Restart

For some reason starting this thing back up seems like a good idea right now. I don't know what I'm going to say, I just have a feeling things are going to start happening. This past year has been a bit of a roller coaster, which may have made some interesting posts, but chances are it would have been more of me just bitching than trying to be productive.

So where do I start?

Spring is here

A really long day of driving, for a relatively short surf session. Actually I didn't drive, but I did have to sit in the 'extended' portion of an 'extended cab' truck. Needless to say there was not much 'extending' going on. If it wasn't for all the Miller Highlifes I think my knees would have been permanently frozen into a 65° angle by the end of the 16 hour day. All said and done it was totally worth it- surf was pretty good, weather was amazing, and staff at Arby's was very friendly. I couldn't have asked for any better conditions on the second day of Spring.

My wetsuit still remains pee-free.

Pee Free- Day 3

The last 2 surf sessions have been huge confidence boosters. Not even the fridged waters of the mighty Elwah River, nor the below average temps at the Cove can make this surfer pee in his new wet suit. I can do this! 

And to think some guy was concerned enough to ask me about my picture taking because he thought I may be leaking pics on to the interweb and exposing this spot.

Sunday I found myself groveling in ice cold water for a long point break wave that just never materialized like we expected. I wouldn't call the overnight trip a total failure though, I did get to stop in my favorite PA eatery (mainly because of the cute chicks working there) for Prime Rib Dip, and a few Mac and Jacks.

Unknown- Puttin' up with the cold water

Today at the Cove was much colder than normal, but the quality of the surf motivated me to hang in the water until every last appendage was numb or the outgoing tide kicks in and squashes the swell. Luckily the tide started to head out leaving me with enough dexterity in my finger tips to get out of my wetsuit. Right before I stepped into the water I felt some pressure building in my bladder and I was convinced this day would be the end of the Pee Free Wetsuit Project. I think the water was almost so cold it stopped me from being able to relieve myself.  Is that possible?

All my friends tell me the snow was amazing again. 

Weekend Report

Thanks to the surf I was able to keep the whole job thing off my mind. I ended up making 2 separate trips to the coast with PK, Peterson, and Kev. Waves were a little junky early Saturday, but the afternoon session was glassy and the interval seemed to clean up. Sunday started off with a little bump in the swell and some strong offshore winds that eventually backed off later in the day and made for even better surf than Saturday. My arms are wasted, face is red, and eye's burnt from the glare- this somehow makes me feel good.


Between trips we made it back to the city for the annual Spacecraft All-Star sticker party. Good times as usual with their crew. Didn't hang out too long, but long enough for a few beers and to ask Sara about a place to crash in Bali just in case I do get to take my new found free time and go on a trip. Tickets are about $1200.

Lowest Common Denominator

I'm not a huge fan of La Push, although every time I go I manage to have a good time. It's hard for me not to have a good time with my crew of friends, and once you throw waves into the equation...no matter where we go I enjoy myself. But if you were to ask me where I wanted to go it would not be La Push.


I'd say the people who hang out there are about the closest thing to the Appalachian hill-billies that we have here on the West Coast. I'm not talking about the Native Americans. I'm talking about the rednecks who drop the chainsaw to come out of the Ho rain forest to hang out in a trailer park/campground because it's the most exciting scene for 50 miles.


The few surfers I've been introduced out there to have been pretty cool, but the majority of lot lurkers seem to be a mix between the ex-presidents and Cletus The Slack Jawed Yokel.

I honestly have no clue why this bothers me now, I've been going there for years. Waves usually give me the ability to tune out any asshole within a mile of the water. Maybe it's cause I have a rash from my aging and deteriorating wetsuit. It's time for a new one.

Birthday Bashin'

I brought my new Canon G9 along this weekend to help document what turned out to be an extremely successful camp trip on the coast. I'm really stoked on the image quality of low ISO settings and manual functionality. It's defiantly going to lighten my load of camera gear on short trips and day hikes.



The first night we had to put up with a little rain, but the weather cleared up and remained sunny for the next 3 days. The friends who arrived a few days before us, and scored our camping spot, weren't so lucky. They ended up leaving early and took my tent with them, I resorted to sleep under the stars for the rest of the weekend.

North Star - Taken with the 5D

Surf also panned out for us. For 2 days straight we had the Dump to ourselves. What the wave lacked of in size it made up for in it's fun factor - clean and consistent. Somehow even in the 'fun sized' surf I managed to leave with a few chunks missing from my board, and knuckles, because of the shallow reef.

The rest of the pics can be seen here, and a more detailed blog about the trip here.

Several Seaworthy Adventures

About 20 miles of paddling around San Juan Island this past weekend and I'm not even sore. Either the kayaking trip on the Columbia a week before prepared me or I'm going to wake up tomorrow and not be able to move my arms. Hell, even if I was sore for a few day it would still have been worth it. The idea of actually owning a kayak doesn't sound that bad anymore. It's just below a 15ft Zodiac w/50hp motor on my list of thing to buy.


Thanks to Leah for setting up the trip through her friends at Discovery Sea Kayaks. Defiantly a top notch kayaking outfit in the San Juans, and when we plan another trip I would not hesitate to call them again. Although, I'm not sure if I need to listen to the owners pep talk about how accomplished our guides are. I don't need to be reminded that I'm not very motivated.


Fun mid-week surf session last week with Drex, Pete, and Adam. It's been awhile since I've been to the spot and almost forgot how rad it is. Surfed with a small crowd for a few hours, including these assholes, but ended up having the line-up all to our selves in the afternoon.

Big weekend planned for Drex's B-Day- 4 nights of camping on the coast. Hoping either the swell shapes up or the weather holds out. I'm sure good times will be had by all.

The Week In Review

A hectic week. The only thing that allowed me to keep my sanity was 3 separate trips to the coast. It started out when I returned Sunday night from surfing at Westport and found someone from Puget Sound Energy probing around for the source to a gas leak. Turned out our gas line to the dryer started leaking somehow. Jackie came home after having a drink to find our place filled with gas, and immediately called the gas company.

Work in general sucked because of the upcoming Olympics and new software we're going to be using for it. Hope to get it all figured out before the games start. My director was in town to meet with a vendor, but instead of having to sit in meetings all day I was excused to chase some surf in the Straits. Peter and I drove around checking a few spots, but ended up settling on the Elwha and some punchy little waves.

Peter behind the wheel

The second half of the week began with Jackie waking me up to ask why would water be coming out of the light fixtures in the Kitchen (directly under the bathroom). A few drops from a light fixture turned into a bulge above the sink, and eventually ended up as a pile of mushy drywall on the floor. A rusted old pipe coming from back of the shower broke open. I imagine it had been leaking for some time now and absorbed by the drywall. Pretty simple fix for the plumber, but we still have a huge hole in the kitchen ceiling to deal with.

Shi Shi

A basement remodel that's taking forever, our new couch had to be returned since it doesn't fit down the stairs, and the perpetual layer of dust that covers our belongings would have sent most couples to divorce court, but we made it a priority to get out to the coast with a group of friends this weekend. On Saturday a crew made the hike out to Shi Shi and scored some fun waves. Got harassed by the Park Rangers because a friend brought his dogs, and the few that were camping out there didn't have Bear proof containers. It's our fault for not paying close enough attention to the rules, but the Rangers were total assholes. I wonder if their week was just as bad as ours?

Brrrrr

Can't say the surf was anywhere near spectacular on Saturday, it was freakin' cold, and the drive home through the snow sucked...so extends my streak of crappy surf sessions. Recently is seems like I've been a day, even hours, late for classic fall surf. All I need is one good day and the past few weeks will be forgotten.

Saturday night went to check out the DOC movie premier put together by the guys at OneShotProductions. This one would have totally fallen off the radar if it wasn't for Drex, Clem, and JR, having a bunch of footage in it. I guess it's these guys 3 or 4th movie. I've seen one other flick and I can safely say the production is really getting better. It's awesome to see some older dudes putting this much effort into a project that doesn't involve any hotshit pro riders.

After an exhausting day of surf tripin', napping, and snowbro movie, the only way I could imagine finishing it off was by consuming massive amounts of jager, cheap tequelia, and Mickey's Big Mouths. I now own 1/2 of a pair of gloves. Let me know if you find the missing one - a righthand black XL Burton fleece glove.

Floating Holiday

Checked the surf this morning with Kev...He drives like an old lady and he needs to erase all the songs on his iPod. Nothing exciting happening on the water- too full and a little small to surf. We made it back in time for my 10am meeting...I wish I would have missed it. Being on call + early surf check + an extra long commute today = tired x technical document review meeting = gouge my fucking eyes out!

Drex ain't helping by reminding me how good the surf must be today. Clem's on his way out...maybe in the water already. We'll meet up with him tomorrow.

HR just sent me an email reminding me that I have a 'floating holiday' to use before the end of the year...why am I here today???

Mixed Results

Drex...wave of the day

About a week without an update...not much to write about. One midweek session that wasn't worth logging in for, and a weekend that seemed promising, but kinda fizzled. Highlight was watching Drex paddle out into some big nasty shit to catch one of the few nice waves that came through...then pay for it. I had a perfect view from the beach to witness one of the biggest sets I've seen out there come in and catch him on the inside. I couldn't help but laugh when I saw him abandon his board and head for the bottom. I have this thing I do...nervous reaction I guess, but I tend to laugh when watch friends get worked by a wave or eat shit on the mountain. They always seem to walk away in one piece, but I'm sure I'll feel like an ass when I'm laughing and someone is really hurt...or not.


Buoys weren't reporting for a few hours last night and prompted me to call off another surf session for today. Didn't want to risk making the drive and having the conditions do a 180 on us. I'm sure it will be nice, but I really have some work to do.

None

No surf for me this weekend. Saturday looked like a mess, and Sunday...we dropped the ball. I wanted to go in one direction and everyone else wanted to go in another. No one was really amped on driving. I should have gone alone. Instead I slept in and did a few things around the house until Drex called and wanted to check out Ebey. He'd never been there and I had nothing better to do. I was convinced the surf would be flat, but wanted to get out and take pics with the new camera. I should have brought my board.

***I really hate to post pics of dudes looking like kooks, but I couldn't resist with pic. He was actually surfing really well.

5 Day Forcast

Looks like plenty of surf on the way...maybe too much...if there is such thing. It's more like unsurfable surf, but I'm sure I'll be heading out anyways. Thinking about camping out for a few days and work remotely;) If surfing is out of the question I'll have my new camera to play with.Although, I've been taking more pics on film lately. It's nice to switch it up a little between Photoshop and scanning slides. A couple more shots from the trusty Holga...

The Gear...


Garden knome...

Effortless

My best waves always seem to be effortless. One or two strokes, bottom turn that puts you in the perfect spot...the spot I would have least expected to be on day like Tuesday. Spent plenty of time trying to get there, but the offshore seemed to actually be working against us, and getting into `em was much tougher than it looked from the beach. 2nd session was a whole lot less work in marginal conditions, but just as rewarding as the first because the number of waves.


I would have stayed out there another night, but Travis had to be back, and I'm sure my bosses would not be happy. I may not have to worry about what my bosses think for much longer...3.5 hour interview today went really well. Jackie's still in Chicago.

More of everything

Spent Friday and Saturday out at the Wedge. Long ways from home, but worth every second of the dreadful drive. Friday wasn't very big or consistent, but it was clean and occasionally lining up really well. Not too many other people out. A few guys killing it as usual-including Drex. He's really surfing well now that he's on something other than his homemade beast.

Drex wasn't the only one surfing well. I was ripping so hard I snapped the end of my fin off...into my head. A turn off the top sent me to the bottom were I received a sharp crack to my head. It wasn't till I got back out to the lineup and took a closer look at my board that I noticed the last 2 inches of my center fin missing. I figured a fin would have really done some damage. I guess a few layers of scar tissue and a hood saved me.

Saturday we met up with Kev and his dad. We kinda took our time checking out some other spots and stopping for food. Eventually ended up back at the Wedge were it was whole different wave than what we surfed the day before. That day it was overhead and snapping boards. Not too many makable waves out there when it gets that big. Didn't spend much time surfing...plenty of driving.

I'm heading back out to the Straits tonight with Travis. I'm sure my boss is beginning catch on that I don't like to be in the office. Good thing I can get twice as much work done frmm home. I have a 3 hour interview with another possible prospect on Wednesday. More button pushing, but also more $$$ too. More $$$ = more traveling!

No pot of gold here

Too Much of A Good Thing

Drex vs. Wave

The idea of big waves always sounds so cool until they're breaking on top of you.

Early Saturday morning I rolled out with Kev to meet up with a posse - Clem,Drex,Peterson,Otter,Brian,JR,and Shane. Meeting spot was OS Jetty where Clem had camped out the night before. He had a chance to check it before we got there, but opted to hold off on going out until we showed up. Smart move on his part.

Early morning fog, but could clearly see the surf was big and going to be a challenge. Big enough that I'm safely going to say it was over my head. Waves were breaking out past the jetty and made the inside look like a washing machine. Wind was offshore and made for clean faces. Rip was pretty bad once you got past the reach of the jetty.

For some reason everyone figured it would be ok to try and paddle out a ways down from the jetty. Knowing they would be back in real soon I decided to hang back and take a few pics. Clem and Kev picked off a wave that broke outside and reformed closer in. Drex powered out to the lineup where an average size set snapped his new Stretch quad before he had a chance to really catch a ride. They all came back in.


I hooked Drex up with my other board and we paddled out along the jetty. I jumped on a few big mooshy walls, but never made it out all the way out where the sets were breaking. Catching a wave was a bad mistake since each time you caught a wave it meant paddling back out. A bigger board than a 6'4" would have made all the difference. No one really caught any substantial rides.

Afternoon session was even a bigger joke. I still have sand in my ears from getting slammed on the beach. Good times!