The day was Monday, July 23rd, it was not your typical day so let tell you a bit about the day.. I had the great pleasure of having lunch with my dad (Kimo). His words of wisdom are those that I have learned to appreciate more and more. He has great insight, he’s an awesome people person and his experiences are unmatched. We talked of the surf trip next Monday and firmed up the plans on what boards we are bringing, who he invited and I showed him the new GoPro2 camera.
After lunch I headed out to Granite Beach, Folsom, Cali. On weekdays if you drive past the main gate you can go around the side of the lake and get a direct launch right off the car into the water. Which would be great both kayak and Paddle board. The only challenge is the just the choppy water. I added one piece of equipment, which was a Camelbak bottle system – http://www.rei.com/product/832338/camelbak-delaney-plus-water-bottle-belt
This new add was very helpful to store my keys, fluid and GU for the session.
SAND SAND SAND – okay.. so I’m driving a 2WD jeep Cherokee, it’s a great car, but not so much when it comes to sand. Where I pulled in, it was not the best place and I realized that more when I had to leave. It only took a few moments, but the laughter from those around helped me stay focused on getting out. I made it out okay, but let’s just say I’ll be more careful to watch the sand next time. In the video below, you will see in FAST motion the session. So let’s get the good stuff, the criteria..
6/10 kayaks rating
- Water clarity – mixed, but close to shore was better.
- Entry / Exit – well.. great for quick entry, but watch the SAND. It’s deep in certain places when you are driving in the inner loop close to the shore.
- Environment – Pretty good..
- Company – Paddling alone, so beyond the screaming shore goers that were asking for a ride..
- Weather – Great temperature outside, light wind.
- Cost – Poppy Pass (again let me say this was the best thing to purchase – http://www.parks.ca.gov/?page_id=1049 )
- Water Level – Folsom is so low..
- What the specific gear was – Surftech board, GoPro2 camera with chesty mount, paddle, new water pack above.
That was just part I for the day, and I said I did EPIC. So what do I mean by that? Well I texted my friend Lee during the day and said I wanted to try the paddle board behind a boat. During lunch he gave me the green light that we are a go to do it that night. So, we loaded up the boat, hit the lake and let’s just say the outtakes was funny.
10/10 kayaks rating
- Water clarity – Not so much.. middle of the lake was no visibility.
- Entry / Exit – boat dock, good note.. boat drivers should not drink (saw one dude getting the test and looked like a fail)..
- Environment – Getting out into the lake was okay, but we had to get into one of the fingers to smoother water. However we had about ½ boats come way to close to us and just not being cordial on the lake.
- Company – Lee & his girls are awesome. I really enjoyed the team spirit they have and it was great to have fun eating a ton of water behind the boat.
- Weather – Until dusk it was really great, not to hot, but just the right temperature for what we were doing.
- Cost – POPPY pass (saying it again).. get one.. you will thank me later.
- Water Level – same as earlier in the day – low.
- What the specific gear was – Surf skate, paddle board, tige boat, GoPro2 chesty outside my PFD (of course) and a low range camera in the boat.
Why is this EPIC? Well.. watch the video..
and of course the outtakes. ENJOY!!!