Wednesday January 1, 2014 Jenner CA.
The sore back continues,…………….But
I woke this morning with a sore back. Two cold packs later, I decided it was good enough to go kayaking. Better than staying home all day, might as well be doing something more enjoyable. I can ouch in my kayak just as well as I can at home. :O)
I arrived just after eleven. There was a guy and a gal on the boat ramp in my way as I approached the boat ramp. I stopped and waited saying to them I need to get as close to the water as I can because of the sore back. The gal said the guy is like that too, only he has bone degenerative problems from an earlier emergency brain operation and he also has a replaced hip and needs a knee. He was just over twenty, a young man.
Seemed like a good way for me to start off the new year, maybe my back isn’t so bad after all. :O)
The river’s mouth is closed and ready for breaching
The sun was out with a light wind, just over a breeze. The water level was about seven and a half feet at the visitor center gauge indicating the river’s mouth is still closed, which will be opened tomorrow.
I paddled across to Penny Island into the little channel of the east end, which wasn’t so little any more because of the backed up water.
This is the spot I took my first break in today, looking toward the town of Jenner.
Headed for Willow Creek
I thought it would be a good day to go on up the river to Willow Creek, so I headed up that way.
Just past the island this seagull landed on a log near me with this crab it was eating. It lost it just after I took this picture. It sunk too deep in the water for it to get.
I continued on up to otter’s log. While sitting there in the willows, I looked up and noticed the pussy willows were starting to bloom. Spring?
I continued on up the river staying on the south side. Lots of green along the way.
Ferns on the rocks as I go on up the river.
This is the view as I traveled up the river on the south side, just below the highway one bridge.
I was almost to Willow creek when I spied these female merganser ducks on this log.
Willow Creek
There was a light breeze as I paddled into the Willow creek area. I thought I’d get out of the breeze back there and I did for awhile.
This is where I stopped for awhile in Willow creek.
After awhile, the wind came up, even in the creek, so I left the area, headed back down the river. It wasn’t long before the wind died down to a light breeze again.
This is my view as I traveled back down the south side of the river.
I stopped for awhile by this cypress tree.
And went back by these ferns.
There are some real big ferns on the hillside as I passed. These are about six feet high.
Penny Island is party flooded
I continued on down the back channel of Penny Island and entered the west end that was flooded with water because of the mouth being closed. There was this hawk, which I cannot identify, sitting on this big redwood stump.
It flew away before I could get very close to it. I paddled on into the flooded island as far as I could go and sat around for a bit. No breeze here.
This is the spot I sat for a bit on the flooded island.
It was getting late, so I headed on in, but when I neared the boat ramp, I could see it was jammed with kayakers taking their boats out, so I paddled back across to Penny Island and watched them from there. Just about the time one group would leave, another group would show up to take their boats out, so I stayed in the water until most of them left for the day, then went on over to the boat ramp and pulled my boat out without any hassle.
Tomorrow, the Sonoma County Water Agency is supposed to breach the river’s mouth, which should let some big fish into the river, steelhead and maybe some late salmon are still arriving?
I had a good day, seems like a good way to start the new year off.