Soarin' Over the Water

Absolutely one of the best days we've had!  It started out beautiful and warm and just got better from there.

As I said, yesterday we encountered a black bear - actually, more than one.  Today we decided to take the ferry to Quadra Island - 10 minutes - then head to Heriot Bay and kayak.  After another lovely breakfast where we met two new people - Linda and Mike from Ontario, Canada, who are administrators at two different colleges there (Mike in animation and art) - we grabbed our suits and gear and headed for the ferry.  From there we headed to Heriot Bay on the far side of Quadra Island (a whole ten minute drive) and rented a tandem kayak for the day.  We went to the store down the street and grabbed some lunch stuff, packed it in the dry bag and headed out to the Breton Islands.  

Great choice!

We were following some novice kayakers taking the tour that was offered, then left and went to the first of the small islands.  On some rocks adjacent we noticed two - count them, TWO - eagles just chilling.  I paddled carefully and Lee took pictures.  They stayed there for us to photograph for a good ten minutes.  It was amazing.  When Lee finished, we decided to check out another small rock crop and found thousands of the deep purple starfish we had seen in the Copeland Island Reserve.  Just above them were hundreds of ducklings.  Lee got more pictures.

Than we rounded the tip of the outcropping and found a slew of seals sunning themselves while some of the juvenile ones roamed about the place.   Lee got some more great pictures - including one where they are all watching us - just before they all decided to forego the nap and get in the water with us.  It really was incredible.

So we continued to explore the farther islands - found another group of sunning seals and literally thousands of the purple - and two or three of the orange - starfish.  They really are beautiful to look at.  At our lunch stop, we saw another eagle - this one diving for food.  Just a fabulous day for kayaking.

After lunch we headed back and finished our 9 mile paddle - not our farthest one, but it was probably the most grueling.  Partly because I had a very graceful incident at our lunch stop where I twisted my ankle and flattened myself on the barnacle covered rocks.  My hands are a bit raw, and I am sure I will be quite sore tomorrow, but I am okay.  I found out that the lifejacket I was wearing would allow me to bounce - good thing or my chest would have been scraped by barnacles and bleeding, just like my hands.  That would have ruined a perfectly wonderful day.

After returning the kayak and gear, we went in search of a travel bug geocache that Lee had to have:  a toy mustang.  Then, onto the ferry back, a few beers, a skype call to not only Delene but by sheer luck, Fred and Dorothy (Lee's dad and stepmom).  After a huge dinner at Fusilli Grill, this day is all over but the telling.  

Tomorrow looks to be down time for us both - a little work, some local geocaching, some shopping.  

I'll post today's pics here shortly.  Then, it's ibuprofen and sleep time.  Hope everyone is well.

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