I have been jumping in on Wednesdays with my buddy @tattoodjay for a while but got swept away at the end of a crazy summer. But! I am back again with a little walk and a story to join the cool kids again.

This, if you are wondering, is the reason for my walk on Wednesday. Actually, wifepoints were my reason and probably the only thing that would motivate me to walk to a dragon boat. You see, my better half competes on a team with her work folks in a yearly Dragon Boat Festival that happens every September. I was happy enough to walk and report on it while they went on to win the championship. https://steemit.com/blog/@zekepickleman/walk-with-me-local-dragon-boat-festival

Well, this year I got roped into participating on the team. Suffice to say, I could think of better ways of spending an evening, or the full day on Saturday. The wifepoints are reward enough for me to share some time and the beer prize we could win in the sprint is a bonus!

But back to the walk

The boat was moored on an island in the downtown river (actually called a lake for some reason.) It is a neat spot because it is such a short walk from downtown and the theaters. You can see the erosion on the roots of the tree with so many people walking by.

Does this thing look comfy to you? It really isn't. You sit on a hard thin board as your seat and jam your feet in the contours to get a little purchase. The paddling is way different from a canoe as you always keep your top hand up, and do most of the rowing with your back. So neat being a veteran on the water but a complete noobie at the same time. The people behind me and in front of me got much wetter than they needed to as I got used to the stroke.

It was a rather intense practice and I am glad to have martial arts training to control my breathing and endurance. We pulled up as the sun was about to set and I had to take a snap. Water and setting suns are a great motivator to the amateur photographer and produce such immersive shots.

Speaking of amateur photography, here is a botched shot in lower light along the sidewalk that held most of my steps this weds. It is rare to see this walk without people on it and the lower light left my phone with no crisp lines on which to focus. You get the idea though!

A glance back at the boat leads me to be thankful I am not the guy teetering precariously on the back of this thing.

Saving the best for last, the sunset in my small town. Wifepoints were had, steps were taken, and I managed to learn something new. The icing on the cake is any reason to be out and active while the sun is setting. I will probably have some pretty funny stories from the festival in a couple days. There better be beer!

Ever been dragon boating?