Jul 3, 2010 - I met Kathleen, her brother Dan, his wife Jean, and their son Michael at the Monterey dock. Michael didn’t want to go on the boat, so he waited for us onshore while the rest of us went sailing with Captain Christian and Bella on the Bay. The four of us had a very nice ride. The sun was shining, and it was a gorgeous day to be out on the water. There was a fog layer offshore, but it stayed offshore. The "magic patches", as Kathleen calls them, did the trick, and neither she nor I suffered from any motion sickness. We took lots of pictures!
It was mostly quiet and relaxing, except for one point when things got a little exciting; Captain Christian called it a sudden change of wind. At one point he told me that he would do whatever it takes to ensure we had a pleasant trip, and I believe that is why he is rated the #1 attraction in Monterey, even though he's only been in business for a year. (Thanks to TripAdvisor, again.) After sailing, Dan treated us to lunch at the Massaro Santos restaurant, which was excellent. I got to taste sandabs, a flatfish which is a local favorite. (They were very good, as was my seafood pasta.) 
After lunch, I decided to drive over to Moss Landing, to take advantage of this beautiful day. My luck held – the sun was shining there too. I rented a kayak and went out on Elkhorn Slough. I'd never worn a wetsuit before, so that was a first for me, but it kept me warm and dry, so I was glad I had it. I had a delightful trip. There was a raft of otters very near the put-in point that I watched for awhile. One of the otters was following another kayak very closely, acting like he wanted to play! I saw a Western grebe, and a diving duck I'd never seen before - a Surf Scoter, a black and white bird with a bump on its orange bill.
I went through a little opening in a bank to a quieter part of the slough, and got a good look at some surprised harbor seals there. A couple youngsters seemed real curious about me and kept wanting to get closer. [photo right] I watched the brown pelicans up close for a long time, and watched some doing their aerial ballet for awhile as well. 
I was surprised that I enjoyed kayaking the swells of the ocean on my way back. The closer I got to the ocean, the higher the waves got. Although this was tame compared to ocean kayaking, it was more exciting than most of what my kayaking has been - on lakes, estuaries, and on rivers. This wasn't the most strenuous kayaking I've done - that was on a choppy Corpus Christi Lake - but this was still some pretty good exercise! 
After my kayaking, I drove to the other end of the slough, as the sun was starting to set. Saw some black-necked stilts and other beautiful water birds. I also saw some strange orange plants that looked like someone had spray-painted construction orange on the grass; I found out later that they are parasitic vines called dodder. Then I drove to Moss Landing Beach, and got a great view of the otters from the cliff above them. I also saw some long-billed curlews and godwits there so I plan to visit that place again, in the daytime. On my way home I drove through Castroville, the artichoke center of the world!This was another delightful day, from beginning to end. I enjoyed every minute, and really appreciated the sunshine and good weather. Besides making it more pleasant for the photographer, it makes the water so blue, and it makes the colors pop. :-)
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