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

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!

SUP Napa River!!!!!

While I realize this blog is dedicated to SUPing the State of Virginia and its surrounding areas...I couldn't pass up telling you about my latest SUPing adventure in Napa Valley!

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.  ; )

SUP Va Beach FAIL

Well, this is hopefully the first and last time I write that we experienced a major SUP FAIL last weekend.

The weather was sunny but chilly and breezy last weekend, so we decided on a whim to head down to VA Beach to try a little wave action on our ShuBu's.

When we got to VA Beach...what we found was not ideal.

Winds were so strong there was no clear breaking direction. 

And it was FREEZING!

So....we ended up heading back to the place that got us on Stand Up Paddleboards again....Surf and Adventure Shop in Sandbridge.

The S&A crew let us put in behind the shop even though we didn't rent anything from them....but it looked much different this go-round.  The water was lower, more stagnant.  It wasn't as beautiful as I'd remembered...but it was still flat water.

We pumped up our boards and took turns staying with Kozy (as we planned to take him on the boards at the beach, not here).

While it wasn't nearly as windy on this water...the water was still very, very cold, so we didn't do anything silly that would possibly put us into the water.

I wish I could report that we had a fantastic time paddling this area...but we just...didn't. 

We weren't prepared for the cold, and we definitely weren't prepared for having Kozy not come with us on the boards.

However, we still made the best of the situation.  And next time...we will prepare.

Kozy-Hug!!!!