Quite possibly my new favorite thing is watching my husband try funny tricks on his Stand Up Paddleboard.
I call this the SUP halfsie-psyche-round the world-bomb. ; )
As you can see, I'm having fun going through some of the footage of our Hawaii trip.
More to follow soon!
Showing posts with label stand up paddle. Show all posts
Showing posts with label stand up paddle. Show all posts
Friday, May 27, 2011
Monday, May 23, 2011
SUP Cross: Riverrock 2011
The SUP Enduro was awesome...the SUP Cross was WICKED!
Jody, our friend Sean and new friend Bryan of Black Dog Paddle and a handful of other Stand Up Paddlers took to the whitewater on the James River in front of TONS of spectators and showed them how truly awesome SUPing can be.
The SUP course was pretty insane. Competitors had to navigate their way around several bouys and through two or three sets of rapids...and oh yeah...it was also full body contact if necessary! LOL!
Everyone did an AMAZING job!
Congrats to everyone that participated!!!!!
You guys ROCKED RiverRock!
Jody, our friend Sean and new friend Bryan of Black Dog Paddle and a handful of other Stand Up Paddlers took to the whitewater on the James River in front of TONS of spectators and showed them how truly awesome SUPing can be.
The SUP course was pretty insane. Competitors had to navigate their way around several bouys and through two or three sets of rapids...and oh yeah...it was also full body contact if necessary! LOL!
Everyone did an AMAZING job!
Congrats to everyone that participated!!!!!
You guys ROCKED RiverRock!
Monday, May 16, 2011
SUP Enduro: RiverRock 2011
It's Monday and I'm STILL blown away at how awesome SUP Enduro and SUP Cross was at Dominion Riverrock this weekend!
I competed (I use that term loosely) in the SUP Enduro which was a 2.7 mile race along Haxall Canal on my ShuBu and have learned the following:
* Inflatable Stand Up Paddleboards are not meant for racing.
* All Stand Up Paddlers are AWESOME.
* Talking throughout the entirety of a race to onlookers and friends does not help you go faster.
* Richmonders treat underdogs very, very well.
When we arrived to the starting area I was immediately greeted by Camille and Bryan Smith of BlackDogPaddle.com! We'd been chatting with them back and forth on our Facebook page so it was truly a pleasure to finally meet them in person!
We were also really excited to see Macky Hall of Chesapeake Boardsports ready to rock the race!
I was pretty intimidated by all of the technical race boards but each SUPer's smile put me at ease.....it was OK my board was inflatable, it was OK if I wasn't fast....we were all out here to have a good time.
The race course was simple: 3 laps up and down the Haxall Canal.
The start of the race was FUN! Everyone ahead of me was pretty darn fast but I got to play on their chop!
Pictured below is Macky in the red shorts and Cherie in the red shirt (1 of 3 of us gal participants) taking off!
It was really cool being in a race with such talented SUPers!
Pictured below is Camille on her 2nd lap while I'm still trying to finish my first! Camille dominated!
Fifty-four minutes after the start and after a heck of a fun work out I crossed the finish line...
I sooooooooo want to do this again!
But I'm going to get a proper board for next time. ; )
Because there were only three of us gals in the race, we each placed (each of us winning a cash prize)! =)
Congrats Camille and Cherie on a race-well-paddled!!!
I competed (I use that term loosely) in the SUP Enduro which was a 2.7 mile race along Haxall Canal on my ShuBu and have learned the following:
* Inflatable Stand Up Paddleboards are not meant for racing.
* All Stand Up Paddlers are AWESOME.
* Talking throughout the entirety of a race to onlookers and friends does not help you go faster.
* Richmonders treat underdogs very, very well.
When we arrived to the starting area I was immediately greeted by Camille and Bryan Smith of BlackDogPaddle.com! We'd been chatting with them back and forth on our Facebook page so it was truly a pleasure to finally meet them in person!
We were also really excited to see Macky Hall of Chesapeake Boardsports ready to rock the race!
I was pretty intimidated by all of the technical race boards but each SUPer's smile put me at ease.....it was OK my board was inflatable, it was OK if I wasn't fast....we were all out here to have a good time.
The race course was simple: 3 laps up and down the Haxall Canal.
The start of the race was FUN! Everyone ahead of me was pretty darn fast but I got to play on their chop!
Pictured below is Macky in the red shorts and Cherie in the red shirt (1 of 3 of us gal participants) taking off!
It was really cool being in a race with such talented SUPers!
Pictured below is Camille on her 2nd lap while I'm still trying to finish my first! Camille dominated!
Fifty-four minutes after the start and after a heck of a fun work out I crossed the finish line...
I sooooooooo want to do this again!
But I'm going to get a proper board for next time. ; )
Because there were only three of us gals in the race, we each placed (each of us winning a cash prize)! =)
Congrats Camille and Cherie on a race-well-paddled!!!
Wednesday, May 11, 2011
Sorry we've been away.....
Just returned from vacation and have MUCH to post about SUPing in Hawaii and coming back to Richmond, VA to SUP Pony Pasture!
We're also in the process of getting ready for SUP Cross and SUP Enduro events at this weekend's Dominion RiverRock festival!
More to follow!
We're also in the process of getting ready for SUP Cross and SUP Enduro events at this weekend's Dominion RiverRock festival!
More to follow!
Wednesday, February 23, 2011
First Paddle of 2011
We were blessed with (as my friend @EdOMalley put it) an "awesome weather gift" this past Friday!
Sunny skies and 73 degrees weather called us to the river for a quick (into the wind) paddle.
We only got in about 40 minutes of actual paddle time as the sun was going down pretty quickly...but it was a wonderful 40 minutes.
The wind was so strong I had to spend about half the time kneeling down, but it still made for an awesome workout.
By the way, I don't recommend paddling without your middle fin when it's windy.
I removed my middle fin because I was afraid of hitting rocks...
I should have been more afraid of being blown all the way down-river!
An excellent time as always at Huguenot Flats.
Sunny skies and 73 degrees weather called us to the river for a quick (into the wind) paddle.
We only got in about 40 minutes of actual paddle time as the sun was going down pretty quickly...but it was a wonderful 40 minutes.
The wind was so strong I had to spend about half the time kneeling down, but it still made for an awesome workout.
By the way, I don't recommend paddling without your middle fin when it's windy.
I removed my middle fin because I was afraid of hitting rocks...
I should have been more afraid of being blown all the way down-river!
An excellent time as always at Huguenot Flats.
Monday, January 3, 2011
Last Paddle of 2010
I honestly can't believe I'm typing this but I'm excited to share our last paddling excursion of 2010 with you!
My husband and I decided to take a mini mid-week vacation to our favorite Stand Up Paddle friendly B&B (The Inn at Tabb's Creek) this past week.
We knew it would be cold, but we brought our ShuBu's anyway. ; )
The grounds of the Inn were just as beautiful covered in snow as it had been back in late spring during our first visit.
The first thing we did upon arrival was check the water.....
There were definitely some icy patches but that didn't stop us. We waited for the temperature to raise a little before gearing up, convincing Innkeeper Greg to join us, and then it was onto the water...
Luckily for us, there was practically no wind.
Apart from being a little nerve-racking....it felt absolutely awesome walking on icy waters....
Because the ice was pretty thin on most parts of the creek we could paddle right through it without too much trouble (though we definitely had to keep our balance)...
We paddled for about an hour before it started to sleet! At that point it was too cold to stay on the water so we hit dry land, warmed up in our suite with hot chocolate and enjoyed the view...
The next day we convinced both Innkeepers Greg and Lori to join us for one last paddle (it also happened to be New Year's Eve)...
The sun was shining much brighter today so we decided to head out toward East River.
The view of the Inn at Tabb's Creek from the water was GORGEOUS!
We turned back toward the Inn after a little while and made a B-line for the ice again....
And then the craziest thing happened....
Greg and Lori's cat, Chai, decided to join Lori on her board....
I never, ever thought I'd see a Stand Up Paddling cat.....so, awesome.
After our ice-paddling excursion we changed into warm clothes, bid Lori, Greg and Chai goodbye and hit the road.
What an excellent last paddle of 2010.
Life is good.
My husband and I decided to take a mini mid-week vacation to our favorite Stand Up Paddle friendly B&B (The Inn at Tabb's Creek) this past week.
We knew it would be cold, but we brought our ShuBu's anyway. ; )
The grounds of the Inn were just as beautiful covered in snow as it had been back in late spring during our first visit.
The first thing we did upon arrival was check the water.....
There were definitely some icy patches but that didn't stop us. We waited for the temperature to raise a little before gearing up, convincing Innkeeper Greg to join us, and then it was onto the water...
Luckily for us, there was practically no wind.
Apart from being a little nerve-racking....it felt absolutely awesome walking on icy waters....
Because the ice was pretty thin on most parts of the creek we could paddle right through it without too much trouble (though we definitely had to keep our balance)...
We paddled for about an hour before it started to sleet! At that point it was too cold to stay on the water so we hit dry land, warmed up in our suite with hot chocolate and enjoyed the view...
The next day we convinced both Innkeepers Greg and Lori to join us for one last paddle (it also happened to be New Year's Eve)...
The sun was shining much brighter today so we decided to head out toward East River.
The view of the Inn at Tabb's Creek from the water was GORGEOUS!
We turned back toward the Inn after a little while and made a B-line for the ice again....
And then the craziest thing happened....
Greg and Lori's cat, Chai, decided to join Lori on her board....
I never, ever thought I'd see a Stand Up Paddling cat.....so, awesome.
After our ice-paddling excursion we changed into warm clothes, bid Lori, Greg and Chai goodbye and hit the road.
What an excellent last paddle of 2010.
Life is good.
Saturday, December 18, 2010
SUP Dutch Gap
Late November in Virginia and the weather decided to be extremely kind to us on my husbands birthday!
We were able to go for a paddle on the James with some extremely interesting company...
We went in at Dutch Gap next to Henricus Historical Park and apparently this area is known for attracting congregations of Black Vultures!
I'd never been so close to ginormous birds in my life! If they'd wanted...they could have easily picked us off the water. It was extremely unnerving having to paddle right next to such a large group of them. There had to be at least 75 vultures. They just watched us as we paddled by....a few of them in the air above our heads boasting their 5 foot wingspans...
We paddled upriver with the winds to our backs which made the few miles upriver quite leisurely. We stopped at a docking area for a few minutes to check the time, get some water and sit and enjoy the sun for a few moments before heading back...
The paddle back to Dutch Gap boat landing was a bit difficult with the wind working against us. We stuck close to the shoreline to avoid the wind full-on, which gave us great views of the last of the fall leaves...
It was a wonderful paddle and a fantastic way to celebrate my husbands birthday.
Overall this is a great area for any stand up paddler, though I'd be sure to check the wind conditions before getting on the water as the river opens up so wide in certain areas it was pretty impossible to avoid hitting it head-on.
Dutch Gap boat landing is also a very easy place to find and easy access to the water.
You can find more info here if interested: http://www.waymarking.com/waymarks/WM5T93_Dutch_Gap_James_River_Nr_Richmond_VA
We were able to go for a paddle on the James with some extremely interesting company...
We went in at Dutch Gap next to Henricus Historical Park and apparently this area is known for attracting congregations of Black Vultures!
I'd never been so close to ginormous birds in my life! If they'd wanted...they could have easily picked us off the water. It was extremely unnerving having to paddle right next to such a large group of them. There had to be at least 75 vultures. They just watched us as we paddled by....a few of them in the air above our heads boasting their 5 foot wingspans...
We paddled upriver with the winds to our backs which made the few miles upriver quite leisurely. We stopped at a docking area for a few minutes to check the time, get some water and sit and enjoy the sun for a few moments before heading back...
The paddle back to Dutch Gap boat landing was a bit difficult with the wind working against us. We stuck close to the shoreline to avoid the wind full-on, which gave us great views of the last of the fall leaves...
It was a wonderful paddle and a fantastic way to celebrate my husbands birthday.
Overall this is a great area for any stand up paddler, though I'd be sure to check the wind conditions before getting on the water as the river opens up so wide in certain areas it was pretty impossible to avoid hitting it head-on.
Dutch Gap boat landing is also a very easy place to find and easy access to the water.
You can find more info here if interested: http://www.waymarking.com/waymarks/WM5T93_Dutch_Gap_James_River_Nr_Richmond_VA
Sunday, November 14, 2010
SUP Lake Anna...
So the weather this weekend was awesome......68 degrees, clear skies, light breeze....how could we NOT go out for a paddle?
With the leaves turning so quickly in the past few days we decided we'd explore a portion of Lake Anna for our paddle.
I had a feeling the view from the water was going to be amazing...
I didn't realize how amazing until we got in at Dukes Creek Marina....
There were beautiful and vibrant shades of red, yellow and orange everywhere we looked...
The sky was absolutely gorgeous....the water was completely calm (with a few ripples from the occasional passing boat)....we were in paddle heaven....
I would HIGHLY recommend this paddle for anyone that appreciates nature at it's best.
While it was still a little chilly when the wind blew....we were wearing enough layers (3 to be exact) to be comfortable.
We paddled and explored a number of the islands throughout Lake Anna and returned to Dukes Creek Marina after about 3 hours of paddling.
Dukes Creek Marina is a great little area to park your car (they only charge $3) and get on the water.
We hope to get out there again soon!
With the leaves turning so quickly in the past few days we decided we'd explore a portion of Lake Anna for our paddle.
I had a feeling the view from the water was going to be amazing...
I didn't realize how amazing until we got in at Dukes Creek Marina....
There were beautiful and vibrant shades of red, yellow and orange everywhere we looked...
The sky was absolutely gorgeous....the water was completely calm (with a few ripples from the occasional passing boat)....we were in paddle heaven....
I would HIGHLY recommend this paddle for anyone that appreciates nature at it's best.
While it was still a little chilly when the wind blew....we were wearing enough layers (3 to be exact) to be comfortable.
We paddled and explored a number of the islands throughout Lake Anna and returned to Dukes Creek Marina after about 3 hours of paddling.
Dukes Creek Marina is a great little area to park your car (they only charge $3) and get on the water.
We hope to get out there again soon!
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