La Jolla Kayaking

Joel and I enjoyed a peaceful kayak excursion in Curacao on our honeymoon about a decade ago. It was a ton of fun, so when I happened to find a Living Social deal for a kayaking tour in La Jolla, I jumped on it. We were going to be in San Diego for the race anyway, so we decided we should make a mini-vacation out of the trip.

I don’t know why I didn’t realize it sooner…I’m usually a pretty smart gal. But about 4.5 seconds after our kayaking adventure began, I became immediately aware of the fact that peacefully rowing in a gentle Caribbean lagoon is not quite the same thing as hoisting a kayak through the rough waves of the Pacific. It was hard work, and quite a rush, but we had so much fun! I’m glad we had the chance to see the caves of La Jolla from a different perspective.

(Photo)



We didn’t go inside the caves, and I was quite thankful for that. The surf was pretty rough, and there were giant waves crashing into the walls. The last thing I wanted to do was get closer to those powerful explosions of water. But as we were drifting offshore, two big dolphins swam along right next to us, no more than 10 feet away from our boat. It was amazing! I’ve even done the ‘swimming with the dolphins’ thing before, but seeing them in their natural environment was breathtaking. I wish I could have had a picture!

By the end of the tour, we were already pretty soaked from the big waves spilling into our boat. But as we headed into shore, a wave actually capsized our kayak and finished the soaking completely.

After 13.1 miles of running in the morning, and 2 miles of rough ocean rowing in the afternoon, Joel and I were exhausted. We had a quick burger and then ran into a grocery store for a 6-pack of beer and a couple of éclairs to enjoy before we crashed back at the hotel. We may have more ambition than sense, but thanks to our willingness to try new things, we always seem to enjoy some pretty awesome adventures!