May 20th 2012 was the date of the first solar eclipse since May 10th 1994, and what better way to enjoy it than to sun-gaze from a kayak on SF Bay? Doug (oceanographer and kayaker) and I left Oakland after picking up his boat at the Kayak Hotel, which is a glorified garage for communal boat storage by the Oakland Estuary. After a quick stop at a roadside fruit stand (yum! cherries!) we met up with Eddie (coastal engineer and kayaker) on the other side of the bay. The launch site was along Chesapeake Drive in Redwood City, close to the Stanford Boathouse. We parked in the shade of some trees (free parking! and launching!) and discovered that we were joined by some unusual birds making very loud squawking/groaning noises above. The sound was so ridiculous that I found myself giggling every time they started up. I would try to spell it if I could...

We set out with no ambitions other than to outlast the eclipse and test Doug's eclipse-viewing contraption. It was a breezy day so we stayed in the narrow channels that meander through the salt marsh. Power lines cross the south bay marshes in a number of places...

On Friday nights, Morgan leads a group called the Easy Gliders (a chilled out version of the Rough Riders) on a paddle from the shop onto Irondequoit Creek or Irondequoit Bay. Arno and I decided to join them this Friday for a nice evening paddle to the bay bridge and back. We arrived at the shop a little early and decided to try out the shop's newest addition: the stand up paddleboard.

For the kayaking trip I tried a P&H low volume Cetus. It was the most comfortable of the three boats I tried over the weekend. It's about a foot longer than my Avocet. There is a handy little hatch in front of the cockpit for easy access to snacks, cameras, water, and sunscreen.

Back at the shop we relaxed by the creek with a bottle of wine (carbonated grape juice for Arno!), cheese, and crackers before heading back to Dave & Morgan's house for the night.


Click "Read More" to see swan photos and a map of the route...

Here is part 3 of 3 (Yes, the days are out of order, but I guess that's just going to be a trend in this blog), a guest post by Mary Kate Wheeler summarizing our third and final paddle on Mt. Desert Island in Maine. 

After a last minute decision to join Nena and Ben's MDI Expedition, I headed east from Warren, Vermont on Friday, arriving at the campsite just minutes after dinner ended. Fortunately, my ever prepared companions dug up some leftovers and even an extra tent to make me feel well at home.

Mist hovered along the coastline as we drove to our launching point on Saturday morning. After hearing a rumor of exceptionally friendly marine life off the western side of the island we chose to paddle out of Seal Cove. Although it seemed to be a popular spot for fishermen and motor boats, the cove provided a nicely sheltered place to launch kayaks.

Our goal of having close and personal encounters with marine mammals was quickly and unexpectedly met...

Jeff and I met up in Boothbay, Maine for two days of sea kayaking on the Atlantic Coast. On Day 2 we experienced truly Maine-style conditions, with thick fogs, big tides, drizzle, eerie shipwrecks, quiet bays, and a creamy lobster roll to top it off.