Deception Bay and Bull Kelp

Yesterday morning we took some time to do one of those many things we said we would do more of this year – enjoy where we were and what we can do there. In this case, that involved a guided kayak tour through Deception Bay near the San Juan Islands and only a slight amount of regret towards the end due to large waves.

 

We headed out with Anacortes Kayak Tours for a morning paddle along side one of their tour guides. What we ended up

with was a private 1.5 hour tour of the area as we happened to be the only 2 customers who selected that time slot. This little jaunt over the waves included heading into a snug little sea cave, seeing a seal and a bald eagle, and touching a disgruntled crab and various sea-growing vegetables.

 

Along the way we got some history of the area and nearby towns, and a few riddles to keep us on our toes:

If a sundial is a time pace with the least moving parts, what is a time piece with the most?

The waves were really quite calm on the gorgeous, glassy sea and it made for a pretty relaxing time… definitely confirmation that we need our own two-person kayak sometime soon! The only hiccup came shortly after a larger motor boat sent a wake our way. I was struck with a VERY rare spell of sea sickness and it took a few minutes to regain my composure and become useful to anyone again.

Another fun thing during our outing was the edible vegetation notes by our guide. He was happy to explain that you can eat the Bull Kelp leaves and stalks and they aren’t incredibly awful tasting. Apparently they taste “just like you’d expect”, which to me seems like household PVC plumbing, and wet newspaper. I was given an approving nod at that observation so I think our definitions of awful are a bit different. The second snack available in the area we learned about is Rock Weed or Rock Kelp, which has affectionately been labeled “Ocean Cheetos” when dried, cooked, and covered in parmesan cheese. This is something I’m going to take his word for, especially after learning that the pods of this plant are filled with ‘an aloe like fluid’ which is also used in their reproduction.

All in all, it was a great paddle and a splendid way to spend a few hours in the early morning. We did opt to find lunch afterwards – outside of the water.