Exploring the North Cascades

A shot of Ms Lexi with the Liberty Bell Mountain behind her.

Even though it was another cold November Saturday, the sun was out in full force making it a Gorgeous Sunny but Chilly Day and in true form we decided not to stay indoors and once again jumped in the car for a mini road trip. This time we were heading out to explore the North Cascades.

Thousands of Icicles hang from the Rock face.

We left the house around 9:30 a.m. and the temperature was a brisk 42 degrees. We got on Highway 20 and headed east, by the time we reached the little town of Concrete the temperature dropped down to the mid 30s and the further we drove the more the temps dropped. Even though we were all warm and toasty sitting inside the car, it was evident enough, as we looked out the windows that it was freezing cold on the outside.

We made a couple of stops to admire the views and scenery but did not stay out to long cause it didn’t matter how much layers we had on, the wind was piercing through our clothing and boy it was cold!
But of course, I just had to break out my phone and take as much pictures as I could before my battery died.

As we made it up to Washington pass, we had reached an elevation of 5477 ft and we were happy to see that the pass had not been closed off yet for the winter, so we were able to continue with our drive and came across so many ice formations, it was definitely a sight to see.

All the ice formations were so cool to see and when I got a chance to touch them, I was blown away that it was not cold like the common refrigerator ice but it was warmer and so very slick.

We wanted to head further down the pass but with the sun getting ready to set, the roads already slick with some parts iced over, we decided to play it safe. So we turned around and headed back home.

I am not a fan of the cold and I do not at all like the winter season but after spending some time out here, I am kind of looking forward to making another trip out to do more exploring 😉

Port Townsend Day Trip & Fall Sunset

Although I am not a big fan of the cold, I do love living in the Pacific Northwest because of the breathtaking scenery and beautiful sunsets. With the sun out in full force, my hubby and I decided that it was to nice of a day to spend it inside. So we jumped in the car and drove down south to catch the Port Townsend ferry to do some sight seeing.

We parked and left our car at the terminal parking lot and walked onto the ferry for the quick ride across the Sound to Port Townsend for the day. As soon as we disembarked we made our way on foot to explore the historic downtown waterfront and uptown area.

As we walked around, we saw what looked like a Lighthouse on a hill overlooking the historic downtown area. To our surprise it was not a light house. It was the last existing Fire Tower from the 1800s that is left in the country.
We spent a few minutes at the tower and continued on with our sight seeing and also stopping by the town’s little farmer’s market. After walking around for a couple of hours, we decided to grab a bite to eat before we made our way back to the terminal.

The day was quickly coming to an end and the sun was steadily starting to set.

As we waited for the ferry to arrive to take us back to the island and back to our car, I used the last of my battery power on my cell phone to get some shots of the beautiful sunset.

Yes all these photos were taken from my cell phone. I hope you enjoyed looking at the photos as much as I enjoyed taking them!

GO HAWKS!!!!

Ravenna, Italy 2014

With Jason racing in both the Mixed Standard and Open Small boat divisions, we were unable to do a lot of sight seeing while in Italy.  But on the one day that we were able to have some free time, we did get to check out downtown Ravenna.

The cobble stone streets, the colorful and historic architecture made me wish we had more free time to check out all of Italy!  

I made the mistake of leaving my DSLR Camera in the room and only having my Samsung S4 with me, so I did not get to take as many photos as i would have liked and of course the battery on my S4 died early into our tour of dowtown.

I did my best to save enough battery life so I could get as much photos as I possibly could.

….. and YES I had to rep the Seahawks!

Reppin all my fellow 12s on the Cobble Stone Streets of Ravenna, Italy!

Paddling Cornet Bay & around Ben Ure Island

2 more days til my husband, Jason and I head down to Portland for the weekend to do our USDBF Team USA Time Trials. I can’t believe how fast time has flown by since I first made the decision, over a year ago, to try out for the United States Dragon Boat Federation’s Team USA, who will be competing against the rest of the world, next August 2014, in Welland, Canada.

This past week, we have been stepping it up and really focusing on doing 500 meter runs to try to shave off as much time as possible, since that is the distance we will be doing for our time trials. I am still a bit nervous but I am confident that I will do well. There is going to be a lot of tough competition in Portland and I am going to have to bring my “A” Game.

Yesterday we took our OCs out onto the water on Cornet Bay to do more work and to get ready for our Time Trials in Portland this Saturday, August 2, 2014.
After doing a few rounds of 500 meter runs, we decided to take a break to enjoy the sunset and to paddle around Ben Ure Island. The wind was kicking, the current was surging but even though it was tough, it was quiet, peaceful and a great day to be out on the water, paddling.

I had the GoPro hooked up to my OC to get some shots. Here is a sneak peak of our evening out on the Bay. Towards the end of the video you will be able to see the Deception Pass Bridge in the background.

 

My Happy Place

In life, we all will come across a lot of disappointments.  Some will be so minor that you will more than likely get over it in a couple of hours.  Then there are those that sting so hard, that even days after it has happened you still get emotional thinking about it.

I couldn’t sleep last night, so i figured i’d play around with the vids I took this afternoon while I was out paddling.

After a weekend that ended with some drama and then starting the week off knowing that due to my weight, I wont be participating in one of the biggest events in the Dragon Boat community.  Yesterday afternoon I didn’t really want to be around anyone so I skipped my NPS Team Tsunami DB practice and got on my OC1 to get some paddling alone time.  I wasn’t to focused on my form or technique, took it a lil easy since i was still feeling my shoulder from last Saturday’s race in Kent and I didn’t want to agitate it even more for this Saturdays race in Seattle.   I just needed to get out on the water and do some paddling to help me get my mind off of things for a little bit because even as upset as I can be or whatever chaos is going on in my life, being out on the water, on my OC1 is where I can truly find peace.   It is my Happy Place.

This vid is the end product of my sleepless night.

USDBF Team USA Tryouts & IDBF Club Crew World Championships

This year I have been invited to participate in the International Dragon Boat Club Crew World Championships in Ravenna, Italy with my Florida DB Team the Jax Fire Dragons.. I also will be trying out for the United States Dragon Boat Federation’s Team USA tryouts that will be held in Portland and Philadelphia.
Below is a link for my GoFundMe.com account that I created to help me raise funds to be able to participate and compete in these prestigious events for the Dragon Boat community. If you have been involved in any kind of sport, you know just how expensive it can be with all the travelling, equipment and fees that comes with it. I love the sport of paddling and I love to compete but trying to get there has become a bit difficult financially, so I am reaching out for help.

Please click on the link below to read more and to help me reach my goal. Thank you!

http://www.gofundme.com/5gqlvk

 

 

 

Sunday FunDay with the Kaku Elua’s

Yesterday we FINALLY took the OC1s that we purchased on Friday out for a spin. I also for the very first time got a chance to paddle with my new Kialoa “Hoku” Carbon Outrigger Paddle! I’ve been wanting to paddle with my new “Hoku” but haven’t had the time to make it up to Bellingham to paddle with the Bellingham Bay Outrigger Paddlers, so now that we have our very own OC1s, we can go out whenever we want to.

It felt so good to be able to paddle by ourselves, that, we spent ALL DAY out on the water and I was loving every minute of it! We started around 10:30 a.m. and it was still a bit gloomy, but the all the clouds and fog started to burn off and by noon the Sun was high in the sky, shining as bright as can be and by the end of the day I was completely burnt to a crisp. But it was all worth it!

We launched the OCs from the Oak Harbor marina and headed south towards Maylor Point, as we turned the corner out of the harbor, Jason called out to me to look at one of the channel markers. As I looked up, I saw a Bald Eagle perched high keeping watch over the water. I have seen Bald Eagles before but never one up close. We both slowly paddled our way to the marker to get a closer look and as we got within a reasonable distance we took the opportunity to take some photos with it in the background and just sit there and admire such a magnificent animal. We didn’t want to bother him so as we were done taking a couple of photos we headed back on our merry way hugging the coastline and just enjoying the views. We paddled about a mile and a half more south before we decided to cross the channel and head towards the westside of the harbor.

We cruised the harbor at a slow and steady pace every so often stopping and laying out on our OCs just to soak up the Gorgeous weather we were having. By this time is was already 12:40 pm and we had been out on the water for a couple of hours. So we decided to head back into the marina, park the OCs and grab some lunch before our Dragon Boat team starts to show up for practice. To the left of the marina there is a section by the boat ramp that had a little sandy beach where we could park our OCs and not worry about it getting scratched up. So we kept them there while we sat up top on the picnic bench to have a bite to eat.

After lunch, Jason took his OC out of the water, washed it off and loaded it back on the truck since he wouldn’t be using it while we had our Dragon Boat Practice with the team. I on the other hand, got back on my OC and waited in the marina for the team to load up so I could follow alongside. While waiting for the team to load I figured i’d have some fun and started to do my version of “donuts” in the marina. Some of our teammates saw me and started laughing when I answered their question as to what I was doing.
Once the team loaded up the boat and headed out, I followed right behind them, keeping right on their tail. As we got out of the marina and into the harbor I was able to watch them from the water as oppose to watching them from the dock. I was able to get some photos of the team before the winds started to kick up, the water started to get rough and I started to feel the effects of paddling for a few hours before practice time, so I decided to head back into the marina and wait for them to return.

It was our first paddle with our Kaku Elua’s and we both loved every minute of it! Now that we are back in the Pacific Northwest and the weather is starting to be amazing I am looking forward to many more paddle sessions around the island and the state!

Two of our very own!!

Ah Pow!  Not that we were not already going to have an amazing summer with all the traveling and racing we will be doing here in Washington state, Canada and Italy but we will FINALlY be able to get out on the water to paddle where ever we want, whenever we want regardless if our practices get cancelled. 
After spending majority if the afternoon in Seattle we are finally heading back to the Rock with two of our very own OC1s that we just purchased!!
I’m so excited and can not wait to get these bad boys in the water!!

NPS Team Tsunami Quick Vid

 

Quick Vid that i put together of my DB Team, NPS Team Tsunami, that I shot from the dock on Tuesday June 3, 2014.

Song Credit: “Holiday” by Green Day

I do not own the rights to the music on the vid, it is only there for entertainment purposes.

Bellingham Bay Classic 05.10.2014

On Saturday May 10, 2014 I had the great pleasure to participate in the 2nd Annual Bellingham Bay Classic. I was invited by the Seattle Outrigger Canoe Club Wakinikona to paddle with them for their Open Mixed Team. This would be the first long distance race in an Outrigger that I had participated in over a decade. So needless to say I was a bit nervous the whole day and night before the race. I wasn’t sure if I was ready to do a long distance race since lately all the races I have been competing in have been with Dragon Boats with a maximum course being 2000 meters, but I decided to do it anyways because I have been longing to get back into racing in an OC. Yes our DB team has had practices where we have gone 6 miles but that was at a slow and steady pace with breaks in between and not paddling the whole 6 miles straight so that kind of concerned me cause I did not want to be the weak link for this team that was kind enough to ask me to paddle with them.

The Bellingham Bay Classic is an 8-9 mile distance race that is hosted by the Bellingham Bay Outrigger Paddlers Club. It starts at Boulevard Park in Bellingham, Wa. with a course that heads towards and goes around Chuckanut Island. There was a total of 18 teams that competed in the different divisions. The weather was a little overcast with the sun peaking out every now and then, with a slight breeze making the water a little bit choppy. But overall the day was quite lovely and I enjoyed every minute of it.

The first heats for the day was at 10 a.m. and it consisted of the women’s and mixxed teams. My husband, Jason and I arrived at the venue a little early to kind of relax and check out the area before everyone got there and ofcourse I had butterflies in my stomach. But as I saw the teams starting to paddle their canoes over from the Community Boat Launch area to the beachside of Boulevard Park, my nervousness started to slowly go away and once I was actually sitting in the canoe, my emotions went from being mixed to “AH YEAH, I GOT THIS!” and it was on, like Donkey Kong.

Photo Credit: Jason Park

Feels so good to be back in an OC!! Photo Credit: Jason Park

Catching our breath before the horn blows. Photo Credit: Jason Park

and.. we r off!!! Photo Credit: Jason Park

As predicted the first leg of the race I had no problems keeping in time and I was not feeling at all tired, I was going strong, my form, along with my blade entry and exit was awesome and it FELT GOOD!! I… WAS… LOVING IT!!! All my memories from years and years ago when I was doing long distance races regularly came flowing back to me and it was an amazing feeling! But, as we rounded Chuckanut Island and we hit the halfway point of the second leg of the race I started to feel the downside of not training for a long distance race and I was starting to tire out. I could feel my whole body starting to ache, I could tell that it has been awhile since I have paddled in choppy waters cause I would catch a wave when I would exit my blade out of the water and I would end up smacking the side of the canoe. But I kept paddling on, kept pushing myself and I did my best to not give up. My form towards the last mile and a half of the race was not as strong as it was in the beginning and I was kind of beating myself up about losing that consistency but I was proud of myself for making it all the way through and not stopping. It really got me wanting to start focusing and getting back to training with Outriggers and not just Dragon Boats.

Photo Credit: Jason Park

Photo Credit: Jason Park

The Wakinikona Mixed Team placed Third in the Open Mixed Team division with a time of 1:31:13 with a distance of 9.04 miles.

Photo Credit: Jason Park

Bellingham Bay Classic “Wakinikona Open Mixed Team”
Jason Z., Cindy L., me, Adam S., Melissa S., Mitch K. (Sorry Mitch my husband was having trouble fitting you into the photo) Photo Credit: Jason Park