Last day...again

I'm not sure if it was the onshore winds, the rain, or the $3.35 a gallon gas, that convinced us driving out to the coast was a bad idea this weekend. Since surf was out of the question it's a good thing Alpental decided to stay open another weekend. I would have gone crazy just sitting around the house all weekend.

After the last weekend in Whistler I was sure that would be my last time on a snowboard for the 06-07 season. I was actually fine with it too. This was a pretty disappointing season- not because of the snow conditions, but because of my condition. I was plagued with injuries- fractured vertebrae and twisted ankle. Both are injuries require a fair amount of rest...something I'm not very good at.

Even though conditions weren't the greatest, it was pretty good for April 29th. It was sunny for a good part of the day. Sun always seems to make a riding session seem that much better. I guess the PBR's helped too, but I blame all the fun on the sun. I guess we'll have next weekend to ride too, but I'll be looking to surf if the waves work out.

Bright ideas

This could be your next surfboard.

Here's a handy site if you're not sure where you should take your new board ;)

Telus Weekend

For the past few years we've made it a point to spend Whistler's final few days of the season with thousands of other snowboarders/skiers that seem to more interested in drinking than the marginal snow conditions. This year was no different than the others - long lines at all the bars in town, too many drinks, and not enough sleep the night before a day of riding.

We ended up staying with Molly who at the last minute had some extra room at her house. It was nice to have a bed in our own room instead of trying to find enough space on the floor to pass out on. This time I knew exactly where to pass out ;)

We ran into a bunch of friends, a few we really didn't expect to see, which was actually a good thing. Even though our friends didn't ride with us we spent plenty of time getting food and drinks. They were even kind enough to hook us up with a few drinks and lift tickets!

The riding was pretty much what I expected- nice up top, crusty 3/4 the way up, and slushy 1/2 way down. The best thing I can say is that it was fast, which under most circumstances would be awesome, but I guess I had a little too much fun the night before. We only lasted a few hours and were back in the bar by early afternoon.

Sunday we opted out of riding and decided to head up North to Pemberton - only about 30 minutes past Whistler. We found a place that served up a kick-ass breakfast. Other than the tasty bread and perfectly cooked bacon, the best thing about it was the wait for a table - there was none. Breakfast was about the only thing the small town had to offer us.

After dropping our friend back in Whistler we decided we might as well hit the road. We figured the traffic was going to suck no matter what time we left. On the ride back Jackie spotted a black bear not 25 feet from the side of the highway. I took a couple of blurry pics.

Even though we didn't get to ride that much I had a really good time.

Skunked on Saturday

As we expected, Shane P. wuss'd out so the trip to Westport was down to just Drex and I. We had to get to the coast early because of some prior plans that consisted of an afternoon BBQ and a late night at the The Whiskey Bar. 5:30am wake up seemed to be in order.

We arrived to find nothing happening in the Cove, the groins too full from the tide, and didn't even bother to check the jetty. The groins were pretty much our only choice...again.

We watched some pretty big sets roll through, not huge, but pretty big for the groins. Nonstop sets breaking further out than usual made the steady current even more of a challenge. Continuously having to dive under a wall of white water does not help when trying to paddle against a river. The few guys that were out were being dragged around the last finger, except for one guy towards the main peak who was holding his ground.

We were taking our time getting in and even deliberated waiting till slack tide, but Drex isn't one to sit around very long. He's definitely an optimist...almost to a fault at times. I wish I could sometimes share the same "glass half full" attitude, but not in this instance. I decided to hang back and watch a few other guys make the paddle before I'd commit myself.

Good thing I did because in the short time I was sitting there deliberating going in, and taking a few pics, I witnessed a few boards get banged up against the rocks. A couple guys even had to exit the water and rethink their strategy on how to get in because a 2 minute paddle turned into 10 minutes of getting nowhere. Even Drex, who I'd consider a competent paddler, was being sucked into the rocks. And once he did make it out it was a losing battle to try and stay in position to catch a wave. Needless to say no one's session lasted very long.

We were home in plenty of time to bring up the webcam and see how much better the surf got at low tide. I guess it's my payback for not wanting to battle the current and surf the slop at high tide. Now who's the wuss?

Aussies on a roll

Taj Burrow wins the RipCurlPro @ Bells beating out AI in the last 90 seconds. That makes two wins in a row for Aussie crew, and first win for Taj since 2004. Could this be their year? Let's see how they do outside their country.

I'm stoked for Taj's big win, but he really didn't help my fantasy surf team. I'm currently placed around 2400 out of 9900. I'm going to blame it on my rookies. They really showed their experience with only one of them making it into the 4th round. I guess I'll stick with a few of them since it's about all I can afford on my roster - Slater,Parko, and Fanning, are really eating up my budget.

Good news! I'll be home tomorrow. A really crazy thing happen tonight. United Air called and asked if I wouldn't mind taking a non-stop flight home instead of stopping in Chicago. I bet this is something like LOST - I've been chosen to lead some master race of super-humans. I'd just be stoked to live on a tropical island.

Living like a king

Room service, room with a view, clean sheet every day, news paper at my door, being called Sir, dirty laundry that just disappears, big bed all to myself, wake up calls, and cable tv while away on business. Sounds pretty nice doesn't it.

Cell phone rings every ten minutes, sleep 3 hours a night, wake up 3 hours earlier than normal, shitty hotel food, crap on tv, living out of a bag, big bed all to myself, a week without Jackie, another week with no chance of surf, and 8 hours on a plane. Doesn't sound like much fun anymore- especially after my 100th time going to the same place.

It seems like I've been on the road alot lately. I guess could be a good thing. My ankle was really sore after surfing the other day and it could really use some rest. Jackie's on the road about half of the month so it's nice I'm not just sitting at home waiting for her to get back- now just waiting it out in a hotel room.

Almost pretty good

Friday April 06, 2007 Surf

Early morning trip to Westport included Clem and Kev. Conversation along the way spanned everything from wireless phone technologies, home owners dues, motorcycles, injuries, and of course the always inevitable question about when Jackie and I are going to start a family. I'm sorry to dissapoint, but it's not going to be anytime soon.

The Jetty was a mess, the cove was flat, it would have to be the Groins or a long drive to check Ocean Shores. We decided to stick in Westport even though our prospects at the Groins looked pretty marginal at best. It was around 9:30, shortly before low tide, and there were a few fun looking sets pushing through RoughBar. The paddle for RoughBar can be a pain in the ass, but we were lucky enough to catch the slack tide which saved us a little work.

I ran into George out and talked to him for the first time since he became a Dad. Sounds like the new family is doing well.

We made a stop at the Knotty Pine for some deep fried food and shuffle board before the drive home. I knocked over my basket of fries and the last chicken finger onto the floor. I really wanted that last chicken finger.

Didn't get any pics worth posting so here's one from a few weekends ago -

Stocks, Surf & A Trip To The Train Station

Picked up some shares of ICT Group (ICTG) - they specialize in outsourced customer management for banks, IT, and insurance. I stumbled across it after it was upgraded to a 'buy'. It's been running under it's 200 day MA (moving average) and recently dropped even lower because they lowered earnings from $118m to $115m for this quarter - it's been tough training staff fast enough to fill demands. I figure it's a good time to jump in while it's selling well below it's share price target. I'll at least stick it out until Q2 earnings come in, maybe longer.

Bells Beach RipCurl Pro was called off for today. I was hoping to watch some surfing to get me stoked in anticipation of a possible surf session tomorrow. I even went out and picked up some new booties since I hate how my other pairs (I now have 4???) fill up with water because they're too wide. Anyone out there interested in buying some slightly used booties? I'll let you know how they work.

Jackie gets back from a short business trip to Portland around 9:45 tonight. I'm looking forward to having her home for a few days considering she'll be gone for another 15 out of 31 day this month.

Random pic I took this morning while futzing around with my camera in the car-

Always trust your first instinct

If you believe you should only take advice from someone who's needed it in the past...well, I'm that someone. I wish someone was there to offer advice this morning when I decided to merge on to I-90 instead of head south on I-5. Last night I told myself I was going to take a day off to go surfing. The conditions seemed right - NW swell 6ft 15seconds with offshore winds. Oh yeah, clear skies too.

This morning I woke up with intentions of sending an email to work explaining how I wasn't going to be making it into the office today. I happen to see an email from a fellow co-worker who had beat me to the punch - 'Bill will be out of the office this afternoon'. I had no choice...I had to go into the office. Little did I know today would be as slow as watching cement dry, and that I would have plenty of time to check the RainbowsEnd webcam.

Until I redeem myself by shirking all responsibilites and spend an entire day surfing this will be the image that will haunt me -


CLICK -> Random Pic of The Day!

Its on!

Bells Beach Pro - Australia - Stop #2 of the ASP World Tour

http://www.aspworldtour.com/2007/ripcurlpro/

Current Fantasy Surfer Team Roster - TeamBootyJuice:

Slater
Fanning
Parkinson
Flores
Kerr
Dunn
Kling
Otten

Days since my last surf - 15days (I'm embarrassed to admit)