Meeks Bay - Lake Tahoe

Our family and friends had a fun filled three days this past weekend at Meeks Bay in Lake Tahoe. Headwaters Kayak and Headwaters Adventure Company hosted the weekend with demos, day trips and clinics. They even served an awesome meal Saturday night and a pancake breakfast Sunday. There were at least 100 paddlers who took part in the weekends festivities.

We arrived at Meeks Bay Resort around 3:30 Friday afternoon and after setting up camp we put our boats in the water for a quick paddle. The weather was great all weekend, mid 70's, although it cooled off quite a bit at night.

On Saturday some paddlers drove to Baldwin Beach and paddled to Emerald Bay while others headed north to do some exploring. Our little group decided to paddle south from the resort and check out Rubicon Bay. The weather was perfect and the water inviting with its many shades of blue. Beautiful homes lined the shore of Rubicon Bay and varying types of watercraft were anchored just offshore. We paddled leisurely about 2.5 miles before returning to Meeks Bay.

I was unable to use my Capella Saturday because I was having issues with my seat but Joe from Headwaters Adventure Company came to my rescue. Joe was very busy as one of the hosts of this great event but he was very gracious with his time and effort to fix my seat and get my Capella back on the water.

While my Capella was out of commission, I was able to demo the new Eddyline Raven. I found the Raven to be a fun spirited boat. The primary stability was very tippy but it proved to move quickly and effortlessly through the water. After a full day of paddling, everyone was treated to a delicious meal with BBQ tri-tip, ribs, and chicken, courtesy of Headwaters Adventure Company.

Sunday morning we awoke to a pancake breakfast and when everyone finished eating we headed to the beach for a game of kayak tag. Duct tape was placed on the end of each persons kayak and the object of the game was to retrieve as many pieces as possible from other people's boats. The person with the most pieces at the end would win an Emotion Spitfire SOT Kayak. Dan Arbuckle and Rowan Gloag of The Hurricane Riders were the referees, making sure everyone stayed in bounds and adhered to the rules.   I didn't last very long. My tape was taken within the first three minutes of the game. My daughter Amanda and friend Tim, actually lasted until the end but didn't have enough pieces to win. Even though my son got whacked in the head with a Greenland paddle, he thought this was the funnest part of the weekend. Needless to say, we didn't win the kayak but it was a joy to participate.

Next on the agenda for Sunday was rolling clinics. Dan, and his Mom Terri Arbuckle demonstrated rolling techniques using a Greenland paddle. Meanwhile five others, including myself participated in a clinic taught by one of The Hurricane Riders, Marty Perry, using Euro paddles. Marty was great! I was a nervous wreck but he was very encouraging and patient. I'm anxious to practice what I learned but I will definitely use ear and nose plugs when I do.

 That evening, my friends and I decided to paddle north towards Sugar Pine Point. The water inside Meeks Bay was calm and a gentle breeze was blowing. When we paddled just past the north point of the bay the wind came up and the water was no longer calm. It actually felt like we were paddling on the ocean with swells breaking over the bow of our boats. We decided to turn around and paddle to the marina where we watched a beautiful sunset. A perfect end to a great weekend!