Prairie Paddleboarding

Who would have thought that we could find a perfect spot to go paddleboarding in the prairies? 

 

 

 

 

 

Yes, we found our cute little lake that’s close by to the house…but it’s a little small + swampy.  Well, we paddled on the leviathan of lakes last Sunday!!!!

The weather in Alberta is crazy temperamental to say the least.  Sunday’s forecast called for rain + possible thunderstorms.  I was all dressed up, had my makeup on – ready to make the one hour drive into the big city (Calgary) to go to the cinemas, y’all!  I just want to add that my vote was to go see “Pain + Gain”.  Woot woot!!!

A testosterone filled 2 hours of body building dudes, fast cars + a kidnapping scheme?  Count this sister in!  Heyoooooo!!!!

Jeff wanted to get swept away in a period piece filled with romance, Jazz era decadence, pretty costumes + drama.  I’m talkin’ bout “The Great Gatsby”.

Now what’s up with that, people?

We were about to step out the door + Jeff saw a patch of blue sky from the east.  AVAST YE LANDLUBBER, STRAP ON THE BOARDS!!!!  We’re going paddling!!!!  Heave ho, change of course – we hopped into our paddling clothes, packed lunches, geared up + were out the door in 15 minutes!  Look at Megumi – she’s such a good kitty!!!  While we were packing out we had the door wide open – she never ventures outside!

Pardon the mess in the house, but when it’s the weekend, Jeff’s work accoutrements tend to spread out everywhere.  The bane of my existence.

I was a little disappointed to not go into the city but I understand that working in the entertainment industry will kill your soul, so on weekends I pretty much let Jeff experience as much happiness as he can possibly achieve.  So paddleboarding it is.

Jeff’s awesome boss on Hell on Wheels told him about Chain Lakes Provincial Park.  It is a 40 minute drive south from Black Diamond on the 22 + it is a hella large body of water!

Camping facilities look really top notch + the lake is regularly restocked with western lake trout.  Dotted all around the shores of the lake are all different types of people waiting for a catch.  I’d like to have a go at it this summer!

Land sakes, it turned out to be the perfect day to be out on the water!

Happy grazing cattle.

We wound ourselves around the channels…

And deboarded to have a look around.  I took the opportunity to take a portrait shot of Jeff in the spirit of an early explorer.

The life jacket really brings a certain je ne sais quoi, mais oui?  The river was calling to Jeff + he was itching to discover where it led.

Not me!  I decided to stay put, for fear that the end of the river would lead to rushing waters pulling me towards the edge of a deadly waterfall.  Jeff was like, “Welp, see ya!  Later days, bro!”.

Um, okay….bye?  Heck, I had a great ol’ time takin’ it easy, lazily paddling on my knees listening to the frogs croaking + trying to talk to the cows munching on their lunches.

Here’s a rare selfie I took of myself looking mildly uncomfortable.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

What can I say – there’s a reason why this blog isn’t peppered with photos of me.  I’ve never been called photogenic.

Jeff returned unscathed from the river + we took a break, stuck our boards together + munched on a Lara bar in the middle of the lake.

Highlights – I saw a bald eagle flying up above + from our standing point of view on the boards, we saw a juvenile moose grazing about a half dozen feet behind a group of young punks, completely unaware of the amazing beast right at their backs!

Jeff found us a quiet little cove to sit + have our lunch.  Look at that amazing prairie sky reflected upon the water!

The wind really kicked up on the way back to the car + I was digging into the water to the max!!!  When we got back to shore we had somewhat of an audience – paddleboards aren’t the usual sight around these parts + it’s always a show paddling to shore + packing up.

On the drive back home the clouds were really on display!

Great, massive cumulonimbus poofy cotton candy!  The teeny dots are cows, which gives you perspective to how gargantuan the clouds truly are!  Oh, the prairies!!!

This is the life!

We stopped in Longview (the town 15 mintues south of Black Diamond that’s so tiny it’s about a block long) for a beer + it’s rare when we don’t run into someone that Jeff knows.  It’s a small community of people working in film + television in Alberta!  Stu works as an equestrian rider on “Hell on Wheels”, so we talked story + passed the time in each others company.

Stu is a working cowboy, a total sweetheart + gentleman!  Born + raised in Longview, he had just come back from branding at a buddies’ ranch.

This is the real deal, y’all.

A great day being outdoors, a cold beer with a friend…

Endless skies + the smell of grass.  Yeah at first I was sad to miss out on a day at the movies in the city…but nothing can replace the grandeur + energy that the natural world can give you like no other medium!  Have a great weekend everyone + thanks for stopping by!!!  I miss you all!!!!