Photo of the Week 8/31/20
SUPing
First SUP in a While!
It’s been quite a while since I went out on the Stand-up Paddle-board, with the nice temps in Phoenix right now I had to take advantage!
While April was extremely nice, May started out hot, I believe we’ve hit 107 already this year, so when I saw a high of 87 I knew it was a good afternoon to spend outdoors!
Headed down to Tempe Town Lake after an early out from work. The only real task is getting the SUP inflated, which takes some work. Why I haven’t gotten an electric pump is a fine question, because it’s a solid 5 minutes of pumping!
I do love having that lake there, so easy for a quick paddle. In 20 minutes I’m on the water!
Went from the beach to the far east end of the lake and back, with a little chilling in the middle of the lake. 3.5 miles and one fine afternoon. There was some battling of the wind the whole way back, it always seems to find me!
Afternoon at Canyon Lake
We cruised out to Canyon Lake, part of the Salt River, to hang out and so I could do a little SUPing. It’s about an hour from the house and the last part is a cool drive through some amazing desert scenery.
We brought Walter the Dog, we’re trying get him used to having people around so he can go do more stuff with us. He gets a little crazy around people he doesn’t know…
Since it was a Tuesday, and starting to get hot, I thought it would be quiet at the lake, but there were a good amount of people out there having fun. It always makes me very happy to see people out enjoying our National Forests, Parks, and public lands, they are one of our countries greatest natural resources.
The main reason we were there was just to relax in a cool outdoor spot not too far from the house, we were able to find a spot on the shore with a tree for some shade. We got a little camp set up and enjoyed the afternoon and some sandwiches. Most of the time there was a nice breeze and the water was super refreshing! Once I got the SUP inflated I took it for a cruise, paddled through some good rollers from the passing boats and almost fell in!
If you head out to Canyon Lake or any of the Tonto National Forest Recreation areas, make sure you get a Tonto Pass before you get all the way out there. They’re available at most gas stations and such as you leave town.
If you’re looking for an inexpensive way to get in SUPing, this paddle board has been awesome so far!
HydroForce White Cap Inflatable Stand Up Paddleboard SUP and Kayak 10′
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This Summer’s Adventures
Working in the restaurant industry in Phoenix necessitates taking vacations during the summer. While it can be a little warm in Phoenix, I’m still able to do a decent amount of outdoor activities and get away for some cool backpacking.
One of the first escapes should be a few days car camping with my wife. I just recently got us a 6 man tent, for excellent comfort in the campgrounds. While I enjoy the backpacking experience immensely, some comfy car camping is fun as well!
After that comes the Colorado backpacking trip, usually the highlight of the year for outdoor adventures. The past few years, for various reasons (impressive volumes of rain and wind or serious lack of precipitations), we haven’t been able to have a campfire. Really hoping for a few small campfires to sit around this time. Heading to an area around the continental divide, moving between some lakes. After a long hectic season of work the simplicity of backpacking and the beauty of the mountains help recharge the spirit. I feel like I can live pretty comfortably while backpacking, the REI Co-op Double Shot Press Mug doesn’t hurt (apparently it’s not available anymore, but I bet you can something similar). A real cup of coffee sure makes mornings in the mountains exceedingly nice.
Then in early September it’s back to the Grand Canyon! There will be four of us this time, should be a fun group. We’re going about two weeks later than last year, but it’s early September so it will probably still be pretty hot! As usual, i’m sure we’ll challenge ourselves. So we’ve got that goin’ for us , which is fun. The canyon is such an amazing place, around every turn is another incredible picture!
If I mix in some SUPing out at the lakes around Phoenix, it should be a good summer.
Who else has some sweet summer adventure plans?
Making it a Habit
I’ve been able to continue the heading down to Tempe Town Lake for some post-work Stand-up Paddleboarding theme. I’m new to the paddling, so I’m just looking to get in some miles and a good workout. I very much enjoyed listening to an audio book and putting forth effort, it’s a great way to decompress. Much need lately.
My Garmin Forerunner has always struggled a little with elevation, obviously the website will correct after the fact, but it is always very evident when I paddle. The graph below is my elevation while paddling Tempe Town Lake,,,
Wednesday on the Lake
My 3rd time on the Stand-up Paddleboard was pretty nice, it has become an excellent Wednesday afternoon pastime. I feel that it can become a good workout, but mainly it’s just super relaxing to cruise around Tempe Town Lake. It is unbelievable how many buildings are being built along the lake, 20 years ago when I moved to Phoenix it was a dry riverbed!
I wore the earphones today and rocked my AC/DC playlist, ripe for digging in. I definitely need to get some good technique, I feel like the main limiter in it being a cardio workout instead of just pleasure is my poor paddling stroke, so any knowledgeable tips are appreciated! Perhaps I should watch some YouTube videos. Fortunately for me, the people who’s totally awesome pics of paddling around made me want to try it are gong to start paddling around soon .
There was some actual going where I wanted!
Effort #2, so much better than the first time battling the wind.
This mess was my first SUP time, because I had decided to go and just because the winds are gusting to 25 ain’t no thing. apparently…
Going Down The Trail 