To White Slough on Labor Day

One tern per piling seems to be the rule at this burned out dock.

Greg keeps up with the current on his way south.

I paddled to a couple of new campsites this gorgeous Labor Day weekend.  I launched from the C Street dock on the Eureka waterfront late Saturday morning and fought the tide south on the way to King Salmon.  I topped only to take a few photos on the way.  I came upon Greg from Pacific Outfitters going the same way near Fairhaven.  He was just holding his own against the current with the pedals and sail on his Hobie.  He passed me once the wind picked up and while I was making photos.

 

The weathered remains of the trees on the beach made an interesting sight.

The old Humboldt Bay Yacht Club sparkles in the sun.

I headed straight for King Salmon from there and crossed the wide part of the bay in front of the Bar. 

I chose the end of the beach furthest from the houses.

It took about an hour to cross to the beach at King Salmon, where I found as many dogs as people.  I checked out possible camp sites and decided on the beach inside the breakwaters.   I had coffee and waited for evening.  The dogs on the beach got interested when I was cooking dinner and a few people asked about the kayak.  I had a good view of the Bar from my beach and the sport and commercial boats coming and going. 

A long exposure and resting the camera on the boat captures the glow of the city and lights up the beach.

The last few beachgoers left a little after sunset and no one bothered me that night; I slept well, waking up just to see the big moon and the lights of Eureka.

 

I waited for the tide to rise so I could keep paddling!

I took my time about getting on the water the next morning because the tide was low and would be going my way for hours.  In an hour I was deep in the mudflats of southbay and waiting for the tide to rise so I could keep going!   It took an other hour, but finally I was able to paddle into the main channel of White Slough and my next night’s camp.  Again, I checked the whole area at the end of the slough for the best site and decided on the flat top of a dike overlooking the place that the Jupiter used to rest in the mud.

 

I look over the site of the old dredge- Jupiter- that made the dikes all over the bay and finally rested in the mud ’til it burned to the waterline.

I had the whole day ahead of me, so I took photos, relaxed, talked to myself, took more photos, made coffee, ate lunch, etc.    It was good that I didn’t camp in the woods below the dike, because it was currently home to a bear.  That made me a little wakeful that night, but the only disturbance I had was from a possum coming down the dike.

Crossing the Bay again was foggy this time.

To make the tide this time I got up at 5 o’clock.  After coffee,and granola/yogurt, I headed back at 6:30 and was at King Salmon at low tide- just in time to get the current back to the Eureka waterfront.  I reached the C Street dock at 10 o’clock and had the whole rest of the day to dry and put the gear away.

 

Mark