Does kayaking in Oakland, California a mile from where I live, count as “afar”? I think so. Saturday’s rise of the “supermoon” was mesmerizing to watch from this vantage point, particularly in a kayak where it seems you are hovering on the water’s surface. In contrast, Oakland’s estuary sits next to one of the busiest ports in the country. When we paddled toward the mouth of the bay, against the tide, giant ships and creature-like cranes hovered over the water at a scale that made us quite like ants to a dinosaur. We then turned 180 degrees and glided into the light of the rising moon, at first a little, fuzzy glowing light, then giant, detailed and illuminating the water.

Pools of fish were jumping up all around us, dancing in the bright light and almost surely committing suicide as birds swooped in for a night meal. If it’s possible to sleep in a kayak, I came pretty close. The water, moon, paddling with my friend Manav Thapar, an outdoor advocate for youth, and traveling a mile from home was the perfect combination to watch the biggest moon of the year.