What I’m Wearing…
* Old dress from Forever 21… see it here with bike shorts!
* This bag is ancient, and always works well for Summer, but I can’t remember where I got it
* Tom Ford cat eye sunglasses {which have finally moved to the “old but still wearable when being active pile”… and I think it’s about time.}
* Crocs Retro Flips {love these! And they’re Red and Blue, perfect for the 4th!}
* Victoria’s Secret push-up, cut-out bikini {which I bought after seeing this cut-out bikini but never had a chance to wear – See it in my Friday I’m In Love post from 2011} and is perfect for paddle boarding, mostly because it stays put, but also because the chest is open, so I don’t get around-the-neck tan lines like you do from triangle tops.
Just a little disclaimer before you scroll, there are photos below of Summertime attire, including, but not limited to, bikinis and board shorts. Meaning, you are going to see bits of our legs and torsos you may have never seen before. And though I feel a little weird about posting these, I’m forcing myself to get over it because it’s Summer, and this is what we wear. 🙂 All photos via my iPhone camera.
Just a little board info…
My stand up paddle board, or SUP board {orange/gray}, is an all-around board for flat water or to semi-surf in the ocean with. The husband’s is a touring board {white/blue}, which is thicker, floatier, and has a pointed nose, and strictly for use on smooth lake water. You can go to my post stand up paddle boards if you like, for info on where we bought them. And this video is helpful in Choosing the Right Stand Up Paddle Board if you’re looking.
So we moved up this mountain to Lake Arrowhead in the beginning of December 2012 and had our very first snowy white winter and fell madly in love with mountain life {and no traffic ever ;}. And now that it’s Summer, we have the entire lake to play on and we couldn’t be more excited. Seriously. So excited!!
Below is our bay, or shore, or beach area that’s closet to our house. Check out all the little sailboats out on the lake! Though it’s not a private lake, it’s not exactly public either; you have to have “lake rights” to use it, lol. If you look closely, you can see white buoys creating a perimeter {like any lake} and on paddle boards or kayaks, etc., we’re able to go out as far as the buoys and travel all around the lake in either direction as long as we stay within the buoys. And though it’s not a huge lake, we still haven’t even made it half-way around it by foot OR by paddle board. We are one of about 10 bays and coves.
A few weeks ago, we had our first jaunt on the lake with new friends on their boat, which was a blast and life-changing, but we don’t have a boat of our own just yet. That will come next year {hopefully ;}.
Our house is not exactly on the lake, but just about a 2 or 3 minute walk to it. We basically just cross the road, go down a few steps, through a path and then we’re on the lake. Since we don’t have a boat just yet but wanted to be able to be active on the lake this Summer, we had to get creative. So we thought about kayaking, canoeing, peddle boats even, but decided we’d start with stand up paddle boarding. Not only is it was a great way to stay active and have fun on the water but you get a great workout in the meantime, which is a total bonus.
Except the quick 2-3minute walk down to the lake becomes a major trek while carrying these massive paddle boards and paddles. At 25-30lbs, they’re not really that heavy, but they’re awkward because they’re so big. They have a handle in the center {see below} and are easy to lift and carry, but soon enough my forearm would tire and I had to continually rest the board on my hip, leg, or foot on the way down so I didn’t ruin it. We got bags for them the next day out but I didn’t find it to be that much easier. I’m hoping that over time and with continued use, it will get easier because it takes a bit of the fun out of it for me {because I’m a huge baby}.
 
 
 
Once we got to the beach area at the lake, {we took a breather from that trek down} dis-robed and trekked our boards down the little dirt steps to the water. I didn’t want to go down any more steps at this point, lol. My arm felt like it was going to fall off. I was leaning my hip so far into it at this point to help my arm out, I gave myself a bruise.
We could’ve easily gotten a lesson from the Mike at Wake and Wheel where we bought the boards, but instead we just watched a quick video on how to stand up on a paddle board and it was really quite easy. We both did it on our very first try. I’ve created a little how-to photo tutorial below…
While it was really easy to get up, staying up and keeping balance is an entirely different story. Of course when the water is as smooth as glass, there’s no issue at all, but as soon as boats zoom by outside of the buoys, the wake comes in and makes it difficult for beginners like us to stay confident in our footing. I found that when the water was really choppy, and we were way out by the buoys, I got on my knees in a stand-up/kneeling position and paddled {like my husband below} and it was just as fun! AND I got a much better leg/quad workout that way since I was really using them as resistance against the paddling. I also sat on my butt with my legs out and paddled when I was tired, which was really fun too.
This video is helpful if you want to learn how to stand up and paddle board as well as this one The Golden Rules of Stand Up Paddling
 
OH MAN, IT’S SO MUCH FUN!!!
Since we started paddle boarding {uh, last week}, I’ve been obsessed with looking at other people’s Instagram shots of SUP Boarding and found that there are full-on Paddle Board Yoga Classes on the water! Amazing! I’m not sure I have the balance for that just yet, but I think it would be such a fun option.
By day two, we got pretty good. The husband fell off once each day, but only because he was braver than I and continued standing when the water got rough, while I was sitting on my butt 😉 Though I didn’t fall in, I still don’t understand how people wear full-on clothes on these things because you still get wet, or we did anyway. So I’m thinking ahead loving this adorable shorty wetsuit by Cynthia Rowley because it will come in handy when it gets chillier. I already have the floral wetsuit pants! OR this military inspired zip up Sporty Swimsuits would work as well. Because really, it’s all about fashion 🙂
Another sort of strange thing though, and maybe because I sat so much on my board on day two, is that it’s nearly a week later and randomly and without warning, I still feel like I’m rocking on a boat. It’s the weirdest thing! I mean, I’ve been on boats a hundred times and remember the feeling while out camping, trying to fall asleep in my tent and feeling the rocking, but a week later and still feeling it? And we weren’t even on a boat! I’m starting to get worried and think I’ve got some sort of issue with my ears or eyes or maybe it’s vertigo or something, because obviously I’m a hypochondriac. But it’s happening as I type this! I feel like I’ve had a few too many drinks and I haven’t had one. It’s freaking me out, lol.
But it’s not going to stop me! We have friends coming up this weekend to play, and I can’t wait to get back on the water!
Happy Friday Lovecats!
Have a wonderful weekend!
