My mind is adrift...

With just a bit over 8 weeks until we pull away for our next big adventure, my mind wanders more frequently now - to what we will see, hikes we will head out on, and new adventures we will have. Matt and I just returned from a week in California and got to spend a day sea kayaking in the Channel Islands National Park  just off the coast north of Los Angeles.  It was an incredible opportunity to see things that most will never see and to experience wildlife in their natural habitat... some animals that live only on the one island we visited (Santa Cruz) - not found anywhere else in the world.

After sea kayaking for the first time off the coast of Mendocino on our last trip in 2010, we were hooked! We have since bought our own kayak and have taken it down the Toccoa River in north Georgia, and we have continued to look for opportunities to sea kayak - both to see marine plant life and to interact with marine animals we don't often have the chance to see outside of an aquarium setting.

Paddling along the edge of rocky cliffs as the ocean winds push and pull you according to their whims is not for the faint of heart.  Timing your entrance through a small archway opening so that you don't get slammed into the edge of the cave will likely cause your adrenaline to rise.  But looking down through the crystal clear waters to witness harbor seals circling your group of kayaks to check out who has come for a visit will take your breath away.  And seeing thousands of bright purple sea urchins clinging to the grey lichen-covered rocks through the massive kelp forest will open your mind to an entire world that lies below the surface. Seeing whole colonies of birds that were once an endangered species due to their exposure to DDT is an unexpected gift.

These rare gifts recharge my spirit and my soul.  They remind me that the world is bigger than the suburban streets I spend my days on.  They dare me to reflect on what beauty is and inspire me to dream.  Today, as the dogwoods and azaleas begin to bloom outside my office window and I remember the new harbor seal pups with their mothers, I am dreaming of the promise of spring. After what has seemed a long and especially cold winter, I can't wait to see what this new season has in store for us.