A couple of days after returning home from Denmark, where Mark and I were running classes, I hopped in the car to make the three-hour drive over the mountains to Whiskeytown Lake for a couple of weekend rolling classes. At home the weather was cool and foggy, typical weather for a summer day in Humboldt, but when I opened the car door in Redding I was hit by a wave of heat… 111 degrees of heat that is. Throughout the weekend there would be record breaking temperatures and not a cloud in sight.

With weather this hot it felt wonderful to be fully immersed in the cool lake.

Lita works on a first roll.

The water at Whiskeytown Lake was cool, which felt nice under the heat of the sun. Some people worked on first rolls, others on advanced rolls and others wanted to watch demonstrations from shore of some of the more complex rolls. I was happy to oblige, as being under the surface felt wonderful during this incredibly hot weekend.

Tom works on a brick roll.

I demonstrate a double elbow roll.

This was year four of running classes for Just Kayak More, and each year I’m thrilled to see return participants and to see how far they’ve come. Thanks to Jason and Kasumi for hosting me!

A hand spine roll is a great roll for a fun challenge.

After spending the weekend in Redding I had a few days home. During this time my son Alex graduated high school, which was wonderful to see. Congrats Alex, I’m REALLY proud of you!

My parents were in town because of the graduation, and it was good to catch up with them as well.

Before leaving for the summer I also had time to catch up with my good friend Michael Morris. We spent a morning at Trinidad, bouncing around in some choppy water. It was a great day, and a nice way to relax before heading off for the summer.

A morning at Trinidad.

Michael enjoys a day on the water. It was good to catch up with you Michael!

Now Mark and I are in Europe and about to begin our summer tour, which starts tomorrow in Copenhagen. We’re looking forward to a fun summer in Europe!

Photos by Jason Montelongo and Helen.