There was a BASK trip scheduled for the San Francisco Bay this morning. They planned to paddle out for the beginning of Fleet Week when the Navy sends their boats on parade under the Golden Gate Bridge. I had to miss this trip because my mutual water association was having another meeting about the plans for improving our system. I had to be there to help squelch all the rumors about all the untrue things the board of directors was rumored to be doing. After the meeting I felt like getting my paddles wet, but the ocean was still too rough from the last storm. After the good time I had with my canoe at the Russian River Cleanup day, I decided to go on another river paddle. and invited my dad to come along for the ride. He had to help close down the Jenner Visitors Center so we planned to do an evening paddle. The wind was still too strong at Jenner so we drove to Monte Rio where there is another public boat ramp behind the library. Monte Rio is behind enough twists and turns in the river to keep most of the wind out.
We launched off the boat ramp around 5:30 in the evening in a dark shadow with sun still shining on the tops of the hills around us. If the weather had been OK for paddling around Jenner we probably would have seen more wildlife, but we did see kingfishers, an osprey, several types of ducks, and we inadverdently chased a great blue heron up the river. Fish jumped in the river before sunset and after dark we saw bats buzzing around our canoe. Although there were whitecaps at Jenner, we had a calm and relaxing paddle up the river from Monte Rio to a place that I think is part of the Bohemian Club. Then we zoomed back to the boat ramp for a landing by 7:30 PM.