Soundtrack:
- The Decemberists -- The Hazards of Love
- Sleater-Kinney -- No Cities to Love
- Red House Painters -- Old Ramon
If you're in Northern California looking for a place to go kayaking, this is the spot. There's a ton of wildlife, the waters are calm and while the current can be strong at points in the slough it's always manageable, at least from my experience.
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| Moss Landing, CA |
Jim and I drove down Moss Landing on Saturday for a little kayaking excursion. We spent a couple of hours on the water with the seals and sea otters. Unfortunately the traffic was nasty getting there, but it didn't mar the experience.
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| Harbor Seal -- Moss Landing, CA |
As usual, the seals were hauled out in the sandbar in the harbor. The tide was sort of low making the passage to the back of the harbor narrow. Even as we hugged the opposite side of the passage we ended close enough to the seals to smell 'em. They stink, if you were curious. Cuddly looking, though.
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| Harbor Seal -- Moss Landing, CA |
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| Harbor Seal -- Moss Landing, CA |
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| Harbor Seal -- Moss Landing, CA |
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| Harbor Seal -- Moss Landing, CA |
A sea otter had hauled out near the seals. Their size is deceptive. They look a lot smaller in the water, I suppose because their heads don't seem to match the size of their bodies. This particular otter was almost as large as some of the smaller seals and much larger than the little guy in the photo above.
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| Southern Sea Otter -- Moss Landing, CA |
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| Southern Sea Otter -- Moss Landing, CA |
A raft of otters has always been present every time I've visited Moss Landing. This time was no different, although this time they weren't lacked closely together. From what I've read it's only the males that gather together in groups like this. The ladies tend to keep to themselves, especially when they have youngsters. There was at least one mother and pup in the estuary and later in the harbor. She and her young one seemed to keep their distance from the rough and tumble groups of what I presumed were males.
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| Southern Sea Otter -- Moss Landing, CA |
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| Southern Sea Otter -- Moss Landing, CA |
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| Southern Sea Otter -- Moss Landing, CA |
We saw a lot of birds as well. I don't take a lot of pictures of gulls, mostly because they're so damned hard to identify. Heerman's gulls are easy, though, and they're pretty in a way most gulls aren't, so I don't hesitate to fire away at a heerman's.
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| Heerman's Gull -- Moss Landing, CA |
There were a few common loons hanging around as well. They're sightly birds.
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| Common Loon -- Moss Landing, CA |
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| Common Loon -- Moss Landing, CA |
We encountered a number of otters in the slough. They seem to have life figured out. Float around on their backs. Eat fresh seafood. Primp. Float some more. Not a bad life, if you ask me.
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| Southern Sea Otter -- Elkhorn Slough, CA |
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| Elkhorn Slough, CA |
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| Southern Sea Otter -- Elkhorn Slough, CA |
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| Southern Sea Otter -- Elkhorn Slough, CA |
After kayaking, I took a leisurely drive up the coast to Half Moon Bay where I cut over on 92 to get home. All in all, it was a pretty great day.
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| Pigeon Point Lighthouse, CA |
