Homeward Bound: Biking in Tahoe, Oregon and the Gorge Paddle Challenge Race Report

 

To recover from the Tahoe-Nalu SUP race Andrew and I did some riding around the Tahoe area. We first headed to South Lake Tahoe to check out Mr Toads Wild Ride. It was a long haul UP, luckily I like UP.... the first part of the down was technical with a nice film of dust making it extra slippery... I was in the wrong headspace...thinking about the race that just passed and my future in the sport of SUP etc..... not helpful when trying to mtn bike down slippery boulders... needless to say I realized my thoughts were on cloud nine so took it easy and decided to march down some of the more difficult routes. Luckily, the technical sections didn't last too long and I was able to get my head back in the game and enjoy the rest of the descent. It was fun.....After about 5 hours we were back in the car and in search of a beach. We found one in Tahoe City. I got out on the SUP and practiced some bouy turns until the thunder and lightning seemed loud enough to scurry me off the water. We enjoyed some shopping and headed for the summit of Mt Rose. We spent the night on the summit as it was very close to the trailhead of our next ride: Tahoe Rim Trail into Flume Trail.
   TRT and Flume trail were very scenic indeed, flowy and fun. It is a shuttle ride and luckily we knew some amazing folks in Tahoe (Jennifer and Craig) that offered to pick us up at the end of the ride. We actually rode the flume trail the opposite way then most in order to get a little more of a technical descent later on in the loop! We enjoyed ice cream and burritos at the end of the ride!

BEND Oregon was our next destination. We were running out of time so our stop in Bend was short but sweet. We magically happened to be in the city when my old adventure race teammates Jason and Chelsey were in town (a rare occasion). They were kind enough to lend us a bed and make us some delicious dinner. Jason also pointed us in a direction of  a nice mtn bike ride. We rode the Mazrek trail the following day. It ended up being a longer than intended ride but fun nonetheless. We climbed up the road to some waterfalls then had a steep singletrack climb into a 13 mile singletrack descent. All not that far out of town.

Following Bend, we headed to our last stop on our 3 week road trip... Hood River. We had been here before but it is a lovely town with a great vibe. I had my second SUP race here.

Gorge Paddle Challenge

Chasing Allsion

My second PRO/Elite SUP race. Still no specific SUP training, still riding mtn bikes and camping, still had some firsts....
The wind conditions were set for a huge downwinder on Sunday so it was short course on Saturday. We arrived on Friday in hopes of some wind so I could practice some wave riding.... no luck.... it was dead flat so instead we went shopping! I got myself an adjustable seat post specialized style, a lightweight down jacket AND... that was expensive enough for one day! I eventually got out for a little paddle on the Starboard carbon New. Andrew and I enjoyed dinner at a taco stand by the road.... Delicious!

Saturday proved to have slight winds, enough to feel the headwind and ride the downwind and cause some chaos... The start was crowded as we ll headed to the left side to avoid being pushed downwind of the first bouy turn. I decided to start BEHIND the fast people and it worked out okay... it was roomier and so I could actually get some strokes in. I still need to work on my starts as I don't seem to paddle hard enough right away.. I am an endurance athlete in every way.... it takes me some time to get in my grove but in these one hour races... every second counts (as I am quickly learning by my close finishes with others....). I had a pretty terrible first lap and was about 8th place.... but into our first headwind I quickly realized I had a strength... HEADWIND... not the most fun strength in SUP but I suppose a useful one in certain races... I paddled passed a load of ladies and found myself in 4th behind Allison.. Unfortunately for me that is where I stayed for the rest of the 4 laps of the course. Allison is a really strong paddler and we are very similar in strength..... It is exciting and I look forward to paddling against her in more races... I finished about 7 seconds behind her in 4th. Not too bad for my second elite race with no specific SUP training.

Sunday was the downwinder. It was blowing hard. I was nervous not for the race but to not like it, to not finish it, to get ultra annoyed with the conditions..... It was my first downwinder.... it won't be my last but I do need A LOT more technical practice in order to be efficient and fast. The best way I could describe my emotions was that it really was FUN but very frustrating at the same time. I tried different tactics in catching waves etc but I just wasn't getting it enough and tons of paddlers were flying past me no matter what I did... Not my best result but that wasn't on my radar anyway for the downwinder... it was all about doing something new, something a little scary, and finishing with a smile on my face.... I look forward to the next one!

We took off after the race and made it back to Vancouver that night....

We are now finally back in our apartment but living in a flexible manner as we are renovating....

Battling for 3rd.... Couldn't catch Allison.... 

4th place

more race pictures HERE

live, love, laugh,...DREAM!
lina

Tahoe Nalu SUP Festival

I have been riding my mtn bike for 13 days out of the last 15 days... It's been AMAZING but most would probably say not the most ideal SUP training.... Well, I have my theories.... and been hoping that it is decent training for the next two BIG SUP races I have entered. I figure since I haven't been able to train on a SUP board for a year; two extra weeks wouldn't make that big of a difference?!?... I felt pretty good after my first race back at the Eastern CAN champs, winning helped:) Thanks to our road trip and my amazing hubby Andrew, I was able to try out two bigger races. Races with big prize money and hence PROS. These races could give me a starting point and let me assess where I stand up against paddlers that paddle all year, race a ton, and for some it is their career.

I finished last year off with a high winning many races around BC and feel that now I want to try and expand my racing further. I know I need to get back and figure out some proper training for SUP and I know it will still include all the activities I love to do but just in different percentages... I believe that my love for multi sports has helped me get me to the level I am, a level with very little SUP specific training... I am KEEN to see where my natural talent combined with specific training can take me... I want to be among the top ladies... right now I think I can get there... but it will take hard work.... it shouldn't and won't come easily....

Photo by Jennifer de Jung

Tahoe Nalu Day 1

10 miles
I was racing an older starboard Surf race 12'6 x 26.5
I was using a starboard carbon enduro paddle
We had to carry pfds so I had the mustang inflatable waist pfd

We started in knee deep (if you were tall and thigh deep if you were short like me!) water all in a line. It was a there and back course. I kind of just got in line... probably too far left but I am knew at this.... I had a BAD start. I jumped up on the board right away and just couldn't get a stroke in as we were squished together and got boxed out and had to just sort of wait until I could actually get my paddle in the water... I got a little flustered but eventually managed to wiggle my way around folks and get a rhythm... unfotunately I could see some ladies out in front already... I just put my head down and paddled. I managed to pass a few and keep my eyes on Brandi and Candice but knew I probably wouldn't be able to catch them (but that didn't stop me from trying...) The water was bumpy and had some awkward waves here and there.. I did stay upright the entire race... on the return I was pretty nervous not to draft some men (illegal to draft people from other categories) so I kept to myself on the outside of the line which maybe was a mistake? Don't know... I will have to ask about strategy. At some point a girl I had passed on the way out...passed me about half way back... I tried to dig deep but just couldn't catch her again... She beat me by about 5 seconds... OUCH... !

I got 4th but 4th to some of the best of the best so I can't really complain... actually I am quite happy about this. I was 5 minutes behind Candice Appleby (really probably the strongest female in the SUP community at the moment...) My future goal: to give SUp ladies like Candice, Brandi, etc a run for their money!

Coming to these races is difficult mentally... 1st: I don't know anybody 2nd: I don't have the experience others do 3rd: I am used to be being known as one of the top females.

It is important to do things that are uncomfortable, scary, unknown,.... I think it is the only real way to improve in all aspects of yourself. Although I get weird jitters inside, and nervousness of the unknown I really love putting myself out there!

more photos from Day 1 racing

Day 2

Race start beside the fast Candice Appleby

sprinting into the finish!

MORE PICTURES OF DAY 2 HERE

In short: FUN and very difficult at the same time. Three loops of a W shaped course, three starts, all loops counted for points. My strengths the first paddle to the first turn.... each turn I managed to lose some ground.... I NEED to practice my pivot turns! Ha, awesome experience though, got the heart rate way up there and look forward to more of these paddle festivals....

4th overall among the elite women!

It has been an awesome experience competing against these FAST ladies... it has definitely inspired me to get myself organized and start training specifically for SUP and just see where I can place among these incredible athletes! So, I have to say I am proud of my accomplishments this weekend and excited for the possibilities that may come in the future!

live, love, laugh,..DREAM!

lina

MOAB!

My summary of our time in MOAB: Cool landscape, grippy slickrock, somewhat annoying to ride on sand patches, funky dessert trees, lovely alpine singletrack, camping in canyons, long rides starting before sunrise, sketchy but very cool trails on the edges of cliffs, lots of time to hang in the shade....

Andrew has added more favorites from our first two days of riding PICTURES HERE! We rode slickrock and Poison Spider into Portal.

PIctures HERE from our Whole Enchilada ride (Do this ride if you can,....it was really too much fun!)

hopefully this is good training for SUP?!? I think so:)

live, love, laugh,...DREAM!
lina

IDAHO!

We have just spent the last week playing around the Sawtooth National Park in Idaho.... WOW! It is a little hidden gem of awesome alpine mtn bike trails, hiking trails, creeks, rivers, and lakes. If I was into fly fishing this seems to be the spot for that too! We have met so many nice people on the trails and around town as well! I highly recommend checking this area out if you love the outdoors.

PHOTOS of first part of trip to Idaho and first couple days of Idaho

PHOTOS of second part of Idaho

I will write more about our rides/camping/etc later.... the coffee shop is about to close.... NEXT: Lake Tahoe area for more mtn biking and SUP training and RACING!

live, love, laugh,...DREAM!
lina

END-WET: adventures in North Dakota

WOW..... I would have never guessed I would have so much fun and meet such amazing people in North Dakota. I have been in Grand Forks North Dakota for a week and I feel sad to leave.

The 3 SUP racers for END WET (Joel, me, and Grant!)

END WET

North Dakota is FLAT… possibly the flattest place I have ever been to date. Andy picked me and my Starboard Astro inflatable up at the Winnipeg airport. We drove about 2.5 hours south to Grand Forks North Dakota.

The next morning we got up for a media paddle/swim. The big event for END WET this year was the 12 solo swimmers attempting to swim 27 miles of the Red River from Grand Forks N.D to Oslo MN. SUP was like a demo sport/introduction of the sport to the area of Grand Forks. We had a fleet of 5 inflatables 2 of which were also racing with me the 27 miles down the Red River. Thanks to Trident Sports STARBOARD boards were the board of choice at this event and hopefully within the population of Grand Forks ND thereafterJ

The rest of Thursday was dedicated to heping Andy get ready for the event and enjoy meeting some new folks from the area. I was also able to sneak in a 45min run along the Red RiverJ

The most impressive part of END WET swimming 27 miles!

I spent my evenings at the Pecks residence. The Pecks are an amazing family composed of an amazingly talented photographer (father), the most helpful volunteer and kind person (mother) and two amazingly talented daughters! They took care of me for most of my nights in North Dakota. I cannot thank them enough and truly hope to meet them again!

Friday I decided to join Tammi for a 5:45am Ashtanga Yoga class at the community YMCA. It was fabulous but truly very early for me. I do love morning activities as long as I stil get my 8 hours of sleepJ After the fabulous wake up call/yoga class I joined some yogis for breakfast at Dakota Harvest, a local café that also supported the END WET race. YUMMY. The rest of the day consisted of hydrating and ding some more pre race faff.

Saturday: RACE DAY!

Paddling out the swimmers at 7am!

Start of paddling portion of END WET

Portage after 1.97 miles

I got the fabulous honours of paddling out with the swimmers for the first 1.97miles of the swim. It was yet a nother early morning BUT totally worth it. 15 swimmers headed out into the Red Rover at 7am. There were 12 solo swimmers (1 swimmer completed the entire swim while doing the butterfly stroke!) and 3 relay swim teams. It took the first swimmers about 35minutes to complete the first part of the swim. Everyone had to get out of the water for a mandatory portage around the dam. Once the swimmers were through we had another 3 hours until the paddlers got to begin. Grant (another SUP racer) and I helped out Andy with paddler registration and guarding of the boats. Eventually we met up with Joel (the 3^rd SUP paddler for the event) we hung out and tested out the boards. We were all on the Starboard Astro Inflatables. Not ideal for racing on flat water but great for travelling and beginners!

Once the race got way it was HOT out but I had my camelback filled with nuun and some snacks packed in there just in case. The first 1.97 miles to the portage were quick. I came in 5^th place among all paddlers! I decided to run the portage. I was wearing the INOV 8 evoskins for added protection against the little rocks and spiky grass. They worked, but ended up taking them off for the rest of the paddle so my feet could breathe. The rest of the paddle was calm, quiet, HOT but peaceful. My hands were blistering from my sweat but I was okay with that. At the half way point I stoped at the pantoon and refilled my water and got a cold snickers bar (sooooo good!Thank you Peck Family!) Refueled and excited for the last part of the race. I was really excited to pass some swimmers and see how they were holding up. I managed to paddle past 10 of the 15 swimmers and I have to say I was impressed. Everytime I passed a swimmer I told myself I had to reason to complain about the heat or my blistered hands or my triceps getting sore…. It was nothing compared to them….I managed to finish in about 5 hours 15min  which is acceptable for me ont hat board. I was hoping to get under 5 hours but am still happy with my paddle. I stuck around with Andy and Wes Peck until the final swimmer came in at 14 hours and 30 minutes. Dan the butterfly machine! It was an awesome day out on the water and a great race. I can feel the SUP stoke building in this little flat town! LOVE

END WET SUP on red river....27 miles!

Mile markers on the RED, 6 miles left to go!

YEAH! Finish line! 5 hours 15 min

Finish was in Oslo, MN!

Pretending I am as hardcore as the swimmers! Robert, Tobias, and Eric all finished the 27 mile swim along with the all the other competitors!

Emma shows her Congrats to DAD, Dave!

AMAZING! Butterfly for 27 miles, 14 hours and 30 min! Inspiring!

Sunday we all had a well deserved sleep and got up in time for the awards ceremony at 11am. The awards took place at the Fire Hall Theatre. Darren Miller inspired us by showing us a film about his many swim crossings from around the world, the mayor spoke and the awards were presented! The vibe was just so positive and exciting, I loved chatting to swimmers from around the continent and world(Malaysia!). After a quick lunch with the Pecks we headed to a local Park so I could teach a SUP clinic and have people try out the demo Starboard boards. About 15 people showed up and I would have to call it a great success! People were out on the boards, smiling, laughing, trying different tricks, falling in! It was AWESOME!

Land Intro to the class

Practicing some complex yoga moves

Pros already!

360 on the board! 

Erin

Megan

New Instructor Andy!

Monday I went out for a road ride with Tammi and her friend Allison. It was about 1 hour 45min and I sure felt like I hadn’t been on a road bike in a very long time… It was really fun to get out on the roads with these ladies though, despite having a sore bum I was all smiles the whole time! Later that afternoon we took the entire Magness clan out on the oards and paddled from Lincoln Park to town. The boys were jumping from board to board and I was trying to help out with ideas for potential SUP yoga and SUP Fit classes they could teach! In the evening I got to help out with club climb night at the roack gym. I also got to try a few climbs which totally gave me some climbing stoke back! SOOOOO many fun things to do and sooo little time to do it all… AHHHHH!

Tuesday, it was time to fly back to Vancouver!

I had such a wonderful time in Grand Forks! Thanks to Andy and Tammi Magness, the Peck family and all the wonderful people I met that are part of this cool little community! I will never forget you!

Live, love, laugh,…DREAM!

headstand pros!

ALL PICTURES were taken by WES PECK! Awesome job and thanks for sharing! 

www.endracing.com

live, love, laugh,...DREAM!
lina

SUP and solo canoe Trip Report: Algonquin Park- Opeongo Lake -Lake Lavielle Loop

Our route through Algonquin Park Opeongo-Lake Lavielle-Dickson-Opeongo Loop

Here is a trip report form the view point of a stand up paddleboarder. The shop guys at Algonquin Park Outfitters believe I might have been the first to SUP this loop through Algonquin Park. I encourage others to try it out. It was beautiful, and a wonderful experience on a SUP. 


We were not heading out to break records (although maybe got a first timer on this one without even trying...but who's counting:)), we were aiming for a relaxing, immersed in nature, paddling through new surroundings kind of trip. 


I flew from Vancouver with the inflatable SUP board, the pump, the safety kit and the paddle. The SUP essentials, along with some clothes all managed to weigh under the allowance of 23kg for the plane ride over. I had a small packback for my carry on with my labtop and other small electronic things. No extra fees and I got to bring a board:)


My dad being an amazing dad drove us down to Algonquin. We left Port Credit Sunday morning. It took about 4 hours to get to Opeongo Lake Outfitters. The South tip of the south arm of Opeongo Lake is entrance point 11 in Algonquin Park terms. I had the inflatable Starboard Astro (11'2x32") board, the 3 piece Nitro Werner Paddle, and the Mustang Survivor Inflatable PFD belt. I wore my Ryders Duchess Polarized sunglasses, Starboard boardies, and mostly just some two piece bathing suits. Andrew rented a solo Swift canoe (which he really enjoyed!)


Andrew carried most of the gear in the canoe. I started off with the sleeping bags, my repair kit, pump and some water on the board but by the end of the 5 days Andrew was carrying it all:)

The vessels!

Pumping up the inflatable

Sunday
Opeongo Point to the squaw Bay (West shore of Opeongo Lake).
5.14km, 1h26m moving time


We left Opeongo Outfitters about 3:15pm and arrived at our campsite at about 5pm. There was a strong headwind when we left so we stuck to the eastshore of the lake as far as Bates island and then crossed to the West Shore. The waves were totally manageable and I felt good on the board. I had the sleeping bags, my water, the SUP bag with the pump and repair kit on my board which I attached on the front bungees. The gear was light and I had no issues with it on the board. I kept the board inflated while we camped but did pull it up the cliff. 

Heading out on the South Arm of Opeongo Lake

Monday
Squaw Bay to Proulx Lake15.0km, 3h24m moving time.
175m and 965m portages. We took two trips for each, carrying the board on top of the canoe.
Camped on a rocky headland on the west shore of the lake.


We woke up early in hopes of calm waters. We had read and heard that Opeongo Lake can get pretty rough and windy. We did infact awake to calm waters and so ate and packed up quickly and got on the water by 8am. We paddled through to the North Arm Portage with no problems, stopping to take pictures and for a swim. For the portage we tried two methods. First we kept the board inflated and put it on top of the canoe and carried the bags on our backs. This was okay but slow and a little heavy to carry.  For the last part of the portage we decided to leave the canoe and carried the board and bags and doubled back for the canoe. There was only about 400m left on the portage so no problems AND we were in no rush as we were very close to our destination and it was only noon! We paddled to a rocky point on the west shore of the lake, we landed at about 1:30pm. The campsite had a drying line set up, with bbq racks and a nice campfire pit. We lounged around and read. In the early evening Andrew headed out on the SUP and I went for a swim along side... A nice campsite with sunset and sunrise spots on the point. 

North Arm Opeongo Lake

Relaxing at the Proulx Lake Campsite

Campsite on Proulx

Yoga on the rocks

Frog on Proulx Lake

Tuesday
Proulx  Lake to Big Crow Lake
14.4km, 3h30m moving time.We left Proulx Lake campsite at a reasonable hour. Had a little morning swim and took our time to the beginning of Crow river. We paddled Crow River into Little Crow Lake which was weedy, but passable. There was moderate headwind towards the end of the day. We had lunch on Little Crow Lake on the first campsite you reach. This campsite looked great and we ate on some rocks in the sun! Following lunch we headed towards Big Crow Lake. The winds were starting to really pick up but I really wanted to check out this island campsite on the opposite side of the lake. We were moving through some strong headwinds but managed to reach the campsite only to find it filled with lots of wind-damaged trees. After some discussions we decided to head downwind to check out the other campsites. I loved this one for its private beach but the damaged trees and site made it less comfortable. We headed downwind (managed to get some rides). I saw groups coming from Little Crow so pushed hard to get to the campsite before they arrived (campsites are first come first serve on the reserved lake). We managed to get a beach site at the south-east end near the mouth of the Crow River. It was a great campsite with all ammenities and a huge beach!


Note: On Small Crow River between Proulx and little Crow Lake it would be a good idea to take off your middle fin if you can. I did not do this but had to constantly stop and get Andrew to pull off the long mush of weeds... it was slow and weedy. We stopped for lunch at 1st campsiteon little croa lake (really nice!). We went to the island campsite on Big Crow Lake but a storm that hit 

Heading into Crow River

Heading into Crow River

Beach on Big Crow Lake

Wednesday
Big Crow Lake to Lake Lavielle
23.7km, 6h15m moving time.
Shallow and weedy river was slow going. Seven short portages plus some sections of wading and lifting the boat over rocks and beaver dams.
Frustrating and slow progress, but a beautiful campsite on a rocky outcrop at the entrance of Lake Lavielle.


We left Big Crow Lake at a reasonable hour. We found the little hike off of Crow River and decided to park the boats and check it out. There had been numerous storms through the area in the winter and spring so there were some deadfall still hanging about... The trail suddenly seemed to end and we weren't sure if it was in fact the end or not... the bugs were a little annoying and we felt we had seen enough so we decided to head back. On the return trip Andrew remembered to check the GPS and it turned out that we did have about 300m or so left to go...oh well. We returned to the boats and continued pass the portage and along the river. The portage wasn't too bad but longer than I would have liked:) But the most difficult aspects came next. The river was slow, shallow, rocky, had tree debris and leeches... Sometimes we had to carry the canoe/SUP over the rocks and there was certainly alot of jumping on and off the board. I had the fin off my board which was a great plan and would recommend this to anyone paddling this river. I was a little cautious with my board as I really didn't want to poke a whole through it... I am sure I could have paddled over more of the rocks etc without tearing up the board. There were 4 other short (about 1-2km) portages that we ended up doubling back for gear. The bugs were worse on the portages which did make me move faster:)  It was slow progress through the river but I definitely enjoyed most of it. When we finally did reach the Lake I was a happy camper! We found a great campsite at the entrance of Lake Laveille and enjoyed the quiet evening with the lake to ourselves!

Crow River

Crow River

Lake Lavielle

Swimming on Lake Lavielle

Thursday
Lake Lavielle to Opeongo East Arm
23.7km, 5h50m moving time.
Long Portage (Dickson-Bonfield - 5.3km) was tough going, but worked well with Lina carrying all the gear in two packs while I carried the canoe on the yoke and paddleboard deflated in the pack.
We camped at the end of the last portage on the end of Opeongo East Arm.


We woke up and departed our beautiful camp spot on Lake Lavielle by 9am. We enjoyed a morning swim out in the middle of the Lake and finally had a small tail wind to help us get to the end of the Lake. We were in no rush as this Lake was very pretty with islands, rocks, trees, and quietness that we appreciated! The portage to Dickson Lake was nice, short, and easy. On Dickson we once again experienced some nice headwind:) we had lunch at a campsite across the bay form the long portage. When we finally arrived to the beginning of the portage, we took our time arranging our gear in hopes of a successful and not too uncomfortable 5.3 km portage. We deflated the SUP and packed it in the backpack along with the 3 piece paddle. We fit the rest of the gear in the two remaining back packs. I took all the gear and Andrew took the canoe and board:) It took us about 2 hours to walk the 5.3km portage. We then re-inflated the SUP and managed the next two short paddles and portages to the East Shore of Opeongo Lake with smiles on our faces. We camped by the end of the last portage. Long hard day but enjoyable nonetheless. 

PORTAGE!

Hard Core!

Loaded and ready for the portage

YES! The Portage is OVER!

FOOD!!!!

Friday
Opeongo East Arm to Opeongo Point
15.7km, 2h 52m moving time.
6.30am start to beat the winds with mist rising off the water. A fast paddle back to our starting point on Opeongo Point.


We woke up at 5:40am, ate, packed up and we were on the water around 6:30am. It took us 3 hours to get back to Opeongo Outfitters. We stopped for two swim breaks (it was hot out). Mostly calm waters with slight headwind at times. We finished our trip off with ice cream and left over coffee while waiting for my dad to come pick us up! TOTAL SUCCESS!

6:30am start with the mist rising from the water

live, love, laugh,..DREAM!


lina