Everyone's Travel Club celebrated Spring with a short, 2 hour kayak in Lake Washington. I put in in North Seattle at Matthews Beach (see the map below). It was a great place to launch, however, I bet in summer the lifeguards won't let you put in (like most beaches in Seattle).
After about an hour I arrived at St. Edward park across the water in Kenmore. It's a great park to explore on foot but I stayed close to the water on this trip. On the way back the little wind there was completely died...I'm not sure if I've ever seen it that calm on Lake Washington...enjoy the pics! ~Paul ETC
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Our recent kayak under the super moon reminded me of our last full moon kayak trip in Lake Washington, here's another from the archives!
Everyone's Travel Club took a little paddle in Lake Washington at midnight! We took advantage of the full moon, threw the lights on my 2 Innova Safari inflatable kayaks and took off.
We launched from the boat ramp near Camel Tree, paddled across to Mercer Island, then South to Seward Park, North by Lakewood Moorage, then back to the Tree. It was beautiful to be out kayaking in the middle of the night (P.S. - For all of those who haven't visited Seattle, imagine no humidity in the summer, no bugs, no snakes, basically you/kayak/moonlight/lake)! ~Paul & John E.T.C. I've been kayaking under a full moon before, but never a super moon! Apparently, last night, Earth was as close to the moon (or the moon was as close to the Earth) as it would be for the next 19 years. That fun fact, combined with clear skies, no wind, and mild Seattle temperatures made for a beautiful paddle in Lake Washington. Taking pictures in the dark is always tricky - but here they are! Also, I must admit being completely freaked out when I finally decided to come back in. I guess I was landing right next to a beaver condo development. Beavers everywhere - making huge splashes with their tails probably trying to keep me away. I thought I was being attacked by high schoolers with rocks...beavers: 1, ETC: 0. Paul ~Everyone's Travel Club Here's 9 seconds of moonlight kayaking...the whole experience is hard to capture (as it should be)!
Welcome back as Everyone's Travel Club shares pics from a recent paddle around Mercer Island Washington. We ended the last post at a small sailboat race just off of Leschi.
Now we turn towards Bellevue (the city in the pic below) to the East and eventually the South, making our way towards our lunch spot: Luther Burbank Park.
Luther Burbank park is great stop on this trip. They have lots of waterfront with several nice places to pull up and stretch the legs (or launch from at another time). I prefer to beach my kayak on rocky patches (the small, smooth, Northwest rocks) so I don't sink into mud or sand when I step out. It also helps when it's time to pack up, avoiding sand/mud keeps the kayak clean when you put it back in the backpack.
Lunchtime...with friends.
Lunch break at the park over...time to press on. From the park heading South started to feel like the long stretch of the trip...
Pretty nice if you're into giant, awesome, bigger than some houses, super yachts. I kinda prefer the boat below:)
I-90 again.
Just park your planes on the dock...or...
...pull it into a hangar right next to your house (very 007).
Less 007 below, but still cool...Tug!
We're about to round our final turn of the Island and start heading North towards Seward Park!
Just...about...
...made it.
The circumnavigation is complete. If I had to do it over again I would probably go in the opposite direction (I went North from Seward Park to start because of the sailboat race at Leschi). That way I could break at Luther Burbank Park 3/4 way through the trip rather than 1/4 the way around. Other than that, a great trip, I'd do it again in a heartbeat...
-Paul E.T.C. Didn't see part 1? Click here! |
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