SUP Huguenot Flats to Pony Pasture

Last weekend was absolutely GORGEOUS!  So much so that we were able to get a few paddle sessions in before this weekend's SUP Enduro and SUP Cross races at Riverrock.

The wind was working against us which is exactly what we needed to show us that we were absolutely not ready for any kind of race!  But that doesn't matter....SUP Enduro and SUP Cross was AWESOME (more on that later).  ; )

Once we were satisfied with how far we'd paddled up river we turned our boards around, rested our paddles on the boards and enjoyed the downwinder.....

until we realized we were on a collision course with a huge swarm of bugs in front of us....

and as we floated closer...

we heard the buzzing.

This was not a swarm of gnats (as we thought)....but a swarm of tens of thousands of bees.

As soon as we realized this my husband yelled to get down and we both laid out flat on our boards.

The swarm passed right over us.

It was...intense...to say the least.

I was about to roll over into the water and put my ShuBu over my head!

Unreal.

The next half of the afternoon we teamed up with fellow SUPer Sean for a downwinder from Huguenot Flats to Pony Pasture.

Once we got to the dam off of Riverside drive just before Pony Pasture I took out and walked my board around the whitewater obstacle I wasn't quite ready for.

My husband on the other hand was determined to get his board over the dam.

The rapids at Pony Pasture were F-U-N!  I was on my knees the entire time because I didn't have a helmet but it was still pretty exhilarating!

Thank you weather gods for such a fantastic weekend!

SUP Vacation Hawaii: Kihei Beach

During our visit we took the opportunity to hop over to one of the other islands for a few days.

Maui.

My Dad's favorite island.

I understand why.

In addition to a whale watching tour and biking down a dormant volcano, we rented paddleboards in Kihei on the South tip of Maui.

My husband chased waves (and caught a fair number!) while I cruised the outer parameters of the break.

I have to admit...the view of Maui from the water was pretty awesome.

But what really made this paddle the most memorable to date.....

my new paddle buddies...

Green Hawaiian Sea Turtles!

I guess they weren't scared by my easy-cruisin because they decided to stick around me for a little while.  Long enough for me to open my dry bag and get my camera out!

At one point a fairly large turtle started swimming directly toward me.  I was nervous for about a second as he was pretty big in comparison to my board, but he detoured at the last moment next to my board allowing me to get this awesome shot...

SUPing Kihei beach in Maui....an experience I won't soon forget!

SUP Vacation Hawaii: Kahana River

Aloha!

Apologies for not keeping up with the blog!  We recently returned from visiting family in Hawaii and have just now gotten back into a regular routine.

Let's jump right in!

It was wonderful being back in the place where our love for SUP first started...but my husband and I have different SUP needs.

I need flatwater and awesome scenery.

He needs waves.

I'm happy to report that Hawaii took care of both.

For our flatwater excursion we sought out Kahana River on the East side of Oahu.  It's not well known and actually very easy to miss but absolutely worth a drive from the other side of the island.

We put in at Kahana Bay Beach Park (below)...

If you're looking out at the ocean from the park the mouth of Kahana river is to your right.  In fact you drive right over it to get to the beach park, which means you get to SUP under a vehicle bridge....(always fun!)

Once you paddle past the bridge the river opens up and you're suddenly completely enclosed by lush greenery.....

I kept hearing Sir Richard Attenborough say "Welcome...to Jurassic Park" in my head.

You can paddle all the way up the river but it narrows quite a bit and presents some obstacles along the way (if you enjoy them)...

We actually had other family members waiting to use the paddleboards after us so we didn't paddle the whole river but next time.....we're going all the way.  ; )

Once we got back to the beach park we handed the boards off to my two younger brothers and girlfriend and followed them along the shore to snap some photos...

Below is the mouth to the Kahana River.

And oh yeah....did I mention there is a rope swing at the mouth of the river?

Kahana Bay Beach park definitely has something for everyone.  And if you like to paddle flatwater it is the perfect location.

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!

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.

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.

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