kayak lessons

i just got done with two full days of kayak lessons, and my brain is full and i'm TIRED!

the first day was all about the 'forward stroke' which is what the correct/most efficient paddle stroke is called. when done correctly it can look like this.

when i do it it looks more like a broken robot who's batteries are running low.

the class was held south of Santa Cruz, in Elkhorn Slough, and the place is littered with sea otters. they were everywhere; big rafts (i think that's what they're called) just hanging out and hassling each other, and a couple of loners who came over to check us out. they'd dive down occasionally and come back up with a rock balanced on their chests and a clam in their paws, which they'd proceed to slam against the rock until it broke open. then they'd crunch it up (it sounded like they ate the shells too) while seagulls heckled them for scraps.

it was also freezing cold (almost literally), with temps in the mid 30's F* in the mornings. we're in the middle of an unusual cold snap right now, and i didn't have the appropriate gear. we rented wet suits but my hands and feet got really cold.

fortunately this class was all about paddle technique and we didn't have to get in the water.

day two was about surf: how to get off the beach through breaking waves, and back in again without getting dumped and sent through the washing machine. the waves weren't that big, maybe two to three feet, with the occasional set of four to six footers.

when your eyes are only two feet off the water, three-foot high waves look BIG, and they can flip you ass over tea-kettle before you know what's happening. our instructor, roger, has been paddling for years and makes it look easy, and is beautiful to watch.

we weren't like that. we flailed, go dumped, got tips and pointers, flailed and dumped again, but eventually got to the point where we could get through the break, and back in again, without going over.

and every once in a while we'd do it right on the way back in and catch a wave and ride it, and holy crap that was fun!

by the end of the day we were tired and waterlogged, but the waves didn't look so scary anymore. we knew what to look for, what our options were, and that if we kept our heads we could ride them in.

i'm tired. muscles i've never used hard are whining about the effort but they'll just have to get used to it. i have the beginnings of a new skill set and THAT is fun.