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)!

Spring is in the air - the first day of spring is tomorrow - and the sun is actually shining in Seattle today.  A perfect morning to walk around the Ballard Locks. If you're new to the area, the locks are great for tourists - it forces you to get out and explore more of the city (it seems like most tourists get stuck downtown for most of their trip). They're free, and you could easily spend from 1 hour to a half-day watching salmon, boats, taking a guided tour, and maybe having lunch nearby or a picnic on the grounds.

The Hiram M. Chittenden Locks are located in Seattle's Ballard neighborhood.  This is where the saltwater meets the freshwater  - the lakes in the middle of the city empty out to the Puget Sound (and then eventually to the ocean). The locks were built between 1911 and 1917 to regulate the water level in Seattle's lakes (lake Union and lake Washington), to prevent the saltwater of the Sound from intruding into the freshwater of the lakes, and to allow boats to move between the waters.

There is a nice park/botanical garden at the Locks, restaurants and coffee close by, lots of parking (park a block away for free), and a cool fish ladder to watch migrating salmon.  Migrating juvenile salmon (sockeye, chinook, coho, and steelhead) leave lake Washington watershed for the Pacific ocean. Mature salmon return 3-5 years later to spawn and die. It's basically get born in the freshwater, swim and live life in the saltwater, then return to make babies and call it quits - not a bad way to live I'd say.

The real fun at the Locks however, is just watching all of the boat traffic. I've been lucky enough to have lived right across the street from the Locks years ago, and have been through on a boat several times too (and I'm sure I'll go through many times in the near future). Wanna see more pictures from the Locks?  Check out the slideshow below, and get out and go see the Ballard Locks!

~Paul   ETC

Hello kayak/sailing/monster-hunting enthusiasts,
Everyone's Travel Club returns with a quick post of pictures from a few "sculptures" lurking about the Shilshole Marina in Seattle, Washington, U.S.A.
The photo above is what local blogs are calling the sea serpent. She sits on the break-wall rocks that guard the marina from incoming wake and waves of the Puget Sound. 
Below, a photo Leif and part of the new Scandinavian memorial!

Here is the new marina building...the sea serpent looks towards this building day and night...

Ahead of the sea serpent is "Dead Leif", sword and all.

I caught these photos aboard Orion, but I do think the serpent could be easily viewed this close by kayak, just watch the boat traffic on this side and wind pushing waves and wake against the rocks on the other side of the break-wall.
Sea Serpent!
~Paul          -Everyone's Travel Club 

Hello underwater forest explorers! Everyone's Travel Club set out to see if the legend was true: a sunken forest in nearby Lake Sammamish. Washington Legend has it that a thousand year old earthquake caused a landslide, sinking the forest. Apparently there are sunken forests like this one in Lake Washington too. Let's do it!

We put together our inflatable Innova Helios 2 on Sunset Beach in Lake Sammamish State Park.

We're off!

Within' about a 1/2 hour paddling North, we could already see signs of the underwater trees.

...and baby trees growing on top of underwater ones...

Time to head back (that's the state park ahead).

Wildlife.

The legend is true!  The sunken forest does exist! A great trip for everyone, we were probably only gone a couple of hours, totally worth it!
~Paul & Amber   ETC

​