Cruisin the U.S.A. Wrap-up and Adventures Ahead

The past week in Ft. Myers, FL has been spent with my bros, Mike and Brian. They were kind enough to accommodate my restlessness and we packed a lot into the week, including: a road trip to Miami, kayaking through the mangroves off Sanibel island, hitting a few different beaches, world-class golf (without the world class scores), and more.

Mike and Bri, the great explorers

We had an awesome week and ended with a pledge to make it an annual affair.  Really the point is to hang out, catch up, and have fun, so in that respect it wouldn't matter much where in the world we go. It always strikes me how different we are, but that is what makes spending time together so great and I always appreciate the different perspectives Bri and Mike bring to the table.

After dropping the guys off at the airport, I was going to spend a quiet day cleaning the place but quickly aborted mission and took off to Sanibel to try paddleboarding for the first time.  It is exactly as the name suggests: stand up on a modified surfboard and paddle around with a long paddle.  It is one of the fastest growing sports and I can see why: it's a killer work out (particularly for those wanting to strengthen the core) and its quite relaxing.  I totally recommend trying it and there is no need for a lesson - I opted to watch a 2 minute intro Youtube video instead and that's all that was needed (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WakICTRuWoI).

Taken just before the arm workout of the century

 

It turns out that the most dangerous part was not the paddleboarding itself, but getting the board to and from the rental place on a car that is not designed to transport one.  Driving back the rigged up strap slipped off and the board just about flew away, but I managed to grab it with one arm.  Three attempts pulling over to fix the rigging failed but damned if I was about to be late and pay for extra time.  So I did the only logical thing and drove as fast as I could holding the board down with one arm.  

This worked well and I had nearly made it off the causeway when a strong gust of wind caught the board, which acted effectively as a sail, and nearly ripped me out of the seat, leading to my last course of action: to hold the board down with both hands and steer with the wheel between my knees for the remainder of the drive.  Hands-free in the truest sense of the term. I have chosen this blog as the most effective medium to tell my Mom, the owner of the beloved family car that was passed down from my grandmother, about this episode - sorry Mom.

I recounted the story to the guy at the store who had rigged up the board, and he casually said 'Yeah I thought it was about 50/50 whether it would stay on".  This is why I don't go to casinos.

As for adventures ahead, stay tuned for a post from my next destination: the Rocky Mountains and kayaking off of Clayoquot Sound, Vancouver Island with my Dad, as well as some thoughts on Richard Branson and what he can teach us about life.