Dax, my Newfounland girl and amazing water dog, didn’t wake up from her afternoon nap yesterday.

She was named after Star Trek character just like our first Newfounland dog, Worf. I feel that a certain chapter in my life is closed. A lot of memories remain.

Dax trained Pixel to become a Corgi water dog.

The annual spring kickoff paddling trip on the South Platte River took place this year with two weeks delay on April 6, 2013, due to a winter weather. Typically, this trip is organized on the third Saturday of March. It starts in Evans Riverside Park and goes 9 miles downriver to Kersey or 14 miles to Kuner wuth a lunch break at the second dam portage. Several Colorado paddling clubs participate (Rocky Mountain Canoe Club, Poudre Paddlers Club, Rocky Mountain Sea Kayak Club, High Country River Rafters, and Colorado White Water Association), but no membership is required to paddle.

We had a good weather this year with some signs of spring, but pretty low water, ~550 cfs at Kersey. I took the pictures above with my Canon 5D Mark II DSLR camera. They can be licensed for editorial use from my stock photography portfolio

This year I paddled Badfish inflatable SUP in a longer version of this trip to Kuner. It was not a first time of this paddleboard on the South Platte since I started my SUP season in early February this year with upstream and downstream paddling at Kersey.

I had a nice paddling with some problems on several shallow spots. I paddled a couple of miles without the center 10″ fin, but tracking of Badfish was pretty bad. I will try a shorter fin in my next paddling.

Related posts:
Opening 2013 Paddling Season with Badfish SUP on the South Platte River
SUP on the South Platte River – Opening Winter Paddling Season
South Platte River below Denver, Colorado – GPS/photo river guide. Links to flow data.

10 years ago: paddling outrigger canoe, Surfrigger, on Horsetooth and Boyd Lakes in northern Colorado, winter and summer.

Surfrigger (24′x13.5″, ~28lb) built by John Diller from Savage River Works arrived to Fort Collins in the very end of January 2003. This solo outrigger canoe designed by Kris Kjeldsen, a New Zealand designer and has won many races in that area and in the west coast. A very light and stiff carbon/kevlar lay-up, rudder, the small volume cockpit with sprayskirt, two small hatches allow me to do some light overnight paddling.

I’ve been paddling Surfrigger on local waters in Colorado including Horsetooth Reservoir, Boyd Lake, Gross Reservoir and Lake Pueblo. I also paddled her during 2003 WaterTribe Everglades Challenge in Florida and 2009 Missouri River 340 Race.

Surfrigger is an interesting platform for photography and videomaking providing a variety of shooting angles.

Related posts:
Bent Shaft Paddle and Racing Outrigger Canoe
Surfrigger Canoe on the Boyd Lake
Crocks or Everything Turns Green in Springtime
Photo Impressions on Surfrigger, My Outrigger Canoe

8 years ago, end of March, 2005 …

Sea Wind canoe was featuring in a movie clip from paddling on the Horsetooth Reservoir in a winter scenery.

I launched from Lory State Park at North Eltuck Cove and paddled south to Orchard Cove and back. Launching was fun since I didn’t have to carry the boat to the water. Water Abstracts come from the same paddling trip.

I am reviewing my old forgotten paddling video clips and posting them to my YouTube channel. Here is one from March of 2007. First paddling that season with Thunderbolt-X kayak on Beaver Pond in Arapaho Bend Natural Area. I was just playing in a small area of free water and pushing the kayak through a soft ice.

I bought Thunderbolt designed and built by Doug Bushnell from West Side Boat Shop in December of 2006.

In April of 2005 I bought my first digital waterproof camera – Pentax Optio WP. It was pretty unique little camera at that time which really changed my paddling photography and blogging. Since then, I have upgraded through several models of Pentax Optio as seen on the picture above.

Currently, I am using Pentax Optio WG-2. You can already buy a newer version, Pentax Optio WG-3, and several other similar waterproof cameras from other manufactures. Pentax Optio, whatever version, stays always attached to my life jacket and ready to use.

Here is what I wrote 8 years ago …

I am using suction cups on all my kayaks and canoes to mount cameras and GPS devices. Of course, you need a smooth surface to attach a suction cup. Rinsing the deck of your boat with water usually provides a stronger grip. But, what to do with decks which are not smooth like in the case of inflatable boats?

I faced that problem during my first paddling this season on Beaver Pond with Badfish inflatable SUP (stand up paddleboard). Here is my quick and temporary solution: a lid of plastic box tacked under bungees and a handle in the front deck of my SUP. It provided just enough smooth surface to place my Garmin Forerunner GPS on sticky pod suction cup and GoPro Hero camera on its original suction cup mount. My suction cup dashboard worked pretty well for quiet water paddling.

As a more permanent setup, I would probably use more a solid plate (plexiglass?) with holes to tie it to available anchor points. Do you have any other suggestions or ideas?

Related posts and links:
MCIT 11.6′ Inflatable SUP Badfish at Colorado Kayak Supply
Sticky Pod Camera Mounts
GoPro HD HERO3 camera (I am still using GoPro Hero 2)

I haven’t paddled my JKK Supernova kayak since 2012 Missouri River 340 race. I decided that to rinse some Missouri mud off.

Paddling upstream with GoPro camera mounted in the front deck.

About 2 miles upstream of Fort Lupton. The river was shallow, fast, twisty, stinky … Near perfect! I had a great workout.

I have paddled JKK Supernova starting at Fort Lupton several times this winter. It seems that my driving time from Fort Collins is about 45 minutes and is not longer than driving to Kersey below Greeley. I didn’t try to paddle my SUP since some spots were too shallow for a fin.

This is a diversion dam just below Fort Lupton. I’ve paddled the river between Fort Lupton and the confluence wit St Vrain Creek. There are 7 dams in this short section. Maybe, it’s a time to run it just for documentary purposes, certainly, not for recreation. It feels like a packrafting project.

Related posts:
South Platte River below Denver, Colorado – GPS/photo river guide

All my local paddling waters are covered by ice. Even the Horsetooth Reservoir is partially frozen as seen in this recent picture of the Inlet Bay. So, it’s time for more hiking, biking and inline skating or driving to the South Platte River which is open and flowing.

Here is a little gallery of pictures shot during winter time along the Cache la Poudre River in Fort Collins. They came from favorite natural areas, Arapaho Bend and Riverbend Ponds or just from the Poudre biking trail.

These images are available for licensing as royalty free digital downloads starting with $2 directly from my stock photography portfolio. Recently, I started to sort my Colorado portfolio into several galleries. It should not be surprising that three of them are related to water.

Related posts:
Fort Collins and Northern Colorado Pictures in My Stock Photography Portfolio
Fort Collins from Winter Hiking the Horsetooth Rock Trail
Horsetooth Reservoir in Winter Scenery
Riverbend Ponds in Late Fall Scenery
Paddling the Poudre River at Nix Natural Area in Fort Collins

November 3, 2012. Paddling Bark Expedition SUP on the South Platte River near Kersey, Colorado. Camera: GoPro Hero.

It was my first time with SUP on a river – a short, but intense upstream / downstream workout starting at the Kersey bridge. A nice weather and good river flow. You can find more picture from that paddling in Fitness Paddling blog.

I will be back on the South Platte with SUP or other boat. The winter paddling season is open.

Related posts:
SUP on the South Platte River – Opening Winter Paddling Season
South Platte River below Denver, Colorado GPS/photo river guide
Daily Paddling Picture Gallery