Hacky Biking

I went out Saturday for 5 1/2 hours of a bike-riding / hacky-sacking epic adventure. I played 20 minutes of hacky-sack in the back yard (with the new hacky-sack I'd gotten a few days earlier), and then headed out on the bike. I explored an area that I hadn't even known about before, Arana Gulch, by the harbor, with some bike trails through a large grassy field. Played another 20 minutes of hacky-sack at a city park.

Biked over to the lighthouse, exploring some trails on a large field near the lighthouse. Played 20 more minutes of hacky-sack on the grassy lawn by the lighthouse. Spent some time sitting on the railing by the lighthouse cliffs, looking out over the ocean at the seal lions, the waves, and the people surfing. There were some 6 - 10 foot waves that day, not too bad. Munched on some breakfast bars and energy bars.

Some people saw something out near seal rock that looked like a dark black dorsal fin. It was too dark to be a shark, and it wasn't moving around any (sharks have to constantly swim around to be able to breathe). There were some sea otters nearby, but it couldn't be from an otter, too large and not the right shape. It also wasn't the right shape to be the head of a seal, which might have been poking it's head out of the water. A few people thought it might be a killer whale, waiting for a chance to ambush one of the sea otters. It was the right color and shape, but looked way too small to be a killer whale, and I'd never heard of killer whales being around the area. Still, that was the only conceivable guess for what it might be.

Went out briefly to the edge of point Santa Cruz, on the finger of land near seal rock, hoping to get a better look at the shape in the water. Sitting out there, with nothing but ocean in 300 degrees of direction, with the gusting ocean winds going by and stirring up the surface of the water, was pretty amazing.

Biked a short ways farther up the coast, went back to the lighthouse, rested, went into the lighthouse surfers' museum and watched part of a video of skyscraper waves at Half Moon Bay (30 - 50 foot waves). Played 10 more minutes of hacky-sack at the lighthouse.

Biked to the wharf, went out to the end of the wharf. Watched a large pelican that was walking around curiously watching people (and maybe waiting for food). Watched some seal lions resting and playing in the water underneath the wharf. Saw that sometimes when a seal lion rests in the water, it floats on its side, with one of its front flippers going straight up out of the water (maybe to act like a dorsal fin, to stabilize it). The shape and color was exactly what I saw out by the lighthouse, so there was the explanation for the odd shape in the water.

Stopped by the west end of the boardwalk, by the large video arcade. Walked out onto the beach, noticing how many people were out there playing volleyball, and how many volleyball nets there were (stretching a ways along the beach, 2 or 3 nets deep). Found an area on the beach to play another 20 minutes of hacky-sack (curious to see how it'd be trying it on sand). Retrieved a few volleyballs that went rolling my way. Biked back home, carrying the bike across the old railroad tracks, which was a chance to work on balance and coordination with the feet.

Got home. Temporarily retired from bike riding and hacky-sack playing :).

(c) 2001, Matthew K. Coughlin