Shhhh, the well kept secret of Elkhorn Slough

When I was growing up, my father disliked going anywhere he couldn't return home to his front porch by sundown. It makes me smile, knowing he would have approved of the summer we've been having this year. Instead of going on "vacat-ions", we have gone on "stay-cations"--day trips to places in our area we have never been to before.

Yesterday’s backyard adventure took us to nearby Elkhorn Slough, an ecological treasure, tucked secretly between the two popular tourist destinations of Monterey and Santa Cruz. These other two flashy destinations attract tourists like magnets, while sleepy little Moss Landing, where the Elkhorn Slough resides, goes relatively unnoticed—except by those who know what they are looking for. And yesterday we knew exactly what we wanted to see: an amazing wildlife ecosystem filled with sea birds, California sea otters, California sea lions, harbor seals, and other interesting creatures!

Since this was our first visit to the Slough, we decided to book a three hour kayaking tour through Kayak Connection:

http://www.kayakconnection.com/tours_page.php?id=12&keywords=3-hour_Tour

That way, if one of us over-turned, there would be someone that knew what they were doing to rescue us! It was also nice to have someone narrate what we were looking at, as well as point out the varying wildlife.

Since we were rowing most of the time, it was a bit hard to take too many photos, but here are a few from our trip.

Above: Our first sighting of wildlife was along a beach we paddled past. On the left are California sea lions, and on the right, harbor seals.

Our guide pointed out the differences between the sea lions and the seals. The California sea lions (above) are brown, have ear flaps, and their faces are similar to that of a dog. They are more active than harbor seals.

The harbor seals (above) are multi colored, lack ear flaps, and look like giant slugs! But, once either get in the water, they are equally fluid and graceful. They came right by our boats-- popping their heads up to watch us, or jumping in small arches from the water.

Above: harbor seals on the left and brown pelicans on the right (click on photo to enlarge).

Our kids were troopers; they more agilely paddled around in their kayak than we did in ours! (Kids above, old people below!)

Below: Elaine with the sea lions and seals.

More California sea lions (below).


Here are just a few other things we saw on our trip through the Slough: brown pelicans diving for food, a group of white pelicans floating by, double-crested cormorants skimming across the water, a snowy white egret standing as still as a statue, and giant red jellies pulsing by under the kayaks. We also saw numerous sea otters floating on their backs--breaking open shellfish by pounding them into the rocks resting on their tummies. An incredible display of nature at its best!


Ahhhh, three hours with squadrons of pelicans soaring above, rafts of sea otters floating by our sides—the engaging magic of Elkhorn Slough! It was sad to see the tour come to an end, but my aching arms told me it was time. Being such a well kept secret has probably enabled the Slough to remain the rare, vibrant wildlife ecosystem it is today.

After spending the rest of our magical day in Monterey, we headed back home . . . to my front porch . . . before sundown.

For more information on Elkhorn Slough, go to:

http://www.elkhornslough.org/