A few weeks back, I visited my Aunt in Oakland, CA for a few days.
While there, I really wanted her to try flat-water paddling.
She was with me when I learned how to Stand Up Paddle in Hawaii last year...in fact she learned along with me....but I could tell the waves and the chop made her uncomfortable on the board.
So this go-round, I told her all about flat-water SUPing...how peaceful it was...how relaxing it was....
it didn't take long....she was in.
We decided to give it a go on the Napa River!
You read that right.
The Napa River. The river that feeds the vineyards of Napa.
We rented these crazy paddle boards that were more like squashed kayaks from Napa Valley Adventure Tours and we were off!
We put in at the Oxbow Public Market area...
It had rained quite a bit prior to our trip...so the Napa River was a bit more muddy looking than usual...
We got on our boards, got comfortable and started paddling South....
A portion of the river took us right through a new development across from the Oxbow area....
then we hit the open river where we could see beautiful green hills of vineyards in the distance...
my Aunt was loving it....
It was slightly overcast for our paddle, a light breeze worked against us as we paddled south...conditions were great for paddling (or just sitting on the water)... ; )
We relaxed, talked, followed a few geese, ducks and osprey around and then turned around and made our way back north toward Oxbow...
We paddled past Oxbow Market into a wildlife refuge about a mile before we started feeling a few rain drops...
Because it was a little chilly...we decided not to risk getting stuck on the water in the rain...
we docked back at Oxbow and were ready for FOOD.
Three and a half hours of paddling really works up an appetite!
All in all, a great paddle, very nice and easy, no obstacles or any sort.
I would highly recommend this to anyone going to Napa Valley for some wine-tasting....just don't drink and paddle. ; )
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