Meeting fellow paddlers is always a blast, it reminds me of a Grateful Dead concert. The folks are always low key, peaceful, good at sharing stories & tips, plus always intriguing to talk with. I picked Folsom, specifically NegroBar boat launch by the Folsom bridge. I showed up around noon’ish and met Brian with http://www.kayakcity.com. He was paddling a Laird board and it’s a nice cruiser. He also showed me his ocean kayak, SUP board, which looks pretty cool, but more like a kayak design than a true paddle board. Brian is the SUP paddler for kayak city. Now, let me tell you a little bit about kayak city, this company rocks. I did my research before I bought my ocean kayaks and these guys kept coming up the best priced and knowledgeable place to shop. I completely agree, I have bought 3 kayaks from them and a ton of gear to aide my adventures. We talked for almost an hour and then it was time to hit the water, however let me say taking it slow during prep and talking with Brian was super cool vs. rushing to get in the water.
I packed my Paddle board, gopro2 camera, water bottle, bandana and headed to the boat dock. I then ran into Derek from http://www.facebook.com/WakeSUP We started talking about boards, which ones are the best for different conditions. Derek was very knowledgeable as well. He runs a rental, sales, training Stand Up Paddle business, plus he’s got some great connections with SUP companies. So.. if you are in the market for a board, give Derek a call. I also saw one of his training events and the newbies were rocking it quick on the boards.
8/10 kayaks rating.
- Water clarity – fair to good, in spots it was really clear, but mostly couldn’t see the bottom or the rocks.
- Entry / Exit – pretty easy, the parking is super quick to get your board off and in the water. BTW – this works equally as good for kayaks.
- Environment – Great environment, peaceful, great people. Usually when I hit this spot the folks are all very nice (okay except last time kayaking – had a few moms not watching their girls closely)
- Company – alone, but with meeting Brian & Derek made it a stellar day.
- Weather – amazing.. the bridges were amazing to paddle on, from the folsom bridge, rainbow and the bike path. Worth the trip and paddle hard thru the current.
- Cost – $10.. but… the poppy pass saved me again..
- Water Level – really good, looks like they were letting water out.
- What the specific gear was – Surftech “Generator” board (thank you Derek for the full name), GoPro2 camera, Water bottle carrier from REI, bomb bandana from Red Dawn store (Placerville – if you don’t know, then ask because this store is awesome).
While I was checking in on FourSquare and I saw the Lockdown brewery, which I’ve heard is great beer. Therefore after the 1+ hour of paddling I drove over to sutter street and then stopped in. Stephanie the bartender was super cool and I tried out a few beers. I am an IPA *!$T, so I don’t go far from IPA, however their Scotch Ale rocked my world. Great suggestion by Stephanie and was well worth the switch up. I’m going to go back with friends for sure and recommend stopping by, buying a beer, t-shirt and checking out their cool digs.
Now onto the video – what happened you may ask? Well I ran out of juice, didn’t charge the GoPro2 the night before so I ran out of juice after using it a bunch the day before. BKM (Best Known Method) charge it after every use if your using it for consecutive hours, or buy the battery pack (which I did) so you can validate before you get in the water. I say “before” you get in the water , because after you are in the water, there is not much chance of getting out to swap a battery. Overall this GoPro2 is just awesome.. Very impressed and the quality is amazing.. So… ENJOY what I got..