7/24 Pioneer Day at the Salt Ponds

[Kenny]

Salt Ponds are a good bet on a hot, summer afternoon. Wind was light so I used the big board/kite combo (Speed 3 19M and Monster Door). Rode for around an hour well-powered and then the wind began to peter and I decided to pack it up and go home for the family bbq.

Water is really low, knee-high at the deepest and the bottom surface is a hard crust of thick salt. The color of the water is a milky red. I imagine it is due to an extremophile bacteria or some mineral in the water. I have never seen the concentration of salt so high in the water. I suspect that the brine is at or near maximum salt content. I had to give all of my gear a good rinse when I got home.

[Carl Christensen]

wow. always amazing. sounds surreal, any pics? good effort.

[RickHeninger]

Salt Ponds are a good bet on a hot, summer afternoon. Wind was light so I used the big board/kite combo (Speed 3 19M and Monster Door). Rode for around an hour well-powered and then the wind began to peter and I decided to pack it up and go home for the family bbq.

Water is really low, knee-high at the deepest and the bottom surface is a hard crust of thick salt. The color of the water is a milky red. I imagine it is due to an extremophile bacteria or some mineral in the water. I have never seen the concentration of salt so high in the water. I suspect that the brine is at or near maximum salt content. I had to give all of my gear a good rinse when I got home.

Amazing to say the least! That is so hardcore I can't stand it! Seriously maybe the most laid back extreme session report ever... Rivals Marty's GSL Bird Island log!

Crust of thick salt on the bottom! Milky Red! Knee high! Extremophile bacteria! Maximum salt content! Hilarious! Definitely some kind of award is due, or maybe just a slap to the cheek! ... Eh, got home for the family bbq... Probably glowing, growing brine gills... I love it... Video of that sometime would be soo surreal... You might think about it sometime... In fact, if you do it again... I'd come with you just to be your camera guy!

Actually, on these same lines... I'd like to catch some HD footage of a super strong North session on the GSL with a bunch of people out there catching the big waves some day... Fresh water sprayers, Goggles, noseplugs, other plugs, everything plugs! And a couple of good cameras. Where would be the best place to sail/kite a north to catch the waves? Somewhere further west, Burmester? Saltaire? Marina?

[Kenny]

Sorry, no photos. However, it would make for interesting footage. Especially since you can literally ride close enough to I-80 that a photographer standing about 100 feet out in the brine could capture a shot of a kiteboarder with a large semi in the background. It is so close that if I do the up and down gesture with my arm, I can get rig after rig to blast their horn while going by.