Evening paddling on the Horsetooth Reservoir with JKK Supernova sea kayak – warm and calm with a beautiful sunset.

I did about 10 miles from the South Bay to Orchard Cove and back. There was a construction going on a hill slope in the South Bay. A helicopter was carrying a load of concrete from a highway uphill. If these are residential houses they will not be cheap … And, a surprise: I met a sea kayaker in the northern part of the lake . He was paddling from the Satanka Cove. All boat ramps were closed, so no power boats.

All pictures were shot this time with Pentax Optio W30 which remains my main paddling camera. I am a few models behind the new developments in the Pentax line of waterproof cameras. Certainly, the newest addition, Pentax Optio WG-1, with GPS and waterproof remote looks interesting. There is also a cheaper version without GPS.

Related posts and resources:
Horsetooth Reservoir map
9 Pictures from September Paddling in Northern Colorado
Early Morning Paddling on the Horsetooth Reservoir
Springtime Paddling on the Horsetooth Reservoir
Icy Horsetooth Reservoir – Opening Lake Paddling Season

After producing 4 parts of TITS (This is the Sea 1, 2, 3, 4) series devoted to sea kayaking, Justine Curgenven delivers This is canoeing.

“THIS IS CANOEING” is a 2-disc celebration of canoeing, showcasing top single-blade paddlers in their pursuit of remote wilderness journeys or challenging white water. Multi-award winning film maker, Justine Curgenven captures the essence of canoeing in 12 short films. From open canoe slalom races to 1,000 mile birchbark expeditions, Justine provides insights into the diversity of the sport and the influential people who tell it’s story. Immerse yourself in this globe-trotting 3 hours of adventure to world class canoeing destinations in Canada, the United States, Scotland & Wales.

I just ordered my copy from Amazon.

One of the first on-line reviews comes from Simon Willis:

Despite the title, this DVD is not about canoeing, it’s about canoeists, the people who canoe.

A major part of Justine Curgenven’s documentary-making skill has been to find the right characters and these chosen individuals are relaxed, quirky, interesting and utterly captivated by their chosen sport.

It’s obvious Justine likes them and they both like and trust her. The results are quality documentary making.

Three pictures from an evening paddle workout – Surfrigger canoe on the Lonetree Reservoir near Loveland, CO. The lake is still full, you can still paddle among submerged cottonwood trees or sneak into a supply ditch. You will see a lot fishing boats and fishermen on shores, but it is quiet. Of course, it is nice place to watch or photograph sunsets over mountains, especially, now when thunderstorms are moving around.

I was testing my new “high visibility” crocks in Surfrigger. They worked, but I prefer my regular water shoes which give a little bit more room to move my feet around in a tight cockpit. The Surfrigger hull is the narrowest (15′) in my paddling fleet.

This is my second pair of crocs. I’ve been using these clogs in Sea Wind canoe (2008 MR340 race) and, even, in Thunderbolt-X kayak.

Other picture posts from the Lonetree Reservoir:
Paddling through Forest and Irrigation Ditches
A Peaceful Sunset after a Heavy Gun Fire on the Lonetree Reservoir
5 Pictures in 1: HDR Image of Sea Wind Canoe and Colorado Sunset
Sunset Is Not Always Spectacular over the Front Range of Rocky Mountains
3 Pictures from Sunset Paddling in Northern Colorado

Colorado Lakes and Reservoirs. Fishing and Boating Guide.
2008, 9th edition, paperback, 216 pages, published by Outdoor Books & M
This book provides invaluable information for paddlers in Colorado. It is 9th edition and 3rd version I bought. I own also 4th and 7th editions. I have a pretty good knowledge of my local paddling waters, but this book makes me looking at some more distance paddling locations, especially, in the mountain Colorado.

These include paddling guides for several states (Colorado, Alaska, Georgia, Connecticut and Rhode Island) and Boundary Waters Canoe Area, some more technical books like kayak surfing, rolling and fishing, and general “ultimate” books on kayaking and canoe.

Wilderness Paddling is offered by by well known paddlers, photographers and authors, Gary and Joanie McGuffin. I am sure it features both kayaks and canoes. Two other calendars seem to be focused on sea kayaking.

I am quite happy to paddle and shoot with Pentax Optio “W” cameras as long as producing pictures to be displayed online. They are waterproof, compact, easily accessible in any conditions. The image quality is OK for a blog or website, but usually there is just too much of digital noise for some commercial applications. So, for my stock photography, I am carrying my DSLR camera, Canon EOS 40D. It may be a rather challenging task if I paddle a racing boat like my Thunderbolt-X kayak.

In the search for some alternative solutions I have been watching evolution of Canon PowerShot G series cameras. Canon offers waterproof cases for them.

Featuring 3 fascinating expedition stories Haida culture & humpback whales around British Columbia s Queen Charlotte islands; island hopping from Australia to Tasmania across the Bass Strait; & a 2400km trip around the stunning South island of New Zealand complete with intimidating surf & a helicopter evacuation. Rough water rolling, Greenland rope gymnastics & commando kayaking with DUBSIDE, Kayak fishing in San Diego, Rock hopping in Baja, kayak games with father and son in Norways stunning fjords, paddling the Dead Sea in Israel, Seakayaking the Grade 4 Ottawa River, Lake Superiors Apostle islands, and more ..

This is something I would like to get as a Christmas gift.

I bought all three previous movies from the “TITS” series by Justine Curgenven and I am returning to the them quite often. I am watching not only sea kayaking in great presentation, but I am exploring how these videos were shot and what can I implement into my own attempts in making paddling movies.

This is the Sea 1
This is the Sea 2
This is the Sea 3
This is the Sea 4

A month ago Olympus introduced a new model to the line of their waterproof and shockproof cameras: Stylus 1050 SW. It features a brand new digital camera feature – Tap Control. Tap Control is intended to help photographers wearing gloves access camera controls.

I have found three reviews of the new camera. There are rather moderately enthusiastic, but Olympus Stylus SW has its fans.

Jock Bradley is considered to be one of the finest kayaking photographers in the world. His images have appeared in countless magazines such as Canoe and Kayak, Paddler, Kayak Session, Men’s Journal, Outside, National Geographic Adventure and Sports Illustrated. A few years ago he published “Torrent” – a coffee table book collection of his finest whitewater images.