Puget Sound (Totten Inlet, Shelton)

We learned that our friends from NYC were planning to visit her family in Portland soon. They said they would have extra time to catch up with us. They both are fully vaccinated and they felt safe enough to make a long overdue visit to her family. I was very excited to see them again. We missed friends from NYC. This was the first time meeting anyone from there since we moved out. I couldn't wait!

They want to meet somewhere we can enjoy weekend together. We recently had great time in Lake Ketchum in Stanwood, WA. I shared photos from there with them and they seemed to like having a similar experience. I started looking for a place for us between Portland and Seattle.

We heard Olympia is good and Puget Sound is good. I looked for a house right next to water where we can walk to enjoy kayaking and paddleboarding. We chose a little house at the bottom inlet of puget-sound.

The house was cozy, equipped well and comfortable. It was a little remote like Lake Ketchum and peaceful. We had good privacy for ourselves.

In the area, there were lots of trails we couldn't due to the limited time. We mostly spend time on the water or in the house. It was more than enough for us.

The weather was gorgeous. Here in Washington, the weather can be hit or miss. As spring has started, there has been less rainy and more sunny days. People in Washington are saying that the weather in general have gotten much better, meaning generally less rain and more sun. They wonder if that's the good side effect of global warming.

When we requested the kayak liability form, the owner and the house management reminded us to take a look at the tide schedule and make sure we come back 1 hour to 1 hour 30 minutes before the low tide hits. I somehow believed that this water is river or even a lake. Even though it's obvious that Puget Sound is inlet of pacific ocean. I didn't grow up in WA nor in US. The word "sound" didn't mean anything to me and I thought it was a part of its name. I took a look at the tide schedule but didn't take it too seriously. We set out for Kayaking.

The water was calm and we had some splash from rowing which was refreshing and fun. My son who was with me insisted to row himself without my help. It was fun for him although it was much more work for our friend. He pleasantly supported my son and worked harder to make the boat advance. Along the way, we met a seal who followed us and showed itself up and down like a mole. It was very cute. It was fun to search it around.

We could tell there was tide pushing us to get out to the bigger water although it wasn't strong. We could advance without much effort. We wanted to get to another island but we realized we didn't have enough time to get there. My husband who kept track of the tide schedule insisted to go back otherwise we'll have to go through muddy path although he didn't know how it would look like.

On our way back, we could feel the tide was working against us. It was hard to go back against tide. It was exhausting and I started feeling quite uncomfortable from my son being with me for a while. We decided to take a break in the mid point on a shore.

The day was so clear that we could see Mount Rainier on the horizon from the small island where we had a break. We found many shells and played skip stones.

We knew that we couldn't take a break any longer. We could see the water level was going down and started seeing rocks that were under the water. We set out to go back. My husband said he didn't have a good feeling about this. He said he felt like something would happen. I assured him it would be fine. As an engineer, he always prepared for the worst. On the way back, we saw an osprey catching a fish and bringing it to its nest. We saw a bird poking its head out to get the fish. It was amazing. We enjoyed the moment on the water without thinking about the tide.

When we were almost to our deck, we realized the water really emptied out. We could see the bottom of the sea ahead. It was muddy road. There was no way we could move forward without pulling our kayaks.

Further from our deck, we sank quite a bit almost to our knees but it wasn't too bad. Shells and rocks were smooth and it was fun to find lots of breathing holes from little crabs and clams. As we arrived closer to our deck though, we realized there were tons of oyster shells which were so sharp cutting our feet. We used our rows to step on to pull the boat and move slowly. It was an unforgettable experience. I said "we'll remember this moment". and my husband said "I told you so..."

We all went to have a shower and had a nice bbq lunch. We brought a stand up paddleboard that I wanted to try so much since I first saw that on a lake in Kirkland. It was one of my dreams to try it out if I got to move to WA. We decided to try when the water came back in the evening. In the meantime, the guys went running, gals talked and kids watched their tablets.

Finally the water came back. The water was deep enough to set out for paddleboarding.

It was harder than I thought. Keeping the balance was the key. At least, I didn't fall into the water. My daughter wanted to try by herself. I insisted to be with her just in case. She enjoyed it quite a bit rowing herself and so did my son being on the board. My friend and my husband both went pretty far. Obviously they had experience. They were explorers.

Although we had great time, 2 nights seemed too short to catch up. They have such good vibes. Being around them was fun and at the same time relaxing. Having a getaway with them out in the water and in the nature gave us such an great opportunity to be connected in a more natural way and enjoy ourself. I can't wait to do another trip with them again.