After our birthday swim celebration at the Albany Bulb yesterday, we continued Arwen’s celebrations with a surprise (to her) trip to Tomales Bay. We stayed at Dancing Coyote in Inverness and woke up to this stunning view. 

Once we’d lingered and eaten and caffeinated, we went for a swim. At 58 degrees the water felt bone-achingly cold. Wading in, it was as if the cold penetrated right through my skin and bones. It took me a long time to get in, but once I did, I felt great. 

I was so focused on the cold that I didn’t pay much attention to my surroundings at first. When I did, I was shocked by how far I was from where I started. The current was incredibly strong, carrying us along like leaves in a river. It was extremely shallow, so we weren’t in any danger, but it’s a good lesson in how quickly a strong current can take you along. 

We swam hard back to where we started and let ourselves float and drift a few more times.