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From: Melissa Reese <melissa_at_bonnyweeboaty.net> subject: [Paddlewise] White skies, a friendly sea, and me Date: Sun, 28 Oct 2007 19:36:07 -0700 · This archive was generated by hypermail 2.4.0 : Thu Aug 21 2025 - 16:33:47 PDT

Marine forecast:

TODAY...SW WIND 10 TO 15 KT. WIND WAVES 1 OR 2 FT. W SWELL 8 FT AT 12
SECONDS. CHANCE OF RAIN IN THE AFTERNOON.

The swell was here, but the winds were milder than expected...

I was looking forward to a long[ish], leisurely paddle from the mouth
of the Quinault River to my house, about 20 miles down the coast...and
this is just what I got. An absolutely lovely day on the water.

My neighbor came by to ride with me and my boat (in my car) up to
Taholah, where he dropped me off, and drove my car back to my house.
Taholah is a very small town (almost as small as my little town), and
it sits on the coast where the lovely lower Quinault River meets the
sea. This is the Tribal center for the Quinault Indian Nation. Since
I'm a non-native, I'm not allowed to paddle the length of this
beautiful river without a native "guide", but they do allow me to
launch into the river at Taholah...as long as I'm heading out to sea.

Even just this little stretch of river is a joy to behold, as I spend
a bit of time paddling around, peeking at the beautiful upriver
scenery, with eagles flying overhead, or perched in their longtime
favorite trees. Some are fishing the river as well. A couple of native
fishermen, tending to their nets, are the only other people I see on
the river.

As I paddle out the river mouth, and splash my way through the surf, I
know that right now, right here, is where I was meant to be. Breathing
in the fresh sea air, letting the waves cleanse my boat, body, and
soul as they greet me head-on with just a hint of their potential
power. Here I am again, the happy sea creature I continue to become,
smiling from ear to ear as I dance with the sea of my dreams.

For a paddle like this, on familiar waters, my goal is only to follow
inspiration, and eventually, end up at home. Today, I felt like first
paddling straight out from shore, to see what I could see, and be
where I would be. About a mile and a half offshore, I turn myself
around to look back towards land. From this distance, I can see beyond
the bluffs and into the peaks of the rugged glacier and snow covered
Olympic mountain range. Though the overcast is beginning to come in
today, I can still see the peaks of Mt. Olympus and Mt. Anderson. The
glaciers of Mt. Anderson are where the Quinault River is born, flowing
into Lake Quinault, then down the lower Quinault river to the sea. I
pause to observe a moment of thanks to beautiful Mt. Anderson!

The wind is beginning to pick up just a bit, so little wind waves are
splashing around me, and the gentle swell is rising and falling
beneath. Finally, after lingering for a few more minutes in wordless
contemplation, I begin my southward journey for the day.

Already, the wary yet curious seals are gathering around, poking their
heads up to see this apparently purposeful bit of driftwood with the
colorful half-creature sticking out of it, swinging a skinny stick
around. I see a lot of river otters when I paddle the coastal rivers
and nearby lakes, but it's a bit more rare when I get to see their
cousin sea otter in the open water. It was my lucky day today, so two
sea otters dropped by to say hello. They're just way too cute! :-)

A little further down the coast, I head towards shore to explore the
arch and other offshore rocks off Point Grenville. At this point, it
was almost high water, so I was able to ride the swell through the
arch, which is always fun. Just around Point Grenville to the south is
Grenville Bay. Protected by the point, the surf can be pretty mild in
the bay, but this lovely little spot holds its own secrets for those
patient and lucky enough to find here, at times, the perfect wave. The
conditions weren't very big today, considering the mild weather,
modest swell, and the moment of the tide cycle, but there were still
some clean little waves that looked like fun, so in I went.

Mind you, this is an 18 foot sea kayak I was paddling, so while
catching even a mild ride is fun, it's a different kind of experience
than one would have in a surf boat, on a waveski, or on a board. Still
though, I have my fun. Here I was, playing in the surf, having the bay
all to myself. Does it get any better than this? After playing in the
surf for a while, I head back out to sea, and continue the journey
through water, time, and spirit. Though sometimes I'll go further out,
and sometimes I'll hug the shore, today felt like a one mile offshore
kind of day. Far enough to see over and beyond the bluffs, yet close
enough to enjoy the beauty of the bluffs as well.

Did I mention that today was a lucky day? Well then, you shouldn't be
surprised to know that I was soon to encounter a few of my favorite
paddling companions...the local couch potato Gray Whales! I call them
"couch potatoes" because this group of whales doesn't usually bother
to swim between Baja and Alaska every year. They seem content to just
hang around here year 'round, and that's just fine with me. For the
next hour or so, as I paddle slowly along, I'm surrounded by my
spyhopping, gracefully swimming old friends. I so love it when they
will come right alongside and roll over just enough to pop one eye out
of the water in my direction, and I got to see lots of this eyeballing
action today! I've been paddling with this same group of whales for
ten years now, and it is never, ever, any less of a thrill for
me...every time. I'm just so grateful for the opportunity to
experience these magnificent creatures in such an up close and
personal way. After a while, the whales have had enough of me, and
they swim off to somewhere else. I offer a silent "thanks for the
visit!" as they swim away, and resume my paddle home.

Some time ago, someone carved out a few small caves in the face of the
soft, ever eroding bluffs just north of Iron Springs, with steps
carved into the bluffs to reach them. I often like to climb up into
these caves to sit and look out over the sea. Since I was getting
pretty close to home, and I still had plenty of sunlight left, I
decided to land, stretch my legs, and sit in a cave for a bit. In the
subject line of this post, I mentioned "White skies", but that doesn't
really do it justice. Indeed, the sky was white, but the shades and
shapes of white, with the sun offering just the right amount of back
lighting, created an ever changing, very dramatic skysape. Sitting in
my cave, just 40 feet or so above sea level, the view of beach, sea,
and sky that stretched out before me was mesmerizing. Even if I had
remembered to bring my camera, I doubt that I'd try to capture it, as
it was just too big and amazing to fit into a little photograph. As
usual, I just let my eyes drink it all in, and remind my heart to
never forget.

Legs stretched, eyes and heart full to overflowing, I climb back into
my boat for the last few miles of today's fine paddle. The sun is
falling lower in the sky, and as I paddle this last little stretch,
I'm feeling like I just want to keep going, and going, and going. Oh
well, tomorrow's another day, and I'll just have to see what happens
then.

-- 
Melissa
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