Tuesday November 26, 2013 Monte Rio, CA.
The river was calm and flat kayaking today
I was woken up this morning rather earlier than I wanted with the sound of apples hitting the buckets, as they were picking apples next door. It was annoying, but I ate a lot of the neighbors apples, so I didn’t’ have much to complain about.
I was thinking of going down to Monte Rio to kayak, so I headed down that way, but at the last moment I decided to go on down to Jenner.
However, as I passed by Monte Rio, I could see the river was flat and calm, but I continued on to Jenner just the same.
As I approached Jenner, I could see there was a pretty good breeze up, so I turned around and went back to Monte Rio and launched my kayak.
I was thinking of going up the river, but my boat seemed to want to go down river so that’s the way I went.
Here’s a view of the calm, flat river as I started down just below Monte Rio.
And this view, just a little further as I approached the Villa Grande hole area. Maybe I’ll just hang around this area for the day?
There was something moving in the brush as I entered the Villa Grande Hole area, so I checked it out. A pair of Wood Ducks was making their way around me.
Here’s the pair of Wood Ducks.
Another view of the pair of wood ducks.
I hung around the Villa Grande area for awhile. It was so nice I decided to go on ahead and drift slowly down the river to the Casini ripple, just taking my time.
I passed these cormorants near the Sheraton beach area.
And this cormorant was also perched on a rock on the shoreline.
Eventually, I made it to the Rein’s beach area and continued on down.
Just past there this bird was up in the willows as I went by. I think it is a night heron or something like that?
And just past that, I spied this turtle on a log by the shore. For some reason the number of turtles seems to have decreased a lot this year on the river. Usually, I’d see over ten of them on a trip like this, but I only saw this one.
No big fish at the Casini Ripple
I made it down to the Casini’s ripple and hung out there for a half hour or so watching for any sign of big fish crossing the ripple, but I didn’t see any signs of them.
Now, I had to paddle back up the river, which I didn’t really feel like doing, but that’s what you have to do when you drift down the river and need to get back to the car.
Since the sun was lower in the sky by this time, the surface of the river was even a better mirror.
Here is the view I had just as I rounded the Rein’s Beach area going up the river.
These cormorants where on this rock as I went by. They were a bit nervous with me coming by them, but they didn’t fly.
Back up to the Villa Grande hole and on by. This is the view as I headed up the home stretch to Monte Rio. 
I was real tired when I pulled my boat out of the water around four PM. It was all I could do to get on home and hit the coach. Those apple guys really messed with my sleep and now I was paying for it. Or maybe it was just the paddle?
Had a nice day paddling the river, just the same.