Sunny, Happy Days

We have been having the most amazing weather on the Mendocino Coast. Coastal conditions have been a little rough, but the weather on the Noyo River couldn't be much better - sunny, warm, with intermittent light breezes.

Fourth of July weekend is traditionally foggy on the Mendocino Coast. We usually get teaser bits of sunshine as the fog rolls in and out. I have heard that this was the case in some areas along the coast but all that we saw was SUNSHINE!


The sunshine of course motivates many to come kayaking. It was fun to share the sunny weather and a variety of adventures with both visitors and locals. We had many first time kayakers taking their first paddle strokes and enjoying the sheltered waters of the Noyo River.


On our Noyo River kayak tours, we were treated to wildlife sightings that included a newly fledged kestrel, harbor seals, osprey, nesting swallows, black-crowned night herons, deer, and even an otter made an appearance.


Many of our renters who meandered up the river got to see Pacific Pond Turtles basking in the sunshine.


For those that wanted a bit more adventure, we had a fun time sharing our Whitewater of the Sea kayaking adventure.


Word is that the long range forecast is more of the same . . .

Birding by Kayak

On June 25, Liquid Fusion Kayaking and the Mendocino Coast Audubon Society (MCAS) teamed up to offer a birding by kayak trip on the Noyo River.


It turned out to be a fantastic day - warm and sunny with a great group of folks and lots of bird activity. Late spring/early summer is one of our favorite times of the year for birding because of all the nesting and breeding activity.


On our kayak birding trip, we were treated to lots of singing as well as observing some newly fledged belted kingfishers, common merganser ducklings, and an active osprey nest.


For those that missed the trip or those who can't wait until next year to do the trip again, stop by and bird with us from our deck over the Noyo River at Dolphin Isle Marina. Lately we have been enjoying Downy Woodpeckers, Chestnut-backed Chickadees, Anna's Hummingbirds, Wilson's Warblers, and Black-headed Grosbeaks in the alder tree over our deck. Or get out on the water and bird on one of our kayak tours or on one of our rental kayaks.


You can also check out our facebook page and our blog about birds and wildlife that we are seeing from our kayaks on the Noyo River and other Mendocino County waters including sea kayak trips in the ocean and whitewater trips on Rancheria Creek and the Russian and Eel Rivers.


Here is a link to our photo gallery from the day and a list of bird species from our trip (please comment if I missed any): Pelagic Cormorant, Double Crested Cormorant, Black-crowned Night Heron (juvenile), Green Heron, Great Blue Heron, Canada Goose, Mallard, Common Merganser, Red-shouldered Hawk, Osprey, Western Gull, Mourning Dove, Band-tailed Pigeon, Stellar's Jay, Anna's Hummingbird, Acorn Woodpecker, Belted Kingfisher, Violet-green Swallow, Barn Swallow, Cliff Swallow, Rough-legged Swallow, Pacific-slope Flycatcher, Western Wood-Peewee, Black Phoebe, Chestnut-backed Chickadee, Black-headed Grosbeak, Swainson's Thrush, Orange-crowned Warbler, Wilson's Warbler, House Finch, Purple Finch, Goldfinch, and Western Tanager.

Tour de Mendo - June 2011

We love running Tour de Mendo trips. Each trip is different with different venues and different paddlers. The primary goal of the Tour de Mendo is to explore and play in kayaks along the Mendocino Coast - FUN, FUN, FUN!!!


Our most recent group of paddlers came from San Diego, Orange County, and LA. Of the 6 paddlers, only one had paddled the Mendocino Coast before with us so Day 1 was an instructional tour day. We launched from Liquid Fusion Kayaking headquarters on the Noyo River and headed out to the coast. Once in the ocean, we started with teaching (reviewing for some) the basics of kayaking in ocean rock gardens including safety and play.


And of course enjoyed lunch on a beach.


And lots of rock garden play.


Day 2 was a paddle out of Russian Gulch. This is probably one of the most spectacular stretches of the Mendocino Coast to explore by sea kayak. We explored many of the sea caves, tunnels, arches, and hidden coves as we paddled north to the Point Cabrillo Lighthouse.


It was an outstanding day with lots of wonder and awe as well as lots of play. Everyone's highlight of the day was negotiating some technical routes that through rock gardens with chaotic waters. It is super fun to lead a group of skilled paddlers through these tight, technical passages.

This year it was fun to have the group staying in the vacation rental at Dolphin Isle. It is a great space for a group of paddlers. A large private deck is perfect for drying gear and the location is within 50 yards of LFK headquarters.


It was also a great staging point for food preparation for an evening potluck and campfire at LFK.


We had a very special trip in mind for Day 3. It is definitely off the beaten paddle, and we were looking forward to having a group with the skills to share it with. However, the Fog Bug that has been plaguing our cameras decided to envelope us for the day. We shifted gears and decided to go paddle and play on the Noyo River.


It was a nice relaxing rest day for the group followed by our Eel River Paddle to the Sea presentation at Silver's at the Wharf.


We had been having unseasonably calm conditions. Wind and rough seas are typical for June so we were fortunate to have had a couple of calm days with small swells. Day 4 was more typical of spring paddling on the Mendocino Coast. The wind and the seas had kicked up. We enjoyed some really fun technical meandering along the Fort Bragg Coastline with a little bit of rock gardening and surfing play.


We returned to the Noyo Beach for some play in short boats (whitewater kayaks). This was an introduction to some members of the group and conditions had picked up so we kept things on the mellow side.


The Tour de Mendo is one of our favorite trips to guide. It is fun to share our backyard with a group of competent sea kayakers. This trip was special because it was the first one that Jeff and I got to guide together. We are looking forward to guiding more Tour de Mendo's together (If you want to join us, we have a couple of spaces left on our September Tour de Mendo's and offer custom/private trips).


Here is a link to our photo gallery from the trip.