His visit was appropriately kicked off with an Ocean Hour cleanup, launching from the Lazy Dog SUP rental in Key West.  Ocean Hour is an international movement to inspire ocean lovers everywhere to spend one hour every Saturday, on the water and on the beaches, pitching in to keep local aquatic environments clean of trash.  Riney’s non-profit, Mother Ocean, is the driving force behind both Ocean Hour and the Expedition Florida 500.

 Brouwer arrived bearing a crisp new XF500 signature model Tahoe SUP for Riney to refresh the one he had been literally living on for over 100 days.  Riney and Brouwer also announced that one lucky follower of the Expedition Florida 500 will win a brand new XF500 Tahoe SUP, the exact board that has been transporting Riney on the yearlong tour of Florida’s waterways.  Learn how to have a chance to win on the Expedition Florida 500 facebook page.

Boca Grande

The two were joined by XF500 partner, Gabriel Gray, and with the help of Mellow Ventures Key West Eco Tours, the crew were shuttled out to the Marquesas Keys. For a couple of days, Brouwer got a glimpse of not only the beauty of the Florida and Riney’s passion for preserving it, but the challenges he faces everyday living off a standup paddle board while coordinating an undertaking of this magnitude.

 To be able to best share Brouwer’s unique opportunity to experience the historical Expedition Florida 500, Ben North of Thunderfish Productions was on hand to capture video for a profile piece on Riney and XF500.

We caught up with Brouwer just when he returned, still not fully recovered from a reaction to being swarmed by biting midges, that landed him in Urgent Care!

Well, how was it?

“We started off in Key West with the cleanup, paddled out to the fort on the south end and met the mayor of Key West.  A real day in the life

of Justin Riney, who works tirelessly for the cause of raising awareness of the fragility of Florida’s waters.”

“Paddling in the Keys was amazing.  The water clarity is beautiful, lots of marine life, a ton of rays, black tip sharks, nurse sharks, bottle nose dolphin,  barracuda. They speared Hogfish for dinner which was delicious grilled over the campfire. The best tasting fish ever!”

“It is so impressive what Justin is doing.  He is so in tune with the environment and his outdoor skills are always switched on.  I am honored to experience what they are enduring and to be in support of Expedition Florida 500.  But on top of that, he is working, organizing the cleanups, keeping contact with the media, an incredible effort all the way around.”

“We hope the video will capture some of what Justin and Gabe are doing and inspire others to do their part and get involved locally.”

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Seattle, WA 98126

Phone: (206) 935-7669

Website: http://shop.m2soutfitters.com/
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Phone: (319) 337-9444

Website: http://m.mainstreethub.com/shopactiveendeavors

 
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Website: http://www.hudsontrail.com/

Phone: 202-363-9810
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Lauren in her element

  Known for the Grand Canyon, smoldering hot summers, desert landscape, and cacti, Arizona seems like the last place one would expect to find Stand Up Paddling but in 2008 ,I bought my first Stand Up Paddleboard.  I began exploring Arizona with my SUP, with the goal to paddle as many lakes and waterways of my home as I could find. I was addicted to the hunt, I would stay up until 3am researching the next road trip.

 That year,  I took some of my friends to lake Powell, and Antelope Canyon in Northern Arizona. On our journey back we passed a sign that read Horseshoe Bend, a lot of cars were turning off the road to check it out. Out of curiosity I followed the cars, and made the hike to Horseshoe Bend to see what all the fuss was about. My jaw dropped at what I saw. Being a Phoenician (Born and raised in Phoenix, Arizona) I had seen the Grand Canyon multiple times in all of its glory, but to me Horseshoe bend was even more breathtaking. You couldn’t take your eyes off of its beauty.  My focus and goals of paddling all the lakes and waterways of my home state suddenly turned to the Colorado River.

BLISS-eye view

 I have now had the honor of sleeping under the stars of Horseshoe Bend twice since then and these photos are from my most recent visit.   Glen Canyon is one of my favorite places to paddle my Tahoe SUP. It is a place of solitude, Bliss, and beauty. You will find wild horses, bighorn sheep, steep canyon walls, a constant 47 degrees F0 of the colorado river, petroglyphs and so much more.

  Arizona is like an onion there are many layers to this beautiful place.  Not only does it offer a beautiful desert landscape with colorful painted canyons and cacti, but it also offers lush green waterways, snowcapped mountains, pine trees, waterfalls, with about 31 lakes, 23 rivers, and 14 creeks to choose from.

~ Lauren M. Peterson

Lauren Peterson created Namaste SUP in 2011, a community that brings together standup paddle yoga enthusiasts from around the world.  Combining a masters in Physical Education and her passion for teaching SUP yoga, Peterson has created a land and water based curriculum for grades K-12 that is implemented in schools world wide.  Peterson currently teaches middle school PE in Arizona where the SUP Yoga class is the students’ favorite.

Antelope Canyon

Horsehoe Bend

BLISS

 
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Debbie glides under her Dad’s tree as Mom looks on

filled with the memories of love and support her Father had provided.

We joined Debbie at the Marina to witness the special day in early Spring.

“I was kinda nervous about my maiden voyage! Getting my board together, taking my time, making sure I had everything, I am sure it will be a ritual I look forward to when going paddling”, said Giorsetto.  ” I took a walk to my Dad’s tree. I cleaned off the brass plaque marker. Between the sunshine and my memories of so many years of love and support from him, I walked away from there with a big smile. I knew then my first paddle would be good.”

The Maiden Voyage

Giorsetto was accompanied by her Mom on shore, following with the camera to document the day. “Having my Mom there today as my support team meant so much. We take good care of each other. Always. She even tried to take pictures of me and is a complete stranger to a camera!  I felt so fortunate to have the guys from Tahoe SUP there to offer help and encouragement and helped me with my foot placement.  Standing and paddling felt so free. It was as beautiful as I had imagined. To stand, paddle and glide on water is completely calming. It made me feel strong and free.”

“I am already planning where and when and how I can paddle again. My Dad would have been proud of me for trying something new. He believed in his children and always encouraged us to learn and try new things and have fun. I miss him. I hope to raise my daughter the same way.”

Debbie and her Mom

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