Noticing lxxxvi - Elkhorn Slough paddle

This morning I went out for a paddle on Elkhorn Slough with my friend Lynn. The excuse: to find a geocache. A paddle-and-grab! The tide was high (over six feet) when we set off, and we skimmed right over the pickleweed. Over the course of the three hours we were out there, the tide dropped about three feet, exposing all that treacherous pickleweed (by which time we were in the main channel) and bringing in the birds to feed: willets, marbled godwits, a curlew, terns, great egrets, great blue herons, snowy egrets, brown pelicans, and of course silly sea gulls. Also, out in the channel, western grebes, loons, and Brandt's cormorants, as well as sea otters and harbor seals. It was a splendid outing. Here are some pictures.

Getting set to head out, from Moss Landing.

The fellow on the right was strutting his stuff.

No pickleweed! Just water!
(That trail used to be one of my favorite trails in the area,
but it was closed years ago, I believe by the
Packard family—of HP fame—who own the land.)

The peak in the distance is Fremont Peak, where David and I went
for our New Year's Day hike.

Lynn! I always have a fun time with Lynn. (She owns the kayaks.)

You can see the cache on the brown upright just left of center.
When the tide is lower, apparently you have to walk along the
rickety bridge to reach it, but we were able
to paddle right up to it today.

As we were paddling, we heard the long whistle blow of the
morning Amtrak (it's over there on the left). It's such a beautiful spot
to ride through on the train. I've done it once. But it's nicer to paddle.

We were paddling along and from a distance Lynn
noted the bit of blue on the wings, and wondered
if this was a blue teal. Or maybe just a female mallard?
The bird was remarkably still. It, y'know,
just didn't look right. So I paddled up for a closer look.
There is duck hunting hereabouts.
This, it seems, is one that got away.

Heading along the shore looking for quick way
out to the main channel.

We did a fair share of sitting and looking and gabbing too.

Moss Landing (Duke) power plant stacks: as we turn around
and head back to the boat landing.

This is the same tree as in the third photo above, but now
there's a sea of pickleweed between me and the land.
And a bunch of happy birds as well.

Back on land.