So earlier on the trip I had found a local company that offers kayak trips in the salt marshes of Huntington Beach State Park. They were eager to provide us a great time and teach us about the ecosystems. They would even allow each kid to have a boat of their own. They were aware of our needs and willing to work with us so we were excited (and maybe, if I'm being honest, a little nervous).
We relaxed most of the morning... reading, tv, playing, devotions, etc. You know, it takes time!
I planned out the time it would take... 1 hour drive (actually 45 minutes), 30 mins for lunch... so we needed to leave at 11:15 am to make it by the 12:45 pm rendezvous place and time.
So imagine my surprise when we left the restaurant at 12:40 (still 20 minutes from the launch) AND noticed the gas tank was on E. It was awful. After we got fueled up, we got stuck in traffic. Ugh. I hate being late and this was not even excusable. We parked 45 minutes later than planned. I was so embarrassed but our guide Paul was very kind and understanding.
We got started right away. Paul found two hermit crabs in the water to show us...
Then he and I used a seining net to collect all sorts of little creatures that we could learn about... crabs, shrimp, and fish. It was very cool! Tyler impressed us all his with knowledge of crabs and how to determine if they are male or female. I'm really proud of him!
Then, without any instructions or training, we strapped a life jacket on each of them, and pushed them out in the water.
Both kids loved it! They did so good and figured out naturally how to use the paddles and steer.
After a little while, Sammy got tired so we tied her on to the guide and she floated the rest of the way. She got my sunglasses, put her feet up and settled right in. It was so funny to see her lounging while the rest of us paddled away!
The guide showed us some mud on the "shores" and suggested the kids try to walk on it. It wasn't normal sand though... it was that oozy, slimy, sinking sand that marshes have. Tyler was willing but wanted the guide to go first, so in he jumped... to his thighs in mud. Then Tyler took a turn. Then even Sammy. It was wonderful to hear their squeals and laughs. They had the best comments! After we peeled them out of the mud, they climbed back into their boats... COVERED in thick black mud. Gross! Sammy splashed water into her boat and slowly got rinsed off. Tyler (who had to paddle) had to wait til the end of the tour when we got back to shore to get the mud off.
As we paddled away from the sinking mud, Tyler shouts out "Well, I guess we can check that off the bucket list!" Yes, Buddy, I guess so... you don't ever have to jump into thigh-deep sticky stinky mud again!
It was a fabulous tour with Black River Outdoors... we would highly recommend them. At this point, the kids were drenched from rinsing so we headed back to the van dripping wet.
Since we were so close to Huntington State Park, we took a drive through to show Mary what it has to offer and then decided to make a quick detour to the beach to give the kids a chance to better rinse off.... in their underwear. (Shh!)
We grabbed take out from Outback on the way home and enjoyed another relaxing night... Everyone going their separate ways to get some quiet time.
What an adventure today! So much to see and learn. It is a great example of why I love to travel with these kids!!
