Did a little exploring today with a friend of mine. It's been awhile since I've had the opportunity to get out and discover new paddling destinations and it felt great to be back in my Whisky! We launched just north of Rio Vista at 10:15 a.m. and paddled north on Cache Slough also known as the deepwater shipping channel that leads to Sacramento. High tide was predicted to be almost 3 ft. at 12:23 and the winds were forecast to be under 10 mph. The wind was actually blowing at least 10-15 mph out of the northwest with 20 mph gusts which made for a lively paddle the first 4 miles but we had a good current pushing us north so we covered those first 4 miles in under an hour.
I have to say the paddle from Rio Vista to the entrance of Miner slough is pretty boring as far as scenery goes but once you enter Miner slough it makes it all worth while. Miner slough is located east of the shipping channel and there are a couple of possible entrances. We chose the northernmost entrance and paddled slowly taking in the scenery. This area is very remote and both sides of the slough are covered with cottonwoods, eucalyptus trees and tons of blackberry bushes.
Within a mile of entering the slough we came upon an opening among the brush and trees. We peeked through the opening and saw heavy equipment, tractors, a trailer, patio boat and other items strewn about with some items submerged. We did a little poking around in this flooded area of Prospect Island but didn't stay too long as there was an eerie feeling about the place. Upon further research I discovered that this area was the site of a massive fish kill back in 2007. After a levy break the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation went in to repair the levy and while pumping out the water ended up stranding thousands of Stripers and other fish that call the Delta home. I guess they abandoned the repair project and left it as they found it.
We continued north and soon spotted dozens of huge palm trees and another entrance to a lagoon. I would love to find out more info about what used to be here as it looks like a beautiful spot and could have possibly been a resort some time ago. By the time we finished exploring this little area it was just after noon and we were starting to get hungry so we continued our journey north keeping an eye out for possible spots to get out and stretch. After a mile or so we couldn't find any suitable spots to get out but we did find a nice shady area under a canopy of trees so we rafted up and ate lunch.
We were hoping to make it to Arrowhead Marina but it was getting late and I began to worry about what the wind would be like back on the deepwater channel. We turned around about a mile shy of our destination which makes for a great excuse to get back out there. We paddled with determination back to Cache slough only to find it just as calm as Miner slough. That was a great relief and we were able to relax and float with the outgoing tide back to the put- in.
We ended up kayaking almost 15 miles for a great workout. The only downside was being in our boats for 5 hours without being able to get out and stretch. We'll be heading out there during a low tide to see if there are any hidden beaches that would make good rest stops. We didn't see much wildlife today unless you count bass fisherman. It was another awesome day on the Delta!
