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Emerging outdoor adventures


Courtesy Lost Creek Adventures

Paddleboarding on Lake Superior
Cornucopia, Wisconsin
A mix of kayaking and surfing, paddleboarding has grown in popularity in recent years. Participants love the smooth glide across the water because it is not only a new experience but also an activity that most people can master.

An ideal locale to try stand-up paddling is on the smooth waters around Wisconsin’s Apostle Islands National Lakeshore area in Lake Superior with Lost Creek Adventures. These outfitters, near Duluth, Minnesota, will help your group discover the park’s sea caves, rock formations and clear waters with paddleboard rentals and guided tours.

“Everyone asks why I enjoy paddleboarding, and it’s because it is a little more of a challenge, since you are standing more,” said Lost Creek Adventures owner Greg Weiss. “You can also see more because you are standing up. It is a more free experience because you are not tucked up inside a kayak or canoe.”

First-time paddleboarders can experience an Introduction to Stand-Up Paddleboarding before trying the sport on their own. Or for a guided experience, groups can choose a guided paddleboard tour, such as Stand-Up Romans Point. The tour starts with a lesson in paddleboard fundamentals before venturing onto Lake Superior, which is more exposed to wind but easier to manage after the practice.

“When you get to the Romans Point, you can check out the park’s sea caves and even lie down on the board and get underneath the cliffs,” said Weiss. “Paddleboarding allows you to easily hop off the board and walk around in the shallow water or onshore if you want to.”

www.lostcreekadventures.org

Riding Electric Bikes on the National Mall
Washington, D.C.
Taking a group on a bicycle ride can be tricky, as everyone will be at a different level of fitness. The solution: Choose an electric bike tour.

This method of traveling continues to pop up in new locations, including Washington, where EZ Bike Rides opened this summer. Almost anyone can ride an electric bike, as you can ride without pedaling just by twisting the throttle. Cyclists can control how much they pedal, so they can pedal on the flat stretches and let the green-energy bike haul them up steep hills, if they desire.

EZ Bike Rides offers both rentals and a Ride-Around-the-Mall Tour of the nation’s capital. The tour takes up to 10 people per certified guide from the Diamond Teague Park on low-traffic streets and bicycle paths to tour Arlington Cemetery, the U.S. Capitol, the White House and memorials along the National Mall.

At each brief stop, the guide provides interesting facts about the location. If you seek more freedom than the three-hour tour provides, EZ Bike Rides also rents the bikes after demonstrations on how to operate the e-bikes safely. All riders take brief test rides to ensure they can handle the bike before venturing out. The company will deliver the e-bikes to your hotel or other destination of your choice in downtown D.C. or Arlington, Virginia.

www.ezbikerides.com