A day in Pt. Reyes and kayaking in Elkhorn Slough
In March, we went out to the beautiful Pt. Reyes National Seashore in Marin. It was one of those days where the original plan just did not work out, but we made some on-the-fly adjustments and ended up having a great day. When we got to Pt. Reyes, we decided to wait out some unexpected showers at the Bear Valley Visitor Center. Students got to interact with exhibits showcasing the diversity of the Marin headlands and coastal ecosystems and then watched a short film about the area.
We then went over to Drake Beach to see elephant seals and catch the tail-end of their mating season. The beach was filled with 1-2 month old seal pups that we got to see close up. After eating lunch, we went to the Abbott Lagoon for a hike. Finally, we ended the day with a picnic in the grass near the visitor center. We had hot dogs and ultimate frisbee challenges while enjoying some time in the sun. A great relaxing way to end the day!
Kayaking in Elkhorn Slough
More recently, we drove down the coast to Moss Landing for a day of kayaking and marine wildlife viewing in Elkhorn Slough, an estuary in the Monterey Bay. For most students it was the first time kayaking and we had a blast! The tandem kayaks require pairs of paddlers have to coordinate their paddle strokes in order to move. After a few minutes of figuring out rights and lefts, how to go forward in a (mostly) straight line, how to turn and stop, we were ready to roll. (Literally! One group of students reached out too far and rolled themselves right over.) We saw harbour seals lounging on the beach but the highlight of this trip is sea otters. These adorable little creatures were playing, holding hands, and eating snacks while swimming through the slough. On our way home, we stopped in Santa Cruz and found a local ice cream shop for an afternoon treat.
Our final trip of the year is fast approaching: camping in Yosemite National Park! We are excited to be heading out there in a couple of weeks. Thank you for following along, and check out the videos below!
Kayaking video
Pt Reyes video