Books (recommended as the best bookstore in Seattle) for some camp-reading material and re-stocked on food at Safeway. We picked up Sara’s excellent red kayak, swiftly named Renaldo, at Moss Bay kayaking. On our last trip Sara’s red rental call was named Fernando, so this was in keeping with the trend. We sipped Guinness and cider on a sunny patio on Moss Bay before making the 2 hour drive to Deception Pass State Park – our first campsite.

Sara testing out some cheap sleeping pads (vetoed)

Deception Pass

The park was strategically located 20 minutes from the Anacortes Ferry Terminal where we were scheduled to depart at 6:25am the next day. We drove over Deception Pass at sunset and took in the gorgeous bridges and views for a few minutes before continuing to our expensive/tiny campsite.

We fashioned a bed for Sara out of miscellaneous items in the car and attempted to sleep for a couple hours before Bridget and her crew arrived at midnight with the sleeping bag. All in all, a preparation day for our exciting kayaking trips ahead!

Day 6: 4 hrs Driving, 4 hrs Working, 4 hrs Drinking

7/24/2014

After a quick cafe breakfast with Juliette and Simeon in Portland, I drove up to my company's Seattle office. The Seattle office is wonderful. There are free drinks in the glass door fridge (almost like it's Facebook! ...) and there's a view of Puget Sound from the windows. Everyone is very friendly :). I did a couple hours of work and I have to admit: I might already miss my job. Luckily I can still keep working! There is no shortage of that.

The Seattle office Birthday Barge celebration (in which the month's birthdays are celebrated with beers/snacks on a floating dock in Salmon Bay next to the office) was relocated to the conference room due to impending rain. I thought these PNW people were unphased by rain! I was ready to tough it out with my rain pants and yellow umbrella. Instead, we celebrated in the common area, and Danielle and Allisa took me down to the water for a quick barge visit and Canada goose viewing:

After the birthday celebration was over and people started trickling out, Danielle and I drove to Capital Hill (her neighborhood) for dinner at Smith (yes, that's the name of the restaurant). Delicious cider and salmon! Now I'm perched in the top floor of my tiny AirBnB rental, ready for my first solid night of sleep in my own bed in over a week. Sara's flight from Richmond was delayed/cancelled twice, so she will no longer be arriving in Seattle tonight. This means that I am residing in our AirBnB house solo. The good news is, Sara has notoriously bad luck with flights, so we had preemptively scheduled an extra day in Seattle. It looks like I'll be doing the camping errands alone tomorrow, which means we'll probably be eating rice and beans all weekend.