Steve on Blue Ridge Lake

After the Blue Ridge Adventure Race, I had a chance to paddle Blue Ridge Lake.  The picture above was taken on my way back. On the way out, you round the corner and can see the whole mountain.

Van, Pat and Will Pre-Race

The Blue Ridge Adventure Race pics are below. Our team, The Stimulus Packages, had a fun time and finished safe and sound. [Race Team: Pat, Van and Will. Support Team/Photog: Steve (not pictured)]

I found this “river glass” in the Chattahoochee River. You don’t have to go to the Bahamas or Outer Banks to add to your sea glass collection.

We had a good paddle at Buford Dam, Lake Lanier Georgia on Sunday.  Check out the view downstream from the top of the dam.

We found a pretty good put-in spot and paddled out to one of the islands. We also found out that even on a lake, you should watch out for current and wave action. While we were taking a break on the island, our boards drifted off and headed back to the car without us. After an icy swim, we had things back under control. Lesson learned.

Everyone had a great time at time at the Surfrider Atlanta launch party last night. 

It was a great turnout, the art was cool, and the Sweetwater beer and Surfrider Slingers were going down smooth. The Surfrider Atlanta Chapter is off to a great start. I met two other Georgia-based SUP dealers (read more here) and lots of road warriers who travel for surf.

Special thanks to Doog of dooGallery for hosting the event and to Howard, Pam and the rest of the Atlanta Surf Posse for putting on a great event for Surfrider.

Paddle Anywhere is not alone in selling or riding SUPs in Georgia. Based on the Surfider Atlanta Chapter launch party last night, the SUP invasion has begun.

	I met Chuck Hardin from White Cap Windsurfing of Evans, GA (near Augusta). Chuck’s Aqua Shredder SUP is pictured here. It’s a lower cost board that might fit into a lot of people’s budget.
	I also met Gene Mathis from WindSense of Flowery Branch, GA. WindSense can meet all your windsurfing needs at Lake Lanier. He also offers kite surfing equipment and SUPs.

It’s great to see all the innovation, price points, and options available for SUPs.  For overall performance, I love the YOLO Board Original and the YOLO Board Bamboo offered by Paddle Anywhere. In addition, the YOLOyak is going to be perfect for bouncing off the rocks in the lakes and rivers in the Atlanta area. Check out the Paddle Anywhere Shop and pick up a SUP today!

I had another stand up paddle session Sunday on the Chattahoochee River at Roswell. The wind was more a factor then the current. I paddled downstream against the wind, and the wind carried me back upstream.

I got up at dawn today and took the stand up paddle board to Red Top Mountain, Georgia. The fog never burned off, and the air temp stayed in the 50s. I should have worn the wetsuit boots. On the way back, I found a place to warm up my toes Bear Grylls style. I found this little cove with some cool lake houses. It would be nice to have a SUP if you needed to visit the neighbors.