This evening’s trip to Carburn Park in Calgary, Alberta, was mostly a bust. I had read online that its man-made lakes would be nice to paddle board in, so I thought I would throw my blow-up toy on the water and have some fun. Yeah, no.
First and foremost there was that goddamn, wretched wind. I wasn’t sure I could paddle against it, especially not with my lungs still feeling crudded up from yesterday’s smoke. The larger problem was that I couldn’t see where I could get onto my paddle board and then into the water other than the docks.
Calgary, AB, 2024-07-26
Calgary, AB, 2024-07-26
I haven’t used a dock to mount and dismount yet. I guess I’m going to have to learn. Damn it. I’m not wearing my autoinflating life jacket for this in case I biff it into the water. Replacement CO2 carts ain’t cheap. I was also flummoxed by the small size of the lake, I mean it did look larger in the photos…
A peek at Google Maps shoes that there is a bigger lake in behind the small one that is not visible when you’re gazing in from the parking lot. It looks a fair distance to carry a board and I’m not thrilled about that. The larger lake, which is probably the better one to board in, also lacks docks. Doh. I guess I’ll tackle this in the next week somehow.
I did slide in next to a sweet Yahama street bike in the parking lot, which I briefly drooled over. As much as I like looking, I’m not sure I’d want to own one now. Alberta traffic has become way more aggressive over the past two decades and the personal vehicles so much larger. I’m really not interested in getting mowed down by a Ford F150 that is now larger than a WWII tank. (Really.)
Whatever. I’ll tackle the park next week for sure. I’m not letting it get the best of me.
Images made with a Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra phone.
