After the inital meet, Perky, Charming, DaveX and I were off to Santa Barbara for a day of kayaking! I've had a hankering to try it for about a year, and Perky's suggestion came at the perfect time, ie: during the massive heat wave.
Being as DX is a soundtrack critic, we discussed movies and soundtracks all the way up. The one produced soundtrack we can all agree on is Garden State, which we all love. My produced list also included Phenomenon, Holes, and Hope Floats. As for scored music, I love the music for
The Last of the Mohicans, and can remember being stirred by the music of
The Piano ... although my favorite all-time scored song is the full orchestral version of the theme song from Love Story.
When we finally made it up to the marina, who should we see in the rear view mirror ... BH! and Wooloo, the very people we were meeting. Trudged over to the kayak store, irritated the cute and tatted rental guy, and ate breakfast. Back at the kayak store, we paid separately (furthering the irritation factor), but CATRG must have liked us, because he only charged us the 2 hour rate for the 4 hours we planned on being gone. After a quick lesson on the basics of kayaking, we were off!
Before we had left (the rather extensive) harbor, I had reason to be grateful for the basics lesson. I fell over. Yup, in the nasty and absolutely disgusting harbor water. If FGITW had been there, she would have commiserated with me over my impending gonorrhea (not giardia, mind you)! I felt so icky that I decided to do it again once out in the open water, much to the delight of the sea lions on the nearby buoy, who woke up enough to bark for an encore. And after two dips in the ocean, I decided to not do any more acrobatics until I had a paying audience (by which I mean that I learned to lean back, not tense up, and paddle at right angles to the waves).
We paddled over to the beach just up the coast. Got out and did a litle frolicking, but decided that kayaking was more fun. So out we went again. BH! was the last on shore, as he helped me and Wooloo to get on and out past the breakers. We continued up the coast, and decided to round the point. When we reached the area, we beheld a beautiful small cliffy area with trees bordering the top. Also at this point, the water smoothed out and assumed the appearance of molten glass. I stopped paddling so I could just contemplate the sheer perfection of it. I felt as I were flying over a kelp forest. Every once in a while a dark shadow beneath would move, giving me shivers as I imagined large sea beasts meandering beneath my insubstantial piece of plastic.
A bit further we went, and then I started heading back. Not that I was through for the day, but I wanted to check out the surfers ... both traditional and those using kites to harness the power of the wind. Amazing.
BH! and Wooloo eventually caught up with me. We found that going back, while easier due to the pull of the tide, was also more screwy, as it was impossible to move in a straight line; half of our energies were spent trying to stay on course. When we got to the ramparts (I know there's a more specific word, but can't think of it now ... anyway, a rocky barrier with a walkway on top), the other two paddled out a distance and battled the surf, but I let the tide carry me along. Occassionally I dipped my paddle in the water to direct my path, but the swirling water did all the propulsion work. Once back at the shop, we returned the gear and surreptitiously used the hose in the back to clean off the mucky water. It was here that I discovered the awful sunburn that extended the length of each leg, and made my face look like a veteran ski bum's. Alack and aday ... my sunglasses and hat didn't protect me from the reflection off of the waves, and I'd forgotten to slather stuff on my legs!
Quick dinner at Acapulco (where I satisfied my craving for fish tacos), and we were back on the road to LA. At home, after surveying the damage, I decided that Camp Hollywood would have to wait for another year.
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