Persephone Runs Off in the Night.

Slept the night on Rocky Point in a 4x8 clearing in the dog roses, on top of a rough driftwood bed, semi-floating on the spongy edge of a salt-marsh. It was rough but it got me through.



Wow what a day... Paddle to Port Angeles was calm and reasonably short, and entirely uneventful. The night on the other hand...





I wanted to go into town to get a late lunch, so I pulled Persephone up onto some logs well above the high tide lineat 'Hollywood Beach'. I felt comfortable leaving her here in such a high visibility spot. I had lunch, wandered around town playing tourist, looking for charts, then found an internet cafe to update my blog. They had a fellow strumming and singing so I spent a very pleasurable evening messaging friends and working my way through my emails until the place closed at 2300. I walked down to the beach to curl up beside Persephone for the night. This is the right path right? This is the right beach right?? That was the log she was sitting on right??? Someone stole my kayak... and all my gear, my only possesions, were in her...



In a panic I ran up to a fellow standing nearby and asked where the police station was. I ended up explaining what had happened. He asked me "Was it a yellow kayak?" YES it is! Kevin listens to his scanner, monitoring ship traffic and local emergency services. He'd heard it reported to the police and coast guard that some kids had set her adrift. While I ran off to find the nearest phone he walked out onto the pier to see if he could find her. When I got back from the phone Kevin called me out to the pier and there below us, hiding amongst the dense cluster of pilings, right in the center, was Persephone, poking her nose out from time to time as if to say "I'm here".  Ooooosh... now how was I supposed to get her out of there??? Police came, took a look said they didn't have a boat, sorry, good luck with that, and told me I couldn't dive off the pier to retrieve her. Kevin being the kind fellow he is walked home, drove back with his leaking inflatable kayak, pumped her up and there I am, past midnight paddling out to get my kayak, with a pump between my knees 'in case'. Thanks Kevin, you're a saint bro.



The night was a bust so I paddled Persephone over to the marina, pulled the one way locking gate shut behind me with a click, and wandered out of town until I found a set of steps in a dark corner where I could sleep what was left of the night.



Port Angeles left a sour taste in my mouth. Something like Old Spice, diesel, sulfur and stale beer.



"Yur not from a-round these parts are yuh?"