SUP.

A month or so ago, I found a great deal on BuyWithMe for a standup paddleboarding (SUP) tour for two for $63. Michael and I redeemed the coupon on Saturday. SUPs are basically like large surfboards that you can stand up and paddle on. You can always sit on it and paddle too, if you're tired of standing.

We drove out to Chesapeake Beach, MD for a very early 7:30AM tour... and it takes an hour to get there.


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We arrived at the marina, and Camille met us there to start the tour -- just us and the tour guide! We paddled around the marina and down a little river for a while to get used to the feel of the paddle boards. The scenery was beautiful, with egrets and blue herons. Apparently the early morning tour was so highly recommended to me because of all the wildlife to see at that time of the day. It was quite warm, but the breeze coming off the ocean kept us cool.

Once we had fully acclimated to using the paddle boards, we paddled out to the bay. The movement of the water took a bit of getting used to, but it's a lot of fun. We got to go pretty far out in the bay and got a great view of the coastline. We finished up the tour by paddling up to a beach, and Camille had a wonderful breakfast prepared for us as part of the package. I definitely want to try SUPing again.

Apparently Chesapeake Beach used to be a very popular vacation destination for DC-ers, but the railroad that used to connect it with D.C. no longer runs. There's actually only one hotel in the area which burnt down around the time the railroad stopped running (it's rebuilt now), so that didn't help either. I would really consider this to be a great little getaway from the D.C. area -- it's relatively close, has a great beach, and is a very cute, quiet little town. Plus, you can try SUPing and kiteboarding through YK Kiteboarding.