Even more canoe

 Lately the canoe has gotten my attention more than the waves. I went out for a quick mid-week paddle at sunset with my son. This weekend the waves were probably good, but instead I did housework, watched a movie, napped, and took the canoe out. Saturday was doing all the chores, and Sunday was the lake day. I started by double checking the access at one reservoir (closed) then another (closed) then another in a different county (reservations required at least a day ahead). Frustrated but not defeated, I expanded the distance I needed to drive and found that Lake Hennessy in Napa County was open. It's kind of Lake Berryessa's little sister, but still plenty big enough that I wouldn't want to try to paddle to the far end with my son. (Partially because he likes to play with his oar, dragging it in the water and occasionally paddling backwards.)

The weather was perfect being sunny with a very light variable breeze. Before I even got the canoe loaded with gear my son was already exploring the muddy beach. He continues to be more interested in wandering the shore than being in the canoe or fishing. We paddled across to a spot next to some bullrush and I set-up the poles for fishing while he wandered the shore. I got one hook in the water and looked for him again. He had climbed up past where I thought he could make it, and it made me nervous. I reeled in and went to go get him.

He had found some exposed roots and that's how he climbed the 2-ft "cliff" between the rocky shore and the forest above. When I got there I found that mixed with the roots were leafless poison oak stems. I explained to him what probably happened (he brushed them) and that it wasn't an emergency, but we would need to take a good bath when we got home. He let me carry him back to the fishing poles and we got two hooks in the water for the first time in awhile.

He isn't interested in sitting and watching a bobber, so he's always fiddling with the line, reel, rod holder. He sat down to eat and had a few bites of everything I brought. While he was eating I was fishing, casting bait and bobber upwind next to the bullrush and letting it drift downwind away from the vegetation. He got excited watching me cast and wanted to give it a try. I gave up on catching anything and instead we worked on his casting. I remember how hard it is to learn and was able to remain patient with him. He remained calm too, and tried for about 10 times before loosing interest and suggesting we go for a hike. We negotiated that he would walk along the shore and I would follow along in the canoe. This worked pretty well and he asked for a ride across to the other shore. A little exploring up into the trees, but not far and always on the lookout for more leafless poison oak.

The day continued with more of the same activities, punctuated by people landing fish near enough to us that we could see what they caught. I would point it out to him, but he wasn't interested and didn't watch them land the fish. I really don't know about this kid. I think he's different than me and doesn't like the water so much. The fishing is probably just that he's young, and also that he's never caught any fish. I think that if I want a full fishing experience, or just a full day of canoeing, I need to go solo, or find another partner.

Next week will be a staycation at my parents beach house. I won't bring the canoe and instead bring a bunch of different surfboards. Hopefully the weather is good because I can find waves as long as it's not stormy.

North of here

Work required me to spend a few days in far northern/coastal California. I drove, which gave me the opportunity to surf along the way. Because this was far from home, I'll be extra careful to not give enough details for someone to follow in my footsteps. On the way up I went to a good spot that is well known but still uncrowded. The swell was small and the tide was mid-high, but still the waves were good. I arrived at dawn and having never been there before, I didn't know enough about the set-up to know where to surf. I waited for someone else to paddle out first and catch a few waves. It looked fun, with occasional head+ sets. I followed his lead and got a few waves. I was on my Hess mini-gun, a board I haven't ridden in awhile. It took awhile for me to figure out the wave catching sweet spot both for the board and for the wave. The worst part is I was chasing the small ones (and missing them) two times when a set came it. I fought through the set and got to the outside, only to wait again for another set. Time was running out but I really wanted a set wave so I sat on the outside and let the little ones go by. When the outside set finally did arrive it was bigger than all the rest and I couldn't get to the takeoff spot in time. So, a third set caught me inside. I ended up back outside, but had to paddle to the inside to get a wave to go back to the beach on. While I didn't catch any great waves, I saw plenty. Like most spots north of Santa Cruz, this one isn't worth a dedicated trip, but if you're in the area, bring your stuff.

I continued my drive north seeing surfable waves if I had time and dedication to surf them. The work I had to do allowed me to peak at the waves and I continued to see waves that I could have fun with. However, the swell died while I was busy working and by the time I was done and could go surf, there wasn't enough energy to power my mini-gun. I saw waves that would be fun on a longboard, others on a fish/quad, or a mid-length. In summary, I brought the one worst board for surfing on the drive home. I did have the surf mat with me, but wasn't feeling like riding it.

What was keeping my imagination stoked was the idea of accessing rivermouths by canoe. There are many large rivers in northern California with sand faced lagoons at the mouth. Some have roads, others don't. Some can't even be seen from a road so they could be perfection with nobody knowing it. That is unlikely the case this late in the season when most rivermouths are closed, or the sand has been flattened by summer. The most promising time is after some big flows when the river pushes a point of sediment into the Pacific Ocean. I've picked a spot not to far where I can do a day trip and learn what I need to know to handle a canoe with surfboards. Now I need to wait for the rain to come!