Kayaking at Shoreline

I have never gone kayaking before. Since my principle (particularly these days) is to try something at least once, I jumped at the chance to go when it was presented to me.

I went to Shoreline Park in Mountain View this weekend. For people in Mountain View, San Jose or Sunnyvale, this place is amazing – it is very near and it offers a lot of recreational activities. It is 16 minutes away from my home in Sunnyvale (This is not an approximation. It is the exact amount of time it took me. I know precisely because I was late meeting my friend and I was like a hawk watching the time going there.) They have kayaks, sail boats, canoes, paddle boats, a golf course, bike rentals, wind surfing, etc. I believe they have concerts there as well.

The weekend rates are between 16-18 USD per hour for the water activities. If you are a group or a family sharing a bigger vessel, then the rentals are not pricey. If you are renting as an individual, the rental is a bit high. You can save some money by getting a prepaid card (it would save you around 40%-50%). However, you have to be certain you’ll be coming back if you want to go for this option as it will cover multiple sessions. For example, the prepaid card for the kayak is worth 80 USD and covers 10 lessons.

The lake is a man-made, salt water lake and is located at the far end of the park. It is approximately 50 acres in size and is home to a number of bird species like ducks, geese and egrets. It is interesting to note that this area used to be a landfill for the city of San Francisco. It just goes to show that there is beauty in everything… if we choose to see it. (For more information on shoreline’s history you can go to http://www.shorelinelake.com/about/history.htm.)

Practically anyone can go kayaking. The concept is pretty simple – sit relatively still on your boat, hold the paddles before you with your hands, shoulders and the paddle positioned to form a rectangle and then tilt from side to side dipping the paddles in the water to start paddling. To start with, you will probably find some difficulty getting the maximum benefit from your strokes and keeping dry (I know this from experience. One important advice, if you haven’t deduced it yet, is to bring a change of clothes.). Eventually, anybody can get the hang of it I am sure.

This is primarily an individual’s game as you can get your own kayak (you can also go for the two-seater but I just don’t think it is as much fun). You can run at your own pace – paddle as hard or fast as you want or float around in the lake like the resident birds.

I loved going fast. When you finally get into rhythm, you will feel your strokes getting more powerful (with the paddle and your muscles straining against the water like it was almost solid), the kayak just gliding smoothly along, the breeze blowing against your face and the world passing by. Then just when your body can push no longer, stop paddling, sit back and just let the boat skim the water. There are probably other things closer to the feeling of flight but for me, it was the closest I’ve felt.

I wasn’t able to take any pictures (pictures on this blog are from the web: http://baytrail.abag.ca.gov/vtour/map3/access/Btmtnvw/Btmtvw2.htm). I was afraid of getting my camera wet. Getting pictures would be a good excuse to come back - not that you need any as this is certainly a place worth visiting more than once.