Bike Touring on Texel Island

I'm in Delft! This post is not about kayaking...

Bridget spontaneously decided to come visit for 2 weeks after her work cruise in Romania was cancelled. The Netherlands is close to Romania, right? She arrived a day after me and we've been exploring the city of Delft together. Of course, our first inclination was to get out of the city, so we made plans to visit Texel Island, which is one in a string of barrier islands (the Frisian Islands) along the Netherlands, Germany, and Denmark. The map below shows the West Frisian Islands, along the Dutch coast. Texel island is the furthest west, and connects to the mainland (city of Den Helder) by ferry.

From the Delft train station (~1 mile from my apartment), we took two trains to reach Den Helder. From there, we wandered along the levee in Den Helder until we found the ferry terminal (vaarhaven).

The levee/seawall along the coast in Den Helder. No beach left here...

Almost at the ferry terminal

Texel Island is best seen by bike, so we rented bikes next to the ferry terminal when we arrived. We rented the cheap bikes (no gears) for 12 euros/person for 2 days. It took some finagling to attach my backpack to the back of the bike. This was my first overnight bike trip, so it was all new to me. Bridget informed me that this was NOT how bike gear is normally organized. We rode 12 km to Den Koog, which is on the northern coast of the island. On either side we were greeted with picturesque fields of sheep, cows, and horses.

Happy Bridget, moments before her backpack fell off the bike.

Massive backpack strapped to bike.

Baaaaa

The rest of the afternoon was a combination of (covered) patio drinks, window shopping, beach wandering, biking, and admiring the Dutch style of camping (Monster tents with wifi, front porches, fully equipped kitchens, and multiple rooms). We scouted out a lunch spot behind a beach bar which was in a wind shadow, only to have sand dumping on our heads and picnic from above. Mmmmm crunchy cheese. We spent a few hours huddling in the tent during the afternoon thunderstorms, after which we went on a much less gear-laden bike ride to the neighboring Dunes of Texel National Park and watched the sunset from the beach.

One example of a massive Dutch-style encampment

Hiding in our mini tent during one of many afternoon thunderstorms

Sunset walk at the Dunes of Texel National Park

The next morning we woke to a reasonably dry tent and a glint of sunlight. However, by the time we had packed up our bags, the rain was pummeling the tent once again. We conducted the worlds fastest tent take-down and ate our last bread and cheese in the campground bathrooms (less gross than you're imagining). We returned to our bikes and unlocked the super fancy Dutch locks (which lock across the spokes of the back wheel, simply preventing it from rotating. This allows you to leave the bike standing anywhere). On the trip back to the ferry terminal we encountered a massive deluge of rain and hail. After a few minutes of the intensity, we took shelter behind a small shed, huddling next to a French couple. We saw some of our biking acquaintances (other bikers who passed/we passed intermittently) battling the storm and waved from our happy dry spot. Back at the ferry terminal we shared grins of mutual understanding: we survived the storm together.

Huddling behind a shed, hiding from the hail and torrential downpour.

Tomales Bay Overnight #2: Inverness to Fruit Tree Beach

A couple weeks ago a patchwork group of us spent a night camping out on Tomales Bay. Last year's trip was super fun and we wanted to recreate it. This year we started on the west side of the Bay, near Inverness, and paddled north until we found a beach that was sufficiently wide for camping. For the rest, I'm going to be lame for this trip and refer you to Rob's blog post (click the Journal tab), which awesomely and succinctly describes this year's fun. He also has all my photos, so go look there! :)

Dates: June 21st and 22nd
Distance: ~8.5 miles
Time: 2 days!

The National Park Service map of boat-in sites a bit more helpful...

Dinoflagellate discoveries, sponsored by Bud Light Lime

Today I'm digging into the archives to recount my first true overnight kayak camping trip in California (sad, I know). Beth, Sara, Eddie, Joel, Christina, Brian, Alice, and I camped overnight at Tomales Beach in Tomales Bay. Dane + 2 friends joined us for the Saturday paddle and lunch.

Sponsored by Bud Light Lime.

A few of us hiked up the access road for some wonderful views of the Bay.

Tomales Beach from above. Photo © 2013 Joël Thai

Dinner of sauteed veggies and short ribs. Photo © 2013 Joël Thai

After a delicious dinner of sauteed veggies and Korean short ribs (great suggestion by Christina), a group of us embarked on a sunset paddle. We promised Christina and Brian that we'd be back in an hour and headed north. It was a cool evening, but the breeze had calmed down (Tomales Bay tends to be very windy in the afternoons). We set our sights on Hog Island, about 1.8 miles north of Tomales Beach. Along the way, Eddie (fellow hydrologist) and I noticed a drop in the water surface and a narrow band of turbulence spanning the Bay. We decided that this was caused by a slight narrowing of the Bay and the outgoing tide. This USGS map shows that this spot, known as Pelican Point, is about 30 meters deeper than the surrounding areas.

Approaching Hog Island at dusk. Photo © 2013 Joël Thai

30 minutes later we were still quite far from Hog Island, and dusk was setting in. After a long discussion we decided to continue on, magnetized by the eerie island in the distance. Upon closer inspection, the trees were densely populated by a colony of cormorants and painted white with a thick layer of bird poop. With darkness setting in, the rustling birds and sparse vegetation made the island feel quite spooky.

Cormorants in the tree on Hog Island. Photo © 2013 Joël Thai. Did you know that Hog Island was purchased for $800 in 1906 when the previous owner went bankrupt? What a steal for 2 acres!

As we paddled back, I gradually became aware of my paddle moving through the water with each stroke.  At first I assumed this was my anticipation of returning to the beach, where a warm fire was awaiting us. However, I couldn't seem to take my eyes off my paddle blades, and soon realized that I was experiencing a special Tomales Bay phenomenon: bioluminescence, the production of light by living organisms. In Tomales Bay these organisms are called "dinoflagellates". They are most prolific during late summer and early fall when strong winds cause upwellings (when deep, cold, nutrient-rich water swirls up to the surface). They gather the sun's energy during the day and glow when jostled. This is thought to be a defense mechanism. When I pointed this out to my fellow paddlers, they were skeptical at first. Darkness hadn't set in entirely, and the glow was still very faint. The dinoflagellates tend to cluster in eelgrass beds, which are abundant in the shallower parts of the Bay. When we reached a patch of eelgrass, the water around us began to sparkle with bright green light, and the splashing began! We excitedly returned to the campsite and encouraged other reluctant campers to get back into their cold, damp, kayaks to make their own watery fireworks. It was harder to see the glow from the beach, where headlamps and campfires overpowered the glow. However, simply walking in the wet sand left glowing footprints behind! We stayed in our boats as long as possible, splashing and trying to take pictures of the magical glow until the cold drove us to the brighter campfire.

On trip to Point Reyes two weeks later, many of us saw the bioluminescence in another form. As we stood on the beach at Coast Camp (on the west side of the peninsula), flashes of green light lit up the shoreline with each crashing wave.

The next morning we packed up our tents and began the long paddle back. The wind was strong, and we were relieved to finally reach the parking lot. 

Boats loaded up and ready to go home. Photo © 2013 Joël Thai

The overnight crew! Photo © 2013 Joël Thai

Date: Saturday/Sunday August 13-14th, 2013
Time: 2 days!
Distance ~ 11 miles (very rough)

Southport Island in Boothbay, Maine

(This day actually happened before the previous post)

Now that you're all (the 3 of you who actually read this) probably getting bored of my posts, I've invited a guest blogger!!! I now present you with Jeff Buchman, kayaking partner for the weekend of 7/9-7/11 on our visit to Boothbay Harbor in Maine...

(Plotting our course on Friday night by candle lantern light)

Saturday morning we awoke to the sound of what we though were rain drops on the tent but it turns out it was only large amounts of fog dripping off of the trees. Since it was predicted to thunderstorm I was more than willing to deal with heavy fog since last time I checked no one was ever electrocuted by fog. When we arrived at the beach at Gray Homestead Oceanfront Camping where we were staying we couldn’t see Squirrel Island which is only about 1 mile off the coast of Southport Island where we were due to the thick fog. As we were launching, the fog began to lift and a little bit of sun began to shine from behind the clouds. The first part of the trip was against the tide toward the open Atlantic. While paddling against the tide is a bit more challenging, it is somewhat reassuring to know that if something goes wrong you won’t be getting swept out into the North Atlantic. The wave height was probably 3-4 feet but unlike the Lake Ontario waves we are used to where 3-4 feet means breakers these were all swells with a long wavelength so it was very gentle.

(Nena paddling east towards the open ocean)

As we approached the Cuckold Island Lighthouse, the waves began to get a little bit bigger and we could see fairly large breakers in the distance so we made the decision to cut through Cape Harbor on the south end of Southport Island. We had been debating crossing Sheepscot Bay to the Five Islands area but since there was thick fog moving in and out we decided it would be best to stick to shore and paddle the circumference of Southport instead. While paddling along the western coast of the island we found a number of pleasantly named coves (Christmas Cove, Cozy Cove, etc...) to explore which ensured us that our decision to forgo the crossing would not be regretted.

(Jeff paddling past the Cuckold Island lighthouse)

While in Cozy Cove we saw an area that had a gate built across it and an opening just big enough for a kayaker to squeeze through so naturally we had to investigate (Note from Nena: I managed to run head-on into the edge of the gate and nearly flip myself, but Jeff is being nice and not mentioning it). Inside we found a large salt water pond with a few unused docks that were covered with the remains of seabird meals. Nena found a nice sea urchin skeleton and cleaned it up to take with her but sadly it was later crushed. We stopped for lunch on what we first thought was an uninhabited island but after getting out of the boats we found there we a number of cabins near our landing point. Upon closer inspection no one was in the cabins so we decided to stay and eat lunch while the sun was shining. After lunch some threatening clouds appeared in the west so we decided to up the pace and try to get into the shelter of Townsend Gut (a gut is a small body of water connecting two larger bodies of water) on the north end of the island before any sort of storm appeared. In what became a theme for the weekend, the threatening clouds produced only a slight drizzle. The bridge on Route 27 crossing over Townsend Gut onto Southport Island is a swing bridge so taller boats can get through. Rather than splitting in the middle the whole bridge pivots on a center point and rotates 90 degrees, moving itself out of the way.

(A pile of lobster traps in Christmas Cove)

The paddle back to the campground at low tide was rather uneventful until we reached the take-out and decided to get out on the small floating dock they had there. The combination of two sea kayaks, a steeply angled ramp, and a moving platform made getting the boat up to the beach a bit tricky so after maneuvering Nena’s boat up the ramp we decided it would be best if I paddled back to the beach. Our first day of paddling covered 13 miles and about 100 feet of swimming off the dock once we got back to the campground.

Date: Saturday, July 10th 2010
Distance: 13 miles
Time: ~4.5 hours (incl. lunch)

After paddling we decided to head to the lovely little town of Boothbay Harbor where to cure her headache most likely caused by dehydration Nena had some espresso and double chocolate gelato. I decided to go local and try the sea salt gelato, it was surprisingly good. We spent a few hours exploring the town before going back to camp to get ready for Sunday’s paddle. (see previous post)

~ Jeff

Adventures with Julia and Thundery Kayaking

Warning: This post is too long and I know it... I promise I'll try and keep it more concise from now on!

This weekend I met up with the lovely Julia Schoen in Portsmouth, NH for a weekend of sunny beaches and other adventures. But since this is a kayaking blog, I will cover that part first!

After Julia and I sadly parted ways (she's off to Brazil for a year), I was due to meet up with some kayakers from the NH AMC paddlers group at Odiorne Point State Park in Rye, NH. There were 5 of us in total. The tide (! that scary thing that doesn't exist where I come from) was really low when we put in, so the banks of the shore were SUPER muddy and I almost lost my chacos getting in. Normally I try to keep my feet dry when I'm getting in my boat (call me a wimp), but there really was no getting around it this time (and of course I couldn't seem like a wimp around these new peeps!).

Date: 6/20/10
Distance: ~4 miles


As we were first heading out, we heard some rumbling in the distance, but the trip leaders said it was from a nearby bridge. It was definitely thunder. But as usual, I figured these NH'ers knew what they were doing and followed blindly (do you see a theme? if not, read the previous post). We paddled along the beaches at the park and then cut across to circumnavigate Leachs Island. On the way over there we had to pass under a bridge that kind of constricted the water, and since the tide was coming back in we were flushed right through. As I was being rushed towards the bridge, it occurred to me that a couple of the bridge supports were closer together than the length of a sea kayak, and definitely would have made for some good strainers. I only realized this at the last moment and had to resort to a hasty yet somewhat effective side slip. Woohoo!

The way back through the bridge was a lot harder because the flow rate had increased and the downstream water was churning in all kinds of directions. I hopped in an eddy before ferrying across and paddling as hard as I could upstream to get back to the other side (COE whitewater class is highly recommended!) .

Once we were on the other side of the bridge the rain started coming down and the thunder picked up again. I was not so cool with that, and the end was in sight, so I paddled in as fast as possible. Just as I got my boat up onto my car there was a HUGE crack of thunder directly over our heads. I probably jumped 1.5 feet into the air and decided to make the trip home in my wet clothes. For some reason everyone else seemed less phased than me... maybe I should add thunderstorms to my list of fears (right after spiders), or maybe I just have a very conservative attitude towards kayaking in thunderstorms.

ANYWAYS, I made it home alive, only slightly dusted with dried salt water and frizzy hair. I miss my Rochester and Ithaca paddling buddies!

This is the part where you stop reading if you just care about kayaking (perfectly valid).

Rewinding now to Friday night. Julia and I both pulled into the parking lot of Shel-Al Campground (we think it's a contraction of the superbly sweet owners' names) exactly 2 hours later than planned. I managed to leave my tent in the backyard and only realize once I was halfway to the coast, and she locked her keys in the car and printed out the wrong directions. It worked out quite well!

There really aren't many places to camp along the NH coast (correct me if I'm wrong). Shel-Al was the only one within a reasonable driving distance of the coast, and it's mainly focused on trailers. But it worked out quite nicely since there were very few tent-ers there this weekend.

Both Friday and Saturday night we went into Portsmouth and explored. It's a really lovely city with a bunch of streets with *local* restaurants and shops. I'd love to return when my mother is in a shopping mood (is that terrible of me?). After making a stop on Newcastle Island (just had to do it. brown ale is just too good), we had dinner downtown at a little seafood restaurant with a very friendly waitress. After dinner we sat on a big rock by the ocean and listened to the waves.

On Newcastle Island:

On Saturday we drove up and down the coast (Route 1A, Ocean Blvd) multiple times, testing out Odiorne Point, Rye, Jenness, Hampton Beach. Julia made me get in the water, which was good because I'm a chicken when it comes to these (icy cold) things... While in search of a surf shop we discovered a delicious little cafe on 7th street in Hampton called KB Bagels. Highly recommended.


Saturday night we cooked couscous and black beans for dinner, and I took an ice-cold shower to dampen the terrible sunburn I managed to acquire. Around dusk we decided to make some hot drinks and the mosquitoes decided to join us. They came out in droves and we fled to the safety of the Volvo. We put the seats back, sipped our hot cocoa with Bailey's, listened to Jack Johnson, and watched our classy neighbors setting off fireworks (just for us of course). Magical.

The next morning we woke up to the 4am alarm and dragged ourselves back to the coast to watch the sunrise (5:03am). At first we were worried that it would hide behind the clouds, but around 5:30am it revealed it's cheery face. It was quite a relief since Julia would have hated me forever if it hadn't.


After another trip to KB's for some much needed coffee and a frigid swim (by Julia), we parted ways. Now you can scroll back to the top and start over! (This is the post that never ends... and it goes on and on....... sorry.)