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Letter to my beautiful kids – Before going to the Yukon River Quest – 444 miles

by Cali Paddler 0 comments
Yukon River Quest

A parent paddler, sharing his letter to his kids before his adventure...

"You have seen me going training countless hours in the past 6 months, you have seen me lost in dreams and thoughts and questions over this race, you have heard me tirelessly speaking about it, and you have seen me prepare my luggage today.

With this letter, maybe in a few years once you will have grown a bit more, you will be able to read the main reasons why I decided to do this challenge, what it means to me, and what in the process I’d like you to humbly learn from me..."

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CP Exploration - The Gorge - Columbia River

by Cali Paddler 0 comments

While we love to focus attention on local California waters, we are equally excited when Cali Paddlers breach the borders of other states and explore. Thank you Maggie Adams of Blue Paddle SUP for sharing with us your recent experience paddling the Gorge on the Columbia River! time to add this experience to our bucket list!

Is the Wind Blowing?

Is it going to be windy tomorrow? That seems to be the question of the day when you are in Hood River, OR. On our first trek down to the river it was blowing, or “nuking.” Nuking = A very windy day! There were at least a 100 kiteboarders & windsurfers on the water. Usually when I paddle board, I don’t want it to be windy. It makes the water choppy, and I get tired when I have to paddle against it. But we were at the Columbia River to learn how to downwind on our stand up paddle boards, and compete in the Naish Columbia Gorge Paddle Challenge. For a downwinder on the Columbia River you need a West wind. Conditions are best when wind gusts are 20-30 kts.

 

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Elements of Recovery - A Na Pali Bucket List Story

by Clarke Graves 2 comments
I'd like to think I have never taken paddling for granted. And the good health that lets me paddle. But I am sure over the years I have enjoyed this sport, I have done just that. Taken for granted our waters, the camaraderie of teammates, and the athleticism paddling provides me. So as you can imagine, when a back injury took away my ability to comfortably sit, stand, walk and paddle, I scolded myself for having not appreciated it even more.

Little did I know that a chance to paddle in a race I have dreamed about doing for 6 years would come along. And that I would be able to resume a paddling addiction that had been threatened in the year prior due to injury.

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Misfits in Monterey - SoCal Takes a Trip North

by Cali Paddler 2 comments
Monterey Bay Hoe Wa'a Outrigger Canoe RaceCali Paddler is thrilled to have Si Mendoza share with us some recent fun he and his crew had during a trip up north to explore the Memorial Day Hoe in Monterey Bay. If you haven't heard of this race, consider this a chance to learn more and be inspired for a trip to awesome-land.

How did I NOT know about this for all these years?!  An extended holiday weekend full of paddling in different divisions with different water crafts over two days in a beautiful city with delicious pubs?  Um, yea – I’ll take two of them please!

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Cali Paddler Explorations - 3 Days 100 Miles Revisted

by Cali Paddler 0 comments
Do you like exploration and a little bit of crazy? Join us on this fun and meaningful adventure story. To paddle 100 miles in 3 days. From Santa Barbara to Malibu!

This week marks the 2 year anniversary when some paddling friends got together to go on a little trip. To fulfill a dream of exploring some beautiful coastline. Along the way they were joined by another paddler who prior to the event, they barely knew, but as is often the case with Cali Paddlers, it doesn't take long to become great friends. All of this was for a great cause, to raise money and awareness for three cancer focused non-profit groups through the donations of amazingly generous folks. The concepts of Cali Paddler, community, bonding, appreciation of our water and sport was still far from being talked about. But the groundwork was unknowingly being laid.

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