Wednesday, January 29, 2014

Extremely low Winter Tide in Northern California

It was a sort of hazy day with clouds here on the NOrthern California coast. What was amazing was taking my older daughter and two dogs to the beach. The tide was incredibly low (2 to 3 feet vertically below normal which means on this fairly level beach it went out about an extra block almost into the ocean. So, the birds like sandpipers were there but of a different variety (maybe from south America) as well as mallard ducks in the little ponds in the 4 foot ocean grass now visible because of the incredibly low tide. So, more life was visible was normal even though the surfers were out in force (even though much further out to sea than normal) because the waves were big just further out now. At one point I spied about 100 hermit crabs in a little pool and pointed them out to my older daughter which was also amazing to see. She was telling me of a place (an atoll) off of Belize that she said she saw hermit crabs change shells by the hundreds at night when they change their shells and fight with each other over the shells the live in as they grow and change shells.

The dogs seemed happy except when a 7th wave of a set caught me off guard. I couldn't outrun it because I'm 65 and it got me up to my knees wet (but I was already barefoot running through about 6 inches of water to start with anyhow. So, I rolled up my pantlegs to my knees after that to prevent chaffing from water and sand on my legs.

We had an amazing nature day probably the most amazing of the year so far even though it was overcast. But still it was 60 to 65 so warm enough for wading in the ocean when I just wore a Pendleton wool shirt and jeans with a T shirt underneath. Amazing day.

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