Ok….so maybe I am enjoying 6 weeks off from work a bit too much 😉

I just got back from a kayaking clinic in western MA at Zoar Outdoors paddling instruction and sales. It was fantastic – I took a 2 day introductory whitewater paddling clinic with Nick. I have 5-6 years of sea kayaking experience and I still felt like a total novice. I only came out of my boat once but there were numerous times where it was a near thing, and while I could paddle in a straight line and turn my boat effectively, some of the other critical skills like leaning and bracing were difficult for me. I want to get a boat and get out on the water and practice now, there’s some moderate whitewater within 10 miles of my new place so my next mission is to find a way to get the boat in and out, which is tough since I don’t yet know a soul up here.

I can’t say enough good things about Zoar – they instructors were great and the whole experience was really really positive.

One aside about Zoar – they’re located on Route 2 in western MA. Driving Route 2 west of them towards NY is fantastic – I intentionally got up at 4:30 AM so I could have the road to myself, and it was one of the best driving experiences I’ve ever had – the road winds itself through the Berkshires and if you have a car that’s fun to drive it’s just an awesome experience. Taking 30MPH turns on the side of a mountain at 75MPH? Get yourself a Mazda 3 and try it, if your sense of fun is similar to mine, you’ll have a grin pasted from ear to ear for the rest of the day. 😉