July 30, 2015, Thursday – Klewnuggit (East Inlet) – Summer Cruise Aboard "Jubilacion" 2015

It isn’t raining this morning….right now anyway. I set out paddling toward the opposite direction from yesterday. The water is flat calm — perfect paddling conditions.

We have a very low tide this morning, so exploring the shoreline is more interesting. I spotted some unusual critters hanging from the rocks that I’d never seen before. I haven’t been able to identify them in my reference book.

Then I spotted lots of snails, more than I’d ever seen in one spot. It would be interesting to know why they pick one spot and not another. I guess I’ll have to do some Googling.

There were also several types of Chitons and an interesting barnacle.

Something I found unusual was the fact that almost every starfish I came across was either dead or had legs missing. Al thinks it’s because the gulls eat them. This was the only starfish that looked halfway healthy.

While the critters I found on the rocks were interesting, I was wondering where all the birds had gone to, when I spotted this loon having a little breakfast.

I stalked him for atleast 30 minutes. Every time I got ready to get a great shot, he’d dive. So, then I’d have to paddle like crazy trying to figure where he might resurface, and where I’d have to be to have the sun at my back. This guy gave me a real workout.

All the rain we’ve been getting has created lots of streams and waterfalls. I now know that if you want to find fresh water, look for mussels. Mussels seem to love fresh water.

I finally remembered that some of you wanted to see a picture of me in my blog. So, I had Al take this photo of me looking like the Hunchback of Notre Dame, with all those numerous layers of clothing to keep me dry and warm, plus a life preserver, VHF radio, and my camera…..all under my extra large jacket.

Late this afternoon, I was editing the photos I took this morning, when I looked out the window and saw a young black bear on the shore. It was raining, of course, making it difficult to take pictures and keep my camera dry. But, he hung around, turning rocks and eating grass for at least an hour, while I shot a gazillion pictures.