Nature Therapy

I recently heard the statistic that the average American only spends 15 minutes per day outside.  Research studies are showing the beneficial effects on mind and body of being out in nature.  Schedule it into your day and get out there!  Ideally around trees and/or water but at a minimum getting outside is beneficial.

Enjoying a hike in the Redwood Forest in Mendocino County, California.

Need some inspiration - here is a 1 minute video that I created from some nature, wildlife and kayaking clips from Fort Bragg's Noyo River.  Take a moment and enjoy . . .

To share our love of nature, Jeff and I are offering a nature therapy aka forest bathing experience.  Check out Liquid Fusion Kayaking's  Forest Immersion Tour.

The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly

Some days life as a kayak guide isn't glamorous, but with anything in life there is the good, the bad, and the ugly.

This week's good has been the amazing experiences that I have gotten to share with people kayaking on Fort Bragg's Noyo River.  On Sunday, we hosted the Mendocino Coast Audubon Society for a bird paddle.  It was great to share the water with 12 other birding enthusiasts.  Some had paddled the Noyo many times.  For some 40 year residents of the Mendocino Coast, it was a magical first time.

Also good, were some friends doing their annual father's day paddle on the Noyo,


a first time Greenland Paddler,


and sighting 2 river otters and lots of Pacific Pond Turtles.

The bad - Jeff hurt his back and is literally laid out on his back.  I guess this is inevitable when one throws kayaks around all day long.  This has made me Liquid Fusion Kayaking's one woman show (please be patient - I will return your phone calls, emails, and get you out on the water).

The ugly - the skunk train's speeder car went down this week.  On Monday, Jeff had to tow 4 recreational kayaks up the river for our Tracks to Kayaks Trip.  This probably was the final straw that broke his back.  Fortunately the Skunk Train acquired another speeder car for Tuesday's trip so I only had to tow one boat with gear in it for the trip.


Unfortunately, a glitch in their reservation system had me missing my chance to send boats up on the speeder  car.  I had to tow 3 barges (so they seemed) up the river.


The good though is that it was a beautiful day.  Lots of turtles were out sunning themselves.  I got to paddle Jeff's carbon/kevlar Valley Avocet sea kayak, with his Saltwood Paddle, and the river was GORGEOUS!!!  Except for surfing, running whitewater, or mountain biking, there isn't much that I would rather be doing.


Especially good is that this weekend, I get to co-teach 3 of my favorite classes - kayak surfing, whitewater of the sea - ocean rock gardening in whitewater kayaks, and a sea kayaks in the surf class.

What to do River Otters Eat?

As we were finishing up our day on the Noyo River, we were delighted with the appearance of a river otter. One never knows what these rascally mammals are going to do so I grabbed the camera and followed as it cruised along the bank of the river.

Jeff had noted a western grebe around the bend and commented that the otter was probably hunting it. Sure enough. As the otter came around the bend, the grebe became alarmed and dove. The otter floated in the current like a small log closer to the grebe. We have had a lot of debris in the river from heavy rains and a high tide so it was perfect camouflage.

The otter dove and the grebe dove again and next thing we knew . . . the otter came up with the grebe in its mouth. Here's the video of the otter with the grebe. Turn your sound off if you don't want to hear the bird's calls of alarm.



It took the otter several minutes to kill the bird and then he took her up the bank . . . for dinner by the river. Kind of gory, but nature on the water before our eyes.

From WILD to MILD - a perfect Day kayaking on the Mendocino Coast

It has been sunny and warm on the Mendocino Coast with very calm, glassy ocean conditions. Yesterday, our day started with a WILD rock gardening session with some experienced whitewater kayakers, proceeded to a sea kayak coastal exploration, and wrapped up with a mild Noyo Meander (of course followed by a trip to North Coast Brewery).

Seeking whitewater with experience whitewater paddlers in calm conditions sent us to one of the outside reefs where it was anything but calm . . . Definitely WILD!!! I dropped an "F" Bomb going over one of the 12 foot drops when I saw the gigantic hole below. The mermaid boat submerged and flipped . . . but the mermaid in the boat was calm and cool (cold water helps with that) and rolled up.

In the afternoon, we toured in tandem sea kayaks the Noyo Bay and Fort Bragg Coastline. I was excited to have a 13 year old young lady paddling with me while her family waived to us from shore. We saw some amazing jelly fish and enjoyed the sunshine, wildlife, and meandering along the coast and checking out a couple of sea caves.


In the evening, I enjoyed the company of a family from Sacramento for a meandering paddle on the Noyo River. We enjoyed spectacular displays of marine mammals including a pair of sea lion pups jumping clear out of the water in unison. My streak for daily sitings of the river otters is continuing and my guests have been treated to displays of their quirky behaviors.


Ahhhh . . . I am enjoying a few minutes in the office this morning uploading photos and attending to communications but am looking forward to another afternoon of sea kayaking and wildlife watching on the Mendocino Coast (paddling paradise in my opinion).