The website for SF Bay Area Water Trails has this to say about this location, situated next to a skating park in Mill Valley:
This launch is not usable at most low tides! Paddlers must be aware of tides during launching and when they plan to land to ensure not to get stuck in the mud.
Because of this, I waited until near high tides to begin my trip, around 2:30pm local time (high tides for Richardson Bay were 5.3ft at 3:11pm). My original plan was to paddle to Sausalito, have a snack, then head back around 5 or 5:30pm, when the tides were still a respectable 4.4 ft. The inlet where I launched my SUP was relatively calm, and the Hwy 101 overpass was clearly visible from the dock. This trip should be a piece of cake, right?
Since Bayfront is also a park for dogs, the other side of this dock is supposedly reserved for dogs. It takes a hundred steps or so to go from the parking lot to this dock.
I started out fine, but soon ran into wind, strong current, and lots of chop once I got closer to the 101 overpass. I tried to cross the open water from one end of the highway to the other, but made only modest headway after putting in some immodest effort. After getting over the half way point to the other side, I’d need to switch paddling side after almost every stroke to keep the SUP in the right position. The wind was in my face, the chops had water splashed all over me, and if I wasn’t extra careful, the SUP could spin in circles on me. I believed I had the stamina (I just started out after all) and could make it to the other side if I tried for another 30 mins to an hour, but when advancing every foot was a struggle, I decided to turn back and toured the inlet instead.
In retrospect, I believe a better strategy would have been to go to the other side (Bothin Marsh side) earlier, when I was still protected from the wind and current and waves while within the inlet. Then I could hug the coast along Bothin Marsh to get to the highway overpass, and go toward Sausalito from there. I’ll try this out the next time I come back to this location.
[Note to self: alternatively, I should also look into the Pohono St. Park and Ride parking lot under the highway overpass. From Google Map, it does seem like one can launch a SUP or kayak from there]
Oops! It seems like this post isn't published yet. Stay tuned for updates!There is a cove on the northern end of the Pickleweed Inlet near the highway, and I paddled there to have a tour of the area. There are very nice waterfront condominiums in this cove (along Sheltered Bay Ave), and the asking price for one currently being listed for sale is a very reasonable (for the SF Bay Area in general, but definitely not for me =D) $1.2 million, although there is a cool $952 HOA fee that you would have to dish out monthly as well. If you do decide to buy the condo after reading this blog entry, please feel free to let the seller know so I’d get a small cut of the sale proceeds =P
Oops! It seems like this post isn't published yet. Stay tuned for updates!I then left the cove and paddled out to the Mill Valley – Sausalito bike/pedestrian path bridge at the Arroyo Corte Madera del Presidio [lit. The Stream of Wood Cutting Prison], after which I headed back to the launch dock. There, I met a family who just came back in their kayaks; after some chit chat, I learned from them that the minimum low tide needed for this location is 2 ft, below which you’d get stuck in the mud around the entrance of the inlet (which happened to them on one of their previous outings). I then told them that they could take their time in removing their kayaks, for I would continue a bit more beyond the dock before looping back.
Just beyond the wooden bridge behind the dock, I found a lone great egret in the marsh.
By this time, the other family had completed their take out of the kayaks, so I began to do the same with my SUP. As the paddle was a relatively short one, I thought I should spend the rest of the evening exploring the paths connecting Bayfront Park to Bothin Marsh Preserve and beyond.
The pedestrian/bicycle path from Bayfront Park to Bothin Marsh and beyond has beautiful view of nature surrounding the area. The walk would take about 1+ mile to the intersection where you have the option of continuing on to Sausalito (another 5 miles or so), or turn right and head to Tennessee Valley. I explored this latter path, and the evening sun just made the view even more breathtaking. Here, you are standing in the valley while being surrounded by mountains and waters, and you won’t be disappointed wherever you turn.
By now, the sun was on its way to setting down for the day. And I encountered a mallard couple out searching for food. The couple was oblivious of this stalking photographer standing on shore, capturing their every move =)
And I found a lone Black-necked Stilt in a small pond just ahead of where the mallards were. A short story is in order here: I actually don’t know much about birds, or reptiles, or animals, or any living beings for that matter. When I was in 9th grade, our high school participated in a program offered by the Fernbank Science Center in Georgia (STT – Scientific Tools and Techniques) where we’d take turn rotating through different science classes throughout the semester. I did fine in Physics, Meteorology, Cell Biology, etc., but had a rough time in the ornithology course offered by Ms. Schmalz. In that class, we were supposed to recognize and memorize the names of all the birds hanging out on the walls of our classroom. The course was about 2-week long, and for the love of my mother I just couldn’t nail down those names at all. Bless Ms. Schmalz, for she was such a nice person, and throughout the course she was trying to help me as much as she could. But nothing could get me to do well with those birds, for I could recognize the blue jay and cardinal and not much beyond that. I ended up with a C in that class, lowest among everyone participating in STT that semester. It’s one of my personal best records that I’m not all too proud of =D
So I’m hoping to pick up where I left off in 9th grade, and learn more about the natural world, in particular the birds of the world. Now, there is no time pressure to memorize names, nor a letter grade to judge my bird recognition skill. I can take all the sweet time that I want to learn about them, and may be also insects and reptiles and all such cool animals too.
And with that short story retold, I was now back to the foot bridge by Arroyo Corte Madera del Presidio, where I SUPed to earlier. Here was a view from the bridge.
And so that’s how I ended this trip to Mill Valley. For those interested, the map of my paddle is below.
