Since Ryan and I both had yesterday (Wed the 17th) off, we decided to take a little kayaking adventure to Goat Island. It's a quaint little island that's a sea bird preserve so there's no camping or pets allowed. Also, you can only walk on the outer perimeter of the island as the middle is reserved for shearwater and other ocean fowl.
Here's a little fish that kept swimming alongside Ryan. There aren't many good pictures of him because he wouldn't get farther than a few inches from Ryan's face (and Ryan had the camera).
An egg we found on the walking path. We also saw some baby sea bird chicks but we didn't want to disturb them so we didn't take pictures.
Things I learned this trip:
1. Despite what everyone I have talked to has told me, I do not float while pregnant. I sink. Like a rock.
2. While everyone has seen, on tv and movies at least, a kayak flip roll or flip sideways, if taken out on big waves it can flip vertically. I do not recommend trying this for fun, you feel like you've been hit by a truck afterward.
3. Those killer abs I used to have... yeah they're gone. After the kayak flipped I tried to swim for shore. It was much harder than I remember. Also climbing into the kayak was very difficult.
So here's the whole story, coming back from the island the wind had picked up and the waves were larger than when we had gone to the island. Well, we caught probably the largest wave of the day right at the wrong moment, it picked us up vertically and broke right on top of us. Ryan flipped the kayak upright and after much struggle I climbed back in (not easy to do 30 lbs. overweight, 7 months pregnant, and in water way over my head). But the waves were just too strong and too big, every time Ryan got on the kayak we got flipped again (luckily we rolled sideways these times). Three times Ryan turned the kayak upright and, amazingly, I got back in only to be thrown back into the sea. The fourth time he flipped it over I told him to get in, paddle to shore, and I'd swim in, I just couldn't do it again (Ryan said he was impressed that I did it once, let alone three times). No sooner had I spoken, I hadn't even had the chance to hand him my oar, when another big wave caught the kayak and pushed Ryan all the way into shore. So I swam in lugging my paddle (it's amazing that both of us kept ahold of them during this whole thing).
Oh well, just another day in paradise.
2 comments:
I'm impressed. I have trouble getting out of the big comfy chair. I don't think I would have made it.
Wow.... your pretty strong and in good shape from 7 months pregnant.
All of the sudden I had visions of us Canoeing on the Brazos when a boat wake flipped our canoe. I went in after you and after putting you safely into the canoe was never able to pull myself back into it. I too, swam to shore.
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