The monkey made me do it

Raging waters, check

Sometimes you just gotta laugh.

Friday we-all took a half day off of work to catch an early ferry out to Bainbridge Island. We were late and traffic was bad, so two ferries after our original goal we finally got on the boat

(I'm going to have to do a separate timeline for CL, since she was kind of in her own world anyways. CL got lost, missed our meeting point, parked illegally, and walked on the ferry with all her gear)

We arrived at Bainbridge and located our kayak rental place, loaded up, and headed out to sea for our 6-mile paddle. Somewhere between 1/3 and 1/2 of the way (5/12ths?) the wind picked up and we were battling whitecaps and rougly 4-foot swells in our heavily loaded kayaks. Our guide (who rocks) decided that with our level of relative non-expertise, we probably shouldn't risk carrying on so we turned around and started the long paddle back. When we returned to the kayak place it was about 9-10 in the evening and by the time we got our gear back in the cars it was dark. We found a place to grab dinner and prayed that we could find a campsite that was still open. There were none. Some people wanted to take the ferry back to Seattle and try to ferry over again in the morning, but I convinced the leaders to talk to the park ranger and see if we could crash locally somewhere (I love park rangers - they are usually the coolest people) and he let us sneak into a park on the island around midnight (see? cool people), where we slept for the night.

(CL slept in the backseat of one of our cars)
(CL woke up the entire campground at approximately 7:15 a.m. by getting locked into the car and attempting to break out, which set off the car alarm. The car alarm was the horn at full volume, screaming HONK HONK HONK HONK HONK HONK HONK HONK HONK for a good ten minutes before we figured out what was going on and got her out of there. I think she had to pee or something.)

We woke up, oddly enough, at 7:15 despite only getting to bed at 2. Cars rolled back to the dock and we climbed back into the kayaks for paddle part deux. It went pretty smoothly, and we made it all the way to the island to meet up with our sailboat full of food/galley supplies/scuba gear. Camp was set up, dinner was cooked, a fire was lit, and I backed out of scuba diving for probably the first time because it would have been only me and CL and I was almost certain that only one of us would make it out alive.

(CL went snorkeling off the beach on the island on her own)

We had a lovely campfire, and I laughed more than I have in a long time. Funny what a few well-placed Viking impressions can do. Also, we discovered that if I wear a navy fleece jacket zipped all the way up and you take a pic of me in the firelight, it looks like my head is disembodied and floating. The hard part was trying to get the right facial expression for a disembodied floating head. Is it angry? Is it relieved to finally be free of a body? Does it have an itchy ear and is it trying to communicate that fact to those around possessing of hands?

Packing up the next day was hard. Everyone wanted to spend more time on the island (Blake Island, for those wanting a nice camping experience with more wildlife than you can handle) but we had to get back. Another 6-mile paddle brought us back to the start, and another ferry ride brought us home. And now I can't raise my arms above my head and am the proud recipient of a very bizarre glove tan line.

(And I also should say that even though CL is sometimes difficult and maddening, I am trying my hardest to enjoy her company and the bizarre element that she brings with her alternate take on reality. It's often hard for me to slow down and be more accomodating to people who aren't as fast/maneuverable/adaptable as I can be, particularly in outdoor activities, and it's come to my attention lately that I should work on that and be less frustrated since folks enjoy things at their own pace and not at mine. It's so easy to be selfish sometimes! CL had a great time, and I'm glad she came.)

(though I do wish she would have waited until 8 or 8:30 a.m. to try and leave her vehicle that morning)

posted by LadyJay @ 10:25 AM