Saturday March 21, 2015 Monte Rio CA.
Kayaking Monte Rio
I hadn’t been up the river from Monte Rio in quite a spell, so today, I decided to do it. I was going from Monte Rio, up the river to the Vacation Beach summer dam and back.
I was at the boat launch area just before noon to a nice sunny day. I put my boat in the water and headed on up. First thing was this shallow spot just below the Monte Rio bridge. The water is shallow with a bit of current in this spot. Sometimes I paddle through it, but most of the time, I go to shore to the right just in front of my boat and I get out and walk the boat up along the shoreline until I get past the shallow area. Once I’ve done that, it’s clear paddling for at least a couple miles up the river.
This is what the river looked like just as I passed under the Monte Rio bridge. Nice day.
Sunning turtles
I noticed these turtles off to the left. They were getting some of the sunshine.
There was a bit of current coming down the river, but by paddling mostly along the river’s edge, the going was fairly easy.
This was my view as I cleared the first turn above Monte Rio, heading up to the golf course area up ahead.
Green heron
This bird flew into the bushes in front of me, so I veered over to take a look. It turned out to be a green heron. They like to fish in the trees and bushes along the shoreline, which this one was doing.
Just below the golf course turn, one of my harbor seal buddies popped up by me as if to say hi, then it submerged and was gone not to be seen again.
Turtle day
More turtles up ahead. It seemed to be a turtle day.
I made it up to the golf course turn and sat in this spot for awhile just enjoying the spot. This is one of my favorite spots to sit and watch. It’s very scenic and away from the highway that runs along the river so is nice and peaceful.
After a good break in that spot, I continued on up the river. This is what it looked like as I paddled along headed up to the Vacation Beach summer dam which is as far as you can see.
I passed more turtles sunning. Here’s a couple sunning on a log in the water.
Vacation Beach Summer Dam
I had to work a bit against the current in a couple spots, but I made it up to the Vacation Beach summer dam and stopped at this spot. I rested here for a bit, then pointed my boat down stream and drifted down just below this spot were I pulled my boat in by the shore and was sitting enjoying the day.
A lady crashes into my boat
I hear some people coming down the river behind me just up the river, but I can’t see them as I’m pointed downstream. Two of the kayaks go by me, but the third one comes up behind me and the lady says, sorry, but I’m going to run into your boat and she does. Of course, pointed downstream, I can’t see her as she approached, so I say, OK and brace myself for the unexpected. Luckily she doesn’t hit me too hard and her boat glances off mine and she continues on past me apologizing as she goes. I tell her no problem and wait for them to get out of sight down the river before I take off again.
The lady on the right in the green kayak was the one that ran into me. Like most people on the river in boats, they are just out having fun and most are not too good at controlling their boats, which is what I usually expect. If she was in a heavy canoe, I would of likely shot out of the spot, so as not to get hit as they are much more dangerous.
Headed on down the river
After they disappeared down the river, I continued on down myself.
You can’t see me
I thought I saw a green heron in the bushes, in the water so I turned around and went back to check it out and sure enough, this guy was just sitting there. I took a picture and left. It stayed in that position the whole time, maybe thinking I didn’t see it?
Lots of turtles
I was drifting along in the current and spotted even more turtles on this log.
And just above Monte Rio, I spotted another green heron sitting on a rock in some good sun light, so I steered over that way to see about a picture. The bird was willing and didn’t move from that spot.
Some yard work too
The boat ramp wasn’t far now. I pulled in and went on home for the day. A nap was in order. After a cup of coffee, I went out in the yard and moved about a cubic yard of sand out of my way by the new well. I didn’t know exactly what to do with it, so I added it to my blue berry and potato patch as a soil amendment, to help keep the soil loose.
That operation required a couple of breaks in my chair, but I got it done. The rest of the day was spent sitting in my chairs enjoying the evening until it began to cool down and I went inside and that was it for another nice day.
