After vacillating for days, I made the decision Sunday morning to spend my afternoon catching some bonus paddle boarding time. My early obligation of the day went surprisingly smoothly and I just couldn’t resist the opportunity to get on the water for one more time this season.
I arrived at the Kayak Shack in Saratoga a little before 1:00 and was on the water, solo, 15 minutes later. Unlike my previous two paddling adventures, this time I immediately headed east. The less traveled path was definitely the way to go yesterday. As I paddled along, the view on either side of the water was truly spectacular. The leaves were popping red and orange and the sky was blue, blue, so blue. As the creek curved and turned, there were times when there was nothing man-made to mar the scene – just trees, reeds and shrubs in various rainbow shades. And turtles. Lots of turtles.
The man who had set me up on my board said that two miles down there would be a bridge and that became my goal. As I twisted my core left and right, left and right, the surprisingly mild water splashed my feet and enticing me to jump in for a refreshing dip. I decided to indulge myself once I had finally reached that confounded bridge, and it was absolutely liberating when I finally made the leap from my board into the warmish water. I’m certain that September 28th is the latest I’ve ever gone swimming in upstate New York, and I am so very glad that I seized the opportunity that Mother Nature provided.
If you haven’t attempted Stand Up Paddleboarding (SUP) yourself, think about giving it a try. I think it is easier than it looks and, from what I read, it burns a fair amount of calories. It is also the most fun core workout I’ve ever experienced. I’m going to start investigating waterproof bag options because I really missed my camera yesterday. I would have loved to have captured some pictures of Saratoga’s natural beauty on an early fall day which felt like summer.
So – does anyone have any recommendations for a waterproof bag to stash my Nikon in?
DelSo 