OH! THE PLACES YOU'LL GO!

And on the second day of the thirteenth year of the 21st Century I made use of a Christmas gift certificate that entitled me to an amazing morning of kayaking off the coast of La Jolla, California.

From the birds flying overhead to the seals and sharks swimming below our boats, everything was beautiful.  We were visited by a nosy seal and photographed by curious tourists while we peeped over the sides of our tiny ships in an attempt to spy on dolphins.

My group was led by a duo of sun-kissed men who were so handsome they almost distracted me from the splendor of nature.  Nick (who calls himself the "shark-whisperer") has a very distracting smile and Harry looks like Mr. July from a lucrative calendar celebrating surfers.

Here's what I learned from our lovely leaders: 


The spectacular cliffs that host pelicans and seagulls are a visible part of the Rose Canyon fault line.

The caves carved into those cliffs have been used as Native burial grounds and Prohibition era speakeasies. 

The waters off the coast of La Jolla cover an ancient Native American battleground (somewhere down there arrowheads are hiding under the sand and surf).

Sea lions huddle together to create body heat because they are susceptible to hypothermia.

Kelp is the second-fastest growing organism on earth. 

And Dr. Seuss lived in a house with a view of it all! 

That white home with a triangular roof was the perch from which he wrote "Horton Hears a Who", "The Cat in the Hat", and "If I Ran the Zoo".  Talk about finding your inspiration...