Taking the Kayaks to Hood Canal

Well, for the long Memorial Day weekend, Andrew and I decided to take our new kayaks out for a longer spin. Hood Canal seemed to offer all we needed: close enough, good kayaking without being too subject to wild changes in weather and tides and our SUPER SECRET camping place. The key to camping in the Northwest is trying to camp without being surrounded by lots of people in generic campgrounds. Our SUPER SECRET spot had served us well last summer, but could we count on it for a holiday weekend? So with our stuff loaded into the beast of burden RAV 4 (above), we hit the road.

Well, luck was on our side and our SUPER SECRET spot was totally empty yet again. At first, we wondered if our SUPER SECRET spot was secret because it wasn't supposed to used for camping. Although this may be partially true, we believe that there is a technicality in place which gives us the go ahead. So pitch our tent we did. And we hit the open water for a nice afternoon paddle around Gamble Bay.


Above is my Banana Boat. I love it. Below is Andrew trying to surf with his Green Machine. Our second day of paddling was marred a bit by early morning rain showers. There is nothing worse than waking up to rain on your tent (see Long Beach camping entry). Luckily, we didn't have to waste too much time in the local coffee shop before rain became a sprinkle or less. So off to Quilcene and Dabob Bays we went. It was a perfect day for paddling, except for a profound lack of sunshine. The bad weather seemed to deter the less hardy souls from hitting the water, so we were basically all alone to watch the bald eagles, peer at the star fish and the sea lions. I, garbed only in a wet suit, limited by exposure to the water. Andrew, geared up in a dry suit, enjoyed some extracurricular time floating and frolicking in the water. However, his head and hands were not covered by anything and did take a hit with the cold water (about 50 degrees).


A good time was had by all. Further excursions are in the works. Stay tuned for details...