I am still waaaayyyy behind on posting my adventures. Last October, Jess, Muddy, and I took a quick little weekend trip to Moss Landing for a kayaking tour. We left on a Saturday and drove two hours to the Sea Breeze Inn in Pacific Grove, not too far from Monterey. Despite having issues with checking in, the inn turned out to be a cute little abode for one night. We had our own dog-friendly bungalow next to a really cool-looking, sprawling tree.
Muddy stayed in the bungalow while Jess and I went on a sunset kayaking tour with Blue Water Ventures. I had forgotten that I first heard about the tour through a queer meetup, so I was pleasantly surprised to see us LGBT+ folk take over the dock. The guides took us through Elkhorn Slough, a part of Moss Landing State Wildlife Area. It was a four-and-a-half-hour tandem kayaking adventure where we saw harbor seals, sea lions, otters, and a bunch of birds. If you've followed this blog for awhile, you know that I'm not especially fond of birds and don't always understand the hype around them. But the sea otters were adorably entertaining! I only had my GoPro, so it was hard to get close enough for a decent photo or video. Regardless, I posted some footage below.
After the sun went down, our amusing Australian tour guide showed us where to see some bioluminescence. We didn't see anything spectacular, but I did catch some of the little blue sparks as I splashed my hands around in the water.
On the drive back from the kayaking tour, we picked up dinner from Aliotti's Victorian Corner in Pacific Grove. I got a chicken parm sort of thing, and I couldn't pass up tiramisu for dessert!
The next day, we left Pacific Grove and drove one hour North to Byrne-Milliron Forest (a.k.a. "Roses of Yesterday") in Corralitos, which is actually a land trust that Jess' aunt and uncle told us about. We hiked for three hours (with Muddy, of course) amongst the Redwoods. At the peak of a hill, I climbed a tree for funsies and to get a good view. Then, we followed a trail to the "Great White Redwood," a 233-feet tall Redwood tree that's estimated to be 600+ years old. There, we found a time capsule. So naturally, we left a note inside.
Next, we stopped in Santa Cruz on the way home to get lunch and milkshakes at Saturn Cafe. I have a thing for milkshakes at the end of a trip. You know, to help ease the post-vacay blues. Because of COVID, we parked and ate in the car. Little did we know that right across the street, there was a comedy show going on in a parking lot (#pandemiclife). So we had some entertainment while we ate.
That's it; a short trip because we wanted to go kayaking. We had a great time... like I always do with the little family I've somehow been blessed with. Stay tuned for more travels!
Onward,
Chris
Kayaking at Sunset at Moss Landing, CA from Christa Artherholt on Vimeo.
Sea Otters at Moss Landing, CA from Christa Artherholt on Vimeo.