3: Kayak Adventures

From the warmth of my sleeping bag I could watch the sun slowly color the horizon above the bay. As the sky shifted from black to navy blue, I could still see shimmering stars and hear the hoot of sleepy owls. Shore birds began to fluff their feathers and wake their neighbors as purples and pinks were painted over the blue. Finally, Patty and I sat up to watch the yellow sun pop up over the hills and the pelicans glide by the beach we had called home for the night.

"Let's get up and go for an early morning paddle!" Patty exclaimed. "I want to see the baby sharks again."

Patty and I were kayak camping with friends in Point Reyes National Seashore, one of my favorite parks in California. This was our last chance to camp with friends before leaving on our big trip and were having a fabulous time!

"Do you think anybody else would want to go?" I asked. "It's still kind of early and chilly," I added, pulling the sleeping bag closer around my chin.

After a few sleepy stretches in the sand and loading up on breakfast snacks, four or us - our friends Matt and Anna, Patty and I - set off in our kayaks onto the still bay waters. As we paddled towards the mouth of the bay, it was an exciting sensation to think that we were floating right above the San Andreas fault. Below the murky water two techtonic earth plates slowly collide against each other causing earthquakes, pushing up mountains and creating valleys like the one Tomales Bay fills.

Our destination was Hog Island, a nature preserve in the middle of the bay. As we drew close, we all fell silent and let our kayaks drift - we didn't want the animals to notice our presence! The last time we visited this island we saw a baby leopard shark. First we noticed its little fin poking up from the shallow water. Then it gave a jump into the air, showing off its white belly. Back in the water, we could see it's black leopard spots as it swam under our kayaks. Ever since then, Patty had been anxious to paddle back to this island to find more baby sharks.

I was the first to spot it - a little fuzzy head poking out of the water.

"Is that a seal?" Matt asked me. It's true that we had met many curious seals along the way, who would pop out of the water to watch us with their big brown eyes. But no, this was different.

I silently dipped my paddle into the water to push ourselves a bit closer. Now I could see the animal better. It had a sleek, furry back and long, thick tail. With excitement, I realized that it was a river otter! One of my favorite animals. I had seen a few in the San Diego zoo, but never in the wild. What was this otter doing in the salt water of the bay, I wondered.

We were so still and quiet, the otter didn't notice our presence for a long time. We watched it swim in circles, dive down to search for food and eventually waddle up onto the rocky shore. Suddenly, the otter realized she wasn't alone. She stayed still, staring out at the strange animals floating in the water - us - and then scrambled up the bank and out of sight.

As we drifted around the island, we saw flocks of pelicans, cormorants and even a few herons. Our friend, Anna, spotted a ray swimming between the water plants. Finally, we noticed that it was getting late and decided to paddle back to camp for breakfast. I said a silent good-bye to the river otter as we pointed our kayaks in the opposite direction. We hadn't seen any sharks, but I will cherish this day as the day we saw a river otter.

Paddling back, we noticed that our friends had a few extra visitors - big, four legged ones! Our small strip of beach was now invaded by mooing cows, mosing across the sand and wading into the water. It was then that I noticed the large cow paddies that scattered the beach and were floating in the water. What were these cows doing in our national park?!? With their huge, tromping hooves and prolific production of cow patties I am sure that their presence isn't good for the environment...