May 28 dawned sunny and warm, with a light breeze perfect for a day of paddling. The plan was to do a shuttle from a put in several miles south of the takeout at Rosland Campground (LaPine, OR). We knew this stretch of the river had a lot of winding turns, but the reality of the paddle was incredibly more than we had hoped for.
ZEN : a state of calm attentiveness in which one’s actions are guided by intuition rather than by conscious effort. Along the squiggly, circuitous meandering of the Little Deschutes River it was easy to be lulled into a zen-like state – guided by the downstream currents yet aware of sunken logs and glorious green grasses (that could grab a fin and toss a paddler right into the 52 degree water). Just sayin’
Throughout the 3.5 hour adventure more than 90% of the time allowed us to enjoy wetlands, marshes and swift flowing current with out any interruption by “the hand of man.” A mere 30 minutes from home we were in a wilderness wonderland. The stability and long glides of my Starboard 12’6″ X 30 Touring board with ZEN construction was the perfect choice for the journey!
While most of the shoreline was marsh grasses and wetlands peppered with willows, evergreens and private pastureland (monitored by some scary looking longhorns) there was the occasional sandy bank with a sunny beach just right for a picnic lunch!
Ahh summertime – inviting ZEN as a lovely state of mind. Even our canine companion posed regally on the nose of Pam’s board as though she was in her own ZEN space.
A high standard was set by the Founder, Editor and Publisher of Standup Journal, Clay Feeter and his team. They created the tribe, the culture, the stoke and stories that connected us from the “baby step” days of our sport to what it and we have become today. I love endless numbers of things about that publication.
A few weeks before, Ed and I had flown to Hopetown (Abaco Bahamas) revisiting the site of our honeymoon 49 years ago. The Hopetown marina was a challenging place to return to Windsurfing after about 35 years’ hiatus. Dodging moored boats, lots of ferries and floating moorings was a lot like a Frogger game. I was not stellar in skills but WAS 100% STOKED with the way the Compact 4.5 sail setup worked on the board. Flying with both the board and sailing rig was easy-peasey.
I fell asleep last night dreaming about the day Ed and I had out in the Pacific exploring the backside cliffs of Lana’i and hunting for fish in the cobalt blue waters beyond.
We loved planning our day on the sheltered patio just outside of the pool area at the Columbia River Inn. Over coffee in the morning or a local wine in the evening (beer for me) we never tired of the view.
Last night (April 13, 2018) the Patagonia store in Bend, Oregon had another of many great events (shop local and talk story). It was kick-off night for the 
Liz shared so many nuggets of genius and inspiration. Not the least, “Living from the heart makes everything possible.” Her message was not about herself or her incredible accomplishments. It was all about staying awake, being vulnerable and connected while living our own best life with purpose.
It is possible to standup paddle all the way from Maui to the Molokini “seems like a crater but isn’t” area off the coast, but the weather and your paddling buddy need to be spot on. So we were fortunate to get aboard the 
The snorkeling was great in spite of hundreds of people in the water. Once eyes were aimed at the reef and the antics of the wide variety of tropicals it seemed like we had the area to ourselves. On board, we were served fresh fruit, breads, juices and coffee by highly experienced crew, all with degrees in some form of marine biology and environmental studies. They were personable and shared information in the most engaging manner. 
Huge mahalos to Emily, Karin, Mel, Liv, Jamie and Mariah!!! After our second dive at Turtle Arches (wow, even cooler diversity of tropical fish) we had the best cookout! Veg burgers, ballpark steaks (beef hotdogs) and grilled chicken – with sides … and there were cookies! Can’t get all that on a SUP!
Elder SUP 