Pre-paddle warm up at Yosemite Lake, Merced CA (07/02/2022)
As my cousin and a couple of their kids had never tried standup paddle before, we decided to have a practice run at the local Yosemite Lake next to the UC Merced campus. The lake is a 10-minute drive from their house, and is a popular place for gatherings, especially so for this July 4th weekend. Many families were there for BBQing, boating, picnicking, etc. and the festive mood was evident from one end of the park to the other. There was moderate wind when we arrived at the lake in mid-morning, which concerned us somewhat as this was the first attempt at SUP for some of us. We launched from the shore by the boat dock, so as to be partially shielded from the wind. From there, we paddled east along the shoreline past the semi-circular bridge, and practiced near the beach close to that bridge. There is also a SUP and kayak rental shack on this beach where you can rent paddling equipment, in case you did not bring your paddling gear along.
Oops! It seems like this post isn't published yet. Stay tuned for updates!One of my nephews had gone SUPing with me about 4 years ago, so he did have some experience under his belt. For my other nephew and niece, this was their first time standing up on a board. Although we were all on our butts and/or knees starting out, only I was still sitting down twenty minutes into the paddle =)
Oops! It seems like this post isn't published yet. Stay tuned for updates!But it turned out that my Aqua Marina SUP board was a little rickety for my nephew, who wrestles in high school. Perhaps it can support my weight, for I am built like a stick, but it may not be as accommodating for others who are a bit meatier than me. Seeing that he was having some trouble keeping his balance, I suggested for us to swap boards, so that he would take over my RED, which definitely can handle a heavier paddler.
My nephew took over my RED board, while I would switch to using my trusted Aqua Marina board for the rest of the day. Note the shack in the background, you can rent kayaks and SUPs from there.
Once that was done, his balance was restored and he was good to go for most of the rest of the day. We paddled around this side of the lake for a good while, and soon was joined by my other nephew and cousin. I raced my other nephew to a buoy out near the middle of the lake, then did a solo paddle to the far end of the lake and back. It was a good day to be on the water, as the wind did calm down later in the day. We had a blast, and felt ready for our upcoming paddle adventure on the 4th.
Oops! It seems like this post isn't published yet. Stay tuned for updates!Tenaya Lake, Yosemite National Park, California (the morning of 07/04/2022)
Due to Yosemite’s reservation requirement wherein only those with a reservation can enter the park between 6am and 4pm, we woke up early on July 4th and started out from Merced at 4am. It was still dark when we began driving, and Hwy 140 was empty up until around Briceburg when we caught up to another car in front of us. It soon became a caravan near El Portal, and stayed like that until we entered the park. We got to the western entrance of the park on El Portal Road with 25 minutes to spare and a lot of excitement waiting for us in the hours ahead. The original plan was to paddle (or float) the Merced River in Yosemite Valley from near the Stoneman Bridge down to Sentinel Beach, but we had to make a change of plan due to parking and the river water level. We quickly decided to head up to Hwy 120 through Tioga Pass, and try paddling in Tenaya Lake instead. The Merced River will have to wait for another time.
It was around 7:30am when we got to the parking lot at Lake Tenaya. There were maybe four other cars in the lot, and interestingly, a paddleboarder was already in the lake below. It took us some time to pump up all five paddleboards (the two Body Glove Tandems took the longest due to their massive size), so while the electric pumps did their work, I changed into my paddling clothes, prepared my other equipment, and ate a couple of bananas and a Raley’s chicken wrap for breakfast. The kids’ paddleboards were ready to go and they got to play in the water first. Mine was the last one to be ready, but I soon joined them on the waters, too.
Oops! It seems like this post isn't published yet. Stay tuned for updates!It was a beautiful morning with clear blue sky, and the water was not cold. I dipped my hand in the water, and felt it was warm enough for even a swim at that time. The air temperature was on the colder side, however, but it would soon warm up as well. The beach where we launched our boards was very shallow, and remained so for a large area before it sloped deeper. There were little to no winds, and other than the other paddleboarder on the far side of the lake, there was no one else but us on the waters. A large family was out picnicking next to us, and a couple of photographers were also there to take pictures of the lake basking in the morning light.
We hugged the western coast of the lake and paddled out toward the source of what is known as Tenaya Creek, which flows all the way down through Tenaya Canyon to the Yosemite Valley, where it merges with the Merced River close to North Pines Campground. The water was crystal clear, and often times I would look down and see the depth of the lake, which must be 10 ft or more in places.
Oops! It seems like this post isn't published yet. Stay tuned for updates!It was around here that my older nephew and niece began to paddle back to the beach, while the middle nephew pushed on toward the middle of the lake.
Unfortunately, there were nearly no fish or other wildlife living in or on the lake, as the only animal I could see was a lone duck swimming near a big rock on the eastern side. My paddle around the lake was uneventful once my nephews and niece decided to return to the beach, except for this.
Oops! It seems like this post isn't published yet. Stay tuned for updates!I’m not sure if it was a strong gust that blew by, or the Lochness Monster traveling all the way from Europe to Yosemite to get me to lose my balance. But I did lose my balance near the northeastern shore.
And I was in the water shortly after that.
Oops! It seems like this post isn't published yet. Stay tuned for updates!Then I had to keep calm, rescued myself, got back on the board, and paddled on. A reminder for myself is in order here, and that is to always have my leash on me! Earlier in the day I decided to forgo my leash, as I reasoned there was hardly any wind and the lake is small enough to not warrant a leash. It turned out that after I fell, I had to swim a short distance to retrieve my board, which was more effort that I had originally thought.
Oops! It seems like this post isn't published yet. Stay tuned for updates!I was sit down paddling (SDP =D) for the rest of the way. When I got back to the beach, my cousins were out paddling together on the tandem paddleboard, while the kids were enjoying themselves on the beach. There were a lot more people now, it was definitely more lively than earlier in the day.
Oops! It seems like this post isn't published yet. Stay tuned for updates!Some words are in order here. My cousin was/is afraid of waters. She got to paddle a bit the other day on Lake Yosemite, and that was her first time paddling, ever. I supposed that it was such a fun experience that she tried paddling again today. She and her hubby paddled for a while together on the lake, on their tandem paddleboard. The tandem kayak has a reputation for being a “divorce maker”, I hope the tandem paddleboard has no such connotation =P
We all had a grand time and hung out on the beach until noon-ish, then packed up and said goodbye to Lake Tenaya and Yosemite, and headed out on our….
Post-paddle trip to Mono Lake
There was no paddling for us in Mono Lake (near Lee Vining, just outside of the eastern boundary of Yosemite National Park), mostly because there (usually) are strong winds on the lake in the afternoon, so that most people advised against paddling here after this time. My cousin had never been here before, so this was a sightseeing trip for her. I do have plan for an Eastern Sierra SUPing trip in the future, where Mono Lake is currently on my bucket list, together with those on the June Lake loop. For some reason, I have an affinity for these alpine lakes… Do let me know if you’re interested in joining =)
For Mono Lake, I took a couple of panorama with my phone. There were many cars in the parking lot, but not many people ventured far inland.
It was a beautiful 4th of July all around, and we had lots of fun traveling in this area. For me, this was my first time back in Yosemite and Mono Lake after 3 years. This trip and others indeed remind me of why I prefer to live in California despite its high cost of living – there are just so many things to do outdoors! Now, if I can only have enough money to buy a place and settle here =P