Wet and Cold

Down Yonder

2011-09-14T17:16:00.000-07:00

last minute decisions usually pay off. I had the opportunity to drive down south for the B-day and took it. I was hearing rumors about the big southie that was supposed to hit. I missed the brunt of it but was still blessed with plenty overhead sets. Unfortunately, it was labor day weekend in Los Angeles which meant traffic delays and 12 gazillion surfers out! I managed to find a campsite for only 75 dollars a night! haha!

If it were only a left....

vultures

Got tubed on the 405

I dropped in on an old man (gotta do what you gotta do)

Leo

2011-08-14T18:12:00.000-07:00

I've been hounding my old man for years to get out there and catch some waves with me. It finally panned out on his 53rd birthday. Headed on down to LC surf shop and grabbed a soft top and a suit. All the coastlines were wind battered but we found some protection and dinky waves. Nothin' better than seeing my old man catch waves!

Why didn't you think of this?

2011-06-11T15:14:00.001-07:00

Shane Dorian is one of my favorite surfers, not to mention his epic film performance in "In God's Hands". The dude has now invented something brilliant.

POO

2011-06-08T17:34:00.001-07:00

I got sick recently, one day after a surf session. So like all humans first thing is to figure out who or what to blame it on. I initially thought pasta salad or hamburgers from the BBQ but then realized i spent ample time in the ocean the day prior. There was no advisory at the time, but I'm sure that wouldn't disqualify somebody from getting ill after stowing their beer in the poo creek to keep it cold...

This is old news but all this shitting (i had an earache too) got me thinking again. As it turns out, we surfers ingest up to ten times more ocean water than "regular" users. Undoubtedly all these high waters are pushing more contaminants into our watersheds and into the ocean.

http://www.kval.com/sports/local/36662629.html

Gnar...

$200,000 Lifeguards with Million Dollar Pensions!

2011-05-21T13:52:00.000-07:00

Oh damn i think i made the wrong career move...

Zen Like

2011-05-14T14:01:00.001-07:00

Love your Dunes

2011-03-25T09:47:00.000-07:00

oooh aahh hooo

2011-02-20T08:21:00.000-08:00

-------------------------------------------------

Coming down the hill on my scooter i got terrorized by a gnarly rain storm. It was like i was getting barreled all the way down the hill! Closed eyes, water dumping at about 35 mph pretty wicked! pulling off to catch my breath i found this beach.
a crazy boogie board beach. no surfing allowed (until 5?) but a nice body surfing session sufficed for me.

The swell forecast was about 25 ft up on the north shore so i couldnt miss watching the Kamikazes. There was a SUP contest at Sunset--reminded me of Oregon conditions.
I was worried when I saw this menehune trying to get in. Whos kid is that? Somebody stop him!

I ventured over to Pipe to assess the situation. Unfortunately i forgot my board (was in a hurry).

Waimea Bay was pumping

Waikiki - crowded..yet an exciting place to be for sure. Not a good place to drive a car around. Quite a pain in the ass actually--parking, traffic kills that one which basically limits the surf to walking breaks, but theres plenty reefs around. The early bird special yields a 2 hr board rental at 10 bucks.

Lolo getting an early start on the double fisting

Tidal Score - 5 mile wave

2011-01-15T15:43:00.000-08:00

Always wanted to do something like this.

Oregon Surf

2011-01-02T14:21:00.000-08:00

2010-12-18T11:42:00.001-08:00

Its a rough time of the year for surf around these parts. It takes some serious dedication to get out there when its nasty, even if it's to just catch one wave. For that reason I spend most of my time fantasizing about surfing rather than actually doing it (the waves are better). I'm still remembering waves from Kauai, wishing I was there. The winds are shifting easterly, which is awesome for surf, but bad for roads--which you why surf rigs are so important! I'm partial to the 4wd, really. If you can combine some surf with some decent off-road action than you've got something going.

Here are a few of the finest surf rig models for valley (in my opinion):
AWD civic. late 80's early 90s. superb mileage. cheap to find (but rare)

Another favorite is the toyota 4wd van models: If you're very lucky you can score a diesel version of this. Then you've hit the jackpot.

Also on the list is the late 90s model VW passat diesel wagon. Definitely not an off-roader but tops the streetability category. Extra roomy wagon, screw a surf rack just throw your boards inside! Insane gas mileage (upwards of 40-50) and an engine that can last a few hundred thousand miles. Plus the coveted option to go complete veggie oil. You can also snag a jetta tdi for this application.

Of course these are just the best options for a weekend warrior kook such as myself. If you're a local and fuel economy isnt issue go with something like this (although a cruiser can get decent mileage if set up right).

Kauai

2010-09-18T10:21:00.001-07:00

Home

2010-08-20T08:03:00.000-07:00

Ive been neglecting this blog because I really havent had any words, but thats the way i prefer it. I got married which allowed us(notice the usage of "us") to go to Kauai for a couple weeks. It was radical (pics to come later)....

first session back in the NW from mo betta places.

Perspectives

2010-05-21T16:52:00.001-07:00

Same boring life, new perspective.

fruitful

2010-05-10T16:57:00.000-07:00

it was like summer. The 2 ft forecast prompted me to bring the rod, glad I did.

Proper Intro

2010-05-08T14:48:00.001-07:00

I never really gave the GP a proper introduction. A few years back I became convinced that I could not find the board I wanted here on the Oregon coast, so I started searching classifieds in Cali to find the log I desired. I figure I might as well make a trip out of it. I emailed the GP guys and told them I'd be driving down from Portland. They said, in disbelief "OK dude but thats a super far drive. Show up here Saturday morning and we'll have the board ready for you". I saddled up the rig, grabbed a surf buddy and boogied down the I-5 on a Friday after work. I skipped out of work about thirty minutes early. They were asking why I had to leave at 330 to which I replied "gotta go down to Santa Cruz". So we drove, took a couple hour nap, strolled into Capitola about 8 AM. Met Nick P and Thomas (GP rider) and picked up the board, surfed half a day on it, napped, surfed again then hit the road. They gave me 100 bucks off for being a nutty PDX kook.

Surfing Sheep

2010-05-04T13:02:00.000-07:00

2010-04-11T12:14:00.000-07:00

Point

2010-03-21T17:42:00.000-07:00

Nows your chance to BUS it from PDX to coast, or vice versa. Looks like a sweet deal.

http://www.oregon-point.com/nw_point.html

we're getting somewhere

2010-03-05T17:20:00.000-08:00

soon the days will be longer. you'll "lose" an hour of sleep, but gain an hour of surf. Unless you're one of those early birds, then you get to sleep in an extra hour. Boy, I'm just full of optimism.

And...

2010-02-20T19:28:00.001-08:00

Offshore

2010-02-20T19:15:00.001-08:00

is nice

Watch it!

2010-02-14T10:42:00.000-08:00

Even the spectators got a nice one! poor kids. I'd imagine some folks were freakin' out!

allowscriptaccess="always" allownetworking="all" allowfullscreen="true"
src="http://cdn.abclocal.go.com/static/flash/embeddedPlayer/swf/otvEmLoader.swf?version=&station=kgo§ion=&mediaId=7276373&cdnRoot=http://cdn.abclocal.go.com&webRoot=http://abclocal.go.com&site=">

ARFF!

2010-02-10T16:27:00.000-08:00

pull out

It was summer-time again. Probably 10-15 peeps in the water. Got a hands and face tan. It was gone the next morning.

dead ends

2010-02-01T17:08:00.000-08:00

if you drive far enough you'll inevitably reach a dead end, but its not necessarily a bad thing.

This weekend also brought some much deserved surf!

2010-01-16T15:01:00.000-08:00

Just sitting here thinking about warmer places, decent surf, or anything surfable for that matter. My instinct to is go back to summer photos to gain some inspiration. Considering a gamble go out tomorrow just to get wet.

anyway, came across some old shots

Cant figure out why there was a monkey on the beach.

Or why this shortboarder snaked this LBer

Could this be good?

2010-01-13T15:17:00.001-08:00

http://www.columbian.com/news/2010/jan/13/corps-proposes-massive-jetty-rehab-project/

The proposed project calls for the placement of 364,000 tons and nearly 750,000 tons of rock on the north and south jetty, respectively. It also will include several perpendicular spur groins to stabilize the jetties’ sandy foundations, along with especially massive armor stones at the tip of each jetty.

2010

2010-01-13T12:27:00.000-08:00

sucks so far. surfless. had a few glimmers of hope but holy hell will the swell please get under 20 ft. I prefer to survive my sessions! might have to get drastic...

Doh

2009-12-29T17:22:00.000-08:00

This is what happens when a little bit of snow falls in the portland area at rush hour. Bummer.

tasty

2009-12-07T17:28:00.000-08:00

just a couple shots from over the weekend. Nothing special but tons of fun out there. Looked like summer but felt like the arctic. Perfect day for jerich's 1st session upon returning from the south west coast.

Same Old Story

2009-12-04T21:30:00.001-08:00

If you haven't yet searched google news archives, you might be entertained by some of the old articles.

Go coastal or go postal

2009-11-28T13:12:00.000-08:00

i cant seem to find the time
i cant seem to write a rhyme
long wet roads
make you want to explode
big fat dreams
cant seem to blow your steam
with no where to go
you've got nothing to show
fuck all your rhyming
its a drop in the bucket, gum on the sidewalk
dont hide your shame, put it on your skin
sounds shouldn't dictate, what you've got to say
Go get it, bite it, and shit it out again
nevermind the attention, its not an avenue of expression
give it up, throw it down, start over again

Dismal

2009-11-08T19:28:00.000-08:00

Relatively

2009-11-03T20:35:00.001-08:00

Hairy this weekend

Plenty

2009-10-30T18:29:00.000-07:00

The great thing about surfing oregon, look at all those different peaks out there. I mean, that break could hold like 350 surfers and nobody would have to share a wave.

Secret's Out

2009-10-28T20:24:00.001-07:00

Place will be packed now.

Damn webcams

2009-10-04T10:00:00.000-07:00

I was all stoked about surfing today. Been thinking about it all week, hoping the conditions would pan out. Then, i checked the webcams and it killed my stoke. I would have been better off showing up to see the shitty surf in person, instead i judged it my a single photograph. Another reason to get rid of cams all together (for the valleys). Coasties are now thinking "we gotta get more cams, man!"

see that, tricked ya, reverse psychology.

2009-09-17T06:00:00.000-07:00

Rod Run

2009-09-13T22:21:00.000-07:00

To the End of the World

I'll have to admit...

2009-09-05T12:46:00.001-07:00

I love the Suzuki Samurai. Compact, fuel efficient, goes anywhere...

SShots

2009-08-31T21:31:00.000-07:00

The paddle out...

Still trying to figure out the camera.

Daniel trying to get into one...

Wonderland

2009-08-25T18:12:00.001-07:00

Saw one of these on a classic car and thought "wow thats cool".

Holy Heat!

2009-07-28T16:51:00.000-07:00

with the temps shooting over 100 in the valley, getting to the ocean is a must. I picked up an ebay refurbished olympus 850sw (ebay) for some water shots. I have yet to get the hang of it but im getting there. As far as taking water shots goes, you have to either shoot or surf so i chose the latter! Hey, it still works after getting hit with a few sets so im happy.

Cool me down

2009-07-19T14:11:00.000-07:00

One of my favorite spots.

Gale is such a bitch

2009-07-16T17:21:00.000-07:00

haaaa!
so much time to kill this weekend. The surf is not up.

Getting there

2009-06-27T09:32:00.000-07:00

I've been on the prowl for a decent dual sport lately and got to thinking about how to transport my board(s) on it. I grew up on dirt bikes so making one street legal, fabbing a rack on the side and taking places where even your typical 4x4 can't go is the ultimate dream for me. Its been done and documented here (likely on many other occasions as well)

Here: http://www.surfingmagazine.com/surfing-photo-video/surfing-photo-dept/lightbox-jon-rose-san-diego-cabo-100206/

Here:
http://outside.away.com/outside/culture/200610/surfing-baja-peninsula.html

The XR650 rack

My next question is how the hell am i going to strap my 9'8" log on that thing?

solstice!

2009-06-20T17:26:00.001-07:00

If you're not surfing, you should be celebrating. Be merry, the days are long! Unfortunately its junky out there today, but hopefully you all got some of the recent goods!

Could it be?

2009-06-02T14:20:00.003-07:00

It could, go, all the way!

maybe not.

Sherbert!

2009-05-28T20:20:00.000-07:00

Its a sherbert sunset out there at the epicenter...

Best time of the year.

break it out

2009-05-09T09:42:00.000-07:00

Break out your Longboards fellas. Its dinky, but sunny and nice. Some forecasts were calling for 4@16 but that was obviously too good to be true, and if you studied the WAM you'd know that it was a false reading. But the trusty old www.oregonsurfcheck.com got it right at 4@7 seconds! MSW has the tendency to suck ass, even though i love the format.

so break out the longboards, better than breaking out the

Helicopter!

Surf Porn

2009-05-02T18:27:00.000-07:00

This photo out of the latest Surfer's Journal got me stoked again. I like it so much I scanned it, and that's a shitload of work. The past few sessions for me have been rather dissatisfying. Perhaps my looking at surf porn like this isn't such a good habit? Is it obtainable? Why torture one's self?

In reality, I should be able to look a standard oregon surf shot and get stoked. Like this one:

Can't wait to get out there tomorrow!

Sprung

2009-04-04T08:07:00.000-07:00

Its finally warming up around these parts. The seas are calming a little bit and it looks like the surf might be on tonight and/or tomorrow. The wind should be backed off throughout the evening. tomorrow looks like more swell and WARM. It sucks to have other crap to do, but sometimes you gotta flake out on people, hurt their feelings to get your fix. I hate to be that guy but...

Redemption

2009-03-13T16:45:00.001-07:00

mazatlan

After the lack of scorage in mex i was jonesing bad for some surf. I did score muchas cervesas, beautiful sunsets, some bodysurfing/boogie barrels and salmonella, but for the most part it was FLAT. I did head north hoping to find more size at playa bruja but there was NONE accompanied with wind. But its good to be home...

i took an extra day off to get some in and made it top priority. The calm before the storm! It was cold, it was sunny and it was fabulous.

dreaming

2009-03-04T16:46:00.001-08:00

of some place warm.

a few years back it was costa rica. that place is great.

That was in 07....

so its about time go somewhere warm again.. even if there isnt swell and im surrounded by violence (i still highly doubt the warnings etc about Mex). My biggest concern is whether or not the swell is going to inch (literally) its way up into the little point break on the north end of Mazatlan. It's a no lose situation really. Well, not really but kinda.

Another letter

2009-02-24T15:50:00.000-08:00

I recieved another letter from the Mexico surf shop guys:

Beto, Javier, and myself have been taking a break from surf camp and I will tell you why.

In the context of running our surf camp, the safety of our guests always supersedes every other consideration -- and, it is always a privilege to take you all surfing.

We have enjoyed exploring Mexico's hidden coves and points looking for surf for our guests for over 10 years now.

We've even taken our clients gold hunting in the foothills of the Sierra on flat days using state of the art gold detectors, and we've traveled the area with impunity for years.

But a steady erosion of safety along statewide travel corridors leads us to a firm conclusion:

Northwest Mexico is not safe right now.

Other regions along the southern coast of Mexico are not doing measurably better.

We are taking a 6 - 8 month break right now from surf camp due to the fact that Mexico is teetering towards a near, "failed-state." --

At the very least, a state of lawlessness now exists over widespread areas of the country...

We may explore the possibility of moving full-time to Puerto Vallarta if Sinaloa continues to implode.

In the context of our business plan, we can run our surf school in Mazatlan, but unfortunately, this makes up only about 1/3 part of what we do.

It requires the "tandem" of running surf school + running a core surf camp that makes it possible for our business model to succeed.

It it simply too dangerous to do surf transfers on Mexico's rural road system right now - [surf camp] and to repeat, "this" is a huge part of what we do.

I can give you more details in an additional email if you are interested in a more complex explanation, but violence in Mexico is widely, under-reported in the United States - even if you make a habit of watching Lou Dobbs on CNN.

I am dissapointed about this curryently... But, despite what local surfers who run our area surf shops might tell you, it is extremely unwise to surf this region of Mexico at this time, unless you are inside the safety net of Mazatlan's/Puerto Vallarta's tourist zone.

We greatly appreciate that you took the time to contact us about surfing Mazatlan.

At some point in the near future, we may be able to provide a SAFE surf camp experience for our customers.

Right now this represents a challenge that we simply, are unable to meet.

Please consider us again in the future.

Sincerely,

Allan McIntosh,
Javier Arumburo,
Beto Salazar,

http://mexicosurfshop.com/

Thanks

I'm stoked!

Cam Surfin'

2009-02-12T14:26:00.000-08:00

I can see myself on that wave.

But i can't see myself paddling through that mess!

Hmmm

2009-02-01T19:16:00.000-08:00

So, I'm pretty stoked about my mexico trip in early march. It's hell though trying to work out how to go about getting the surf you need without spending a shit ton of cash on rental cars, airline board fees, rentals whatever. Paying for board fees just doesnt seem feasible since I really don't know the conditions and therefore what I am going to be ride. Renting a board just seems easy and just as costly as bringing one. So I email a popular surf company thats in the business of boat trips to the epic surf since its usually flat in the city of Mazatlan. So I email the guys at http://www.eastpacsurf.com/ and get this reply:

Dear Mr. WetandCold,It has always been a privilege to serve our
customers.Despite the economic downturn, requests for bookings are robust, and
its come as a big surprise !!The safety of our clients comes first, and outside
of a few cuts from surfboard fins requiring a few stitches, and 1 client needing
medical attention for a sea urchin in 2003, and many thousands of tired and sore
bodies...We enjoy a perfect safety record.That is saying a lot... considering
that we have provided services to over 4,000 people during the past 11 years.We
will always take the appropriate actions that increase the safety of our
clients... But, Mexico's war on drugs has cast a shadow on the best of
Mexico: Mazatlan, the state of Sinaloa and [us] are all caught in the
crossfire.A safety net around Mazatlan is provided via a coordinated effort by 4
security police agencies:Mazatlan Police, Sinaloa State Police, the Mexican
Federal Highway Police, and Armed Forces keep tourists safe from criminal gangs
that operate in other parts of Mexico,and such gangs do, indeed, view tourists
as targets of opportunity.This has presented us with a challenge to [your safety
and ours] when we provide surf transfers OUTSIDE Mazatlan's "tourist safe"
zone.At least, temporarily, we are not able to meet this challenge,and I am sad
to confront our friends with a sobering conclusion, that the loss of [even the
"perception" of your safety] along our highway corridor north of Mazatlan is
more than enough reason to take a rest from running East Pacific Surf Camp.We
are not happy about it and some of our customers are angry at us for our
temporary withdrawal from Mexico's surfing life. But, we've seen parts of
Sinaloa turning violent recently.The situation can improve anytime. But, at this
moment, we're "turned off;" not in any hurry to launch the 2009 camp/school
season.Political observers are calling Mexico a failed state by the end of
2010.This might be a bit drastic however, we recommend you proceed with caution
or surf elsewhere, in 2009.As for me personally:I'll be turning a few practice
laps at Sebring International Raceway in my Porsche during the next few weeks,
talking to surfers in Florida, and sipping a few cold ones on the sidelines at
the 12 Hours of Sebring during Spring Break... I have not yet decided when or if
East Pacific Surf Camp will be starting the 2009 season.Beto, Javier and I are
optimistic, yet we're concerned by a naive attitude we're seeing in tourists,
often unaware of what has been going on.I will continue to keep a positive
attitude about Mexico but,We won't conduct business if the safety of our clients
isn't sure. Stay tuned.Allan McIntosh, Javier Arumburo,Beto Salazar,

Not exactly the news I was hoping to hear!
I guess I'll just wing it.

Summer?

2009-01-15T20:31:00.000-08:00

Summer like conditions lately. Small, glassy, a little N/NE wind action. Perfect day for loggin' it.

Brightness

2009-01-13T17:39:00.000-08:00

setting at 5 pm....

536 PM and it looks surfable out there.

That's improvement.

Sometimes....

2009-01-05T16:56:00.000-08:00

You just gotta trek south. It was a refreshing couple days of good surf! Small and clean most of the time.

It wasn't warm, and hardly sunny, but that didn't matter because it wasn't 16 ft @ 8 seconds.

Magic 8-Ball

2008-12-24T15:27:00.000-08:00

Is there surf in my future?

Damn.

Happy Holidays anyway.

Pick me up

2008-12-15T11:33:00.000-08:00

Will somebody pick me up?

1642

2008-12-12T21:05:00.000-08:00

1642 Ft at David Douglas summit. Shit, I guess that means my economy car won't be making out to surf the 25 ft@10sec swell tomorrow.

Closed at the moment:

US26MP 25.5US26, 6 miles East of Elsie
ClosureCrash/Hazard
Lanes Affected: (Westbound) Median , All Lanes , Shoulder (Eastbound) Median , All Lanes , ShoulderComments: Crash has closed the hwy. Expect delays.
Public Contact: ODOT/TMOC Portland
Phone: (800) 977-6368
Incident #: 65252
Last Updated: 12/12/2008 9:07 pm

US26MP 13.79
DAVID DOUGLAS REPORTING STATIONWeather
Warning

Weather Condition: Snow Flurries
Road Surface: Spots of
Ice
Current Chain Restrictions: Carry Chains or Traction Tires
Current
Temp: 32 F
New Snow: 1 in.Roadside Snow: 1 in.
Last Updated: 12/12/2008
7:41 pm
SNOW ZONE
US26 MP 9.72 - MP 35.11David Douglas (Elev. 1642') -
East of Necanicum Jct to Sand Shed near North Fork Wolf Creek Rd
Minimum
Chain Restriction: Carry chains or traction tires regardless of conditions.

just lookin'

2008-12-01T16:59:00.000-08:00

massive swell out there yesterday. Just fun to watch...

a few shots

2008-11-24T20:30:00.000-08:00

Channel

2008-11-21T10:31:00.000-08:00

There's a nice channel. Nows your chance to make history.

November-ish

2008-11-17T16:45:00.000-08:00

Had to dodge a few logs this weekend. Like a fool I told myself I could make the paddle out at what looked like a nice channel. I did, but only once. Getting back out the second time proved to be a little more challenging. But no worries, I found a nice rip out to an empty A-frame. It was a nice foggy morning. It's like a drug and I need more.

Darkness

2008-11-10T16:53:00.001-08:00

I'm looking forward to the day when the sun begins to stay out longer. Daylight savings time screws us from getting a surf in after work. It can be depressing. I guess there are "sick days" but other than that it's weekend madness. It doesn't seem like too long ago that I could work all day, get out there and float around watching the sun go down after 9pm.

4:36 pm??? WTF? Its dark when I wake up and dark when I get home.

I'll be celebrating the Solstice for sure!

Valley Kook

2008-11-02T10:21:00.000-08:00

Its not easy to deal with the Valley Kook identity, but there is no choice. You can pretend and front all you want but the bottom line is...you're a valley. You can align yourself with local lines of thought and ideologies but you sell yourself out.

Deal with it. Live it. Embrace it. FUk'm all. Surf once a week, once a month, once a year but you can't lose your dignity.

Be Respectful.

Know your limits.

Surf alone.

Feel good when you make it through the Icy pass to surf cold shitty conditions.

The 100 Dollar Longboard

2008-10-13T16:40:00.001-07:00

Nothing better than a Craigslist garage sale score. It's a 9'4'' Ocean pulse. Classic noserider shape. Triple redwood stringer.

Thanks a lot Bill!

There she blows....

2008-10-05T22:18:00.000-07:00

Well I guess it's time to goodbye to moments like these:

And hello to the next 9 months of this:

Not to be pessimistic but it can get a little hairy for a while. Definitely looking forward to a few trips northward to find those special sheltered gems. Even if you get skunked you still have the opportunity to soak in the surroundings at the our most northwestern tip. I've only been a few times so there's a whole lot more to get acquainted with up there. ahhhh

gettin' all excited already

Good to be Home

2008-09-23T17:38:00.000-07:00

One hell of a drive. 2500 miles RT. As I made my way into LA, I'll admit I was a little nervous. It was about noon but traffic didn't give a shit. Even the 18-wheelers were speeding down I-5 to get jammed onto the 405. It was a little hectic but I survived and made it to Malibu at last. Got set up at the campsite for a modest 56$ a night (whew!). I pitched my tent, caught a short and deserved snooze the headed for the break to meet with jerich. The damn water main busted and left me showerless on the checkout day when I needed it most. Shit, I couldnt even take a shit. Good thing it had an ocean view.

He told me leashes weren't allowed so I paddled out without one. With 5 to 6 boards per wave I was a little sketchy and didn't want to ding the GP. First wave, me dropping in on someone and someone dropping in on me. Making the section was likely so i tried backing out, but just as a did the board flew out from under my feet and took off towards the rocks. "oh shit I shoulda wore a leash". Anyway, a nice ol' asian fella snagged it for me and the wound was merely superficial. That same guy was later chastised by an aggressive dude saying he should have to pay for the ding his board sustained when the old asian dropped in on him. "Hey, i think you should give me twenty bucks or something, you know?" ha.

Jerich Himself

I figured five days in Malibu was enough so I'd head north because I had lots of coast to cover. I was wrong. North of Santa Barbara was shit and so it was the rest the way up to canada I assume. Sure, it was small, crowded, and polluted in Malibu but it was always clean and there were always waves to be had. Shoulda stayed.

Anyway, I surfed this at morro rock

I stayed in Morro Bay one night and decided to keep heading north. The only plus here was the 39 dollar motel 6. HBO, hot showers, fine linens...oooh oohh oohh. Beats the crap outta that mabilu campground.

Straight to Santa Cruz where it was windy and small once again. Hung out for a few days in San Fran and found no rideable surf.

Stinson was sharky (at least thats what the signs said) and shitty but had nice scenery otherwise.

byebye

2008-09-10T20:57:00.001-07:00

Heading south in the Honda for a solo surf mission. Super stoked for warm water and good surf.

Panorama!

2008-09-02T18:02:00.000-07:00

Beachy Pt. 2

2008-08-24T09:20:00.000-07:00

I encountered a small shark out in the water yesterday at a good open beach break. He was about 5-6 ft long and had a dorsal fin of about 10 inches (of course i could be exaggerating because thats what I do). Anyway, this guy was splashing around a little bit. Possibly feeding, but he could have been injured or sick now that I think about it. Some salmon sharks have been reported beached lately and possibly sick with a brain virus (http://www.beachconnection.net/news/shark082208_537.php). This is most likely the case. This thing easily capture my attention so I was missing set waves while trying to figure out what the hell it was. As soon as I saw the dorsal fin I got out in a smooth hurry.

I also picked up a new fujifilm camera which took the above 3 shots. So far so good.

The Working Quiver

2008-08-03T21:37:00.000-07:00

all summer....all i've needed...

Im starting to feel bad for the 9'0 performance perret, the homemade greenboard and my 6'8 single-fin, But Fall is on the way.

Let There be Light

2008-06-25T21:01:00.000-07:00

its 926 pm and the sun is still up. It's nicer to watch it go down when I'm in the water but tonight is not one of those nights. Kinda junky out there anyway....maybe tomorrow

The Pump

2008-06-11T12:14:00.000-07:00

Prices at the pump are way up. But are they really? 4 bucks a gallon is quite reasonable really. I mean, you get to go a long ways on 4 bucks. I drive a honda, so I get to go about 30 miles away for 4 bucks. Thats a pretty good freakin' deal. I sure as hell wouldn't want to walk that. So before we complain, think about the actual benefits versus the costs. Not just the dollar costs, but the environmental cost (the US is the top producer of greenhouse gases). Its hard to complain about global warming and the cost of gas at the same time. Hypocrisy? A little.... Lets face it, our economy relies on this limited natural resource. keyword being "limited". So im pretty thankful for 4 bucks a gallon. I can get to the coast and surf for ~25 $ in gas. Cheers!

Loggable

2008-06-05T16:51:00.001-07:00

its been a wet spring. Decent surf with a few lulls, one major lull. I really do enjoy lulls. It gives me the opportunity to ride the GP. Most of these beach breaks work better for loggin it when its tiny. Another positive note is that you get the opportunity to explore beaches that nobody really goes to.

I haven't surfed much at all recently really. Things keep falling on weekends. Things like work, b-day parties, weddings and that crap that really takes away from the already little opportunity I have to surf. The days are getting longer though which makes for more opportunity.

Here's a shot from the "Anything but Three" event....

35 mm

2008-04-19T11:15:00.000-07:00

I've been fooling around with the old yashica lynx lately. I was raised into digital so to speak, so I always took for granted the convenience that comes with them. This film stuff can break the bank if you aren't careful. At 4 bucks a roll (low end), 6.99 developed and 3 more for the CD you're already at 14 bucks! And with my level of experience I'm lucky to get one good photo. This was from my first roll and I've got a lot to learn. I think I'm sticking to digital for the most part.

Anyway, here is a few from last weekend surf session:

Offshore?

2008-04-05T12:06:00.000-07:00

When it looks like this:

You gotta go here:

IFFY

2008-02-24T10:31:00.000-08:00

Typical Sunday Morning... wake up, drink coffee, check my stocks, check craigslist for "surfboard", drink more coffee, check the forecast, check the cams, ebay, and OSPforums. you know the usual. Trying to convince myself to load up the car and go get some. Theres a good system pounding norcal right now and im worried that the wind or storm swell is going mess things up around here so I've convinced myself (just now) that I wont go surfing today. I scored some good ones last weekend so I won't beat myself up about it..It looks rather flat right now despite the 9-11 FT forecast. I'm just hoping that it turns to shit by the end of the day so I can justify my decision.

Surf Art

2008-02-16T10:17:00.001-08:00

I didn't know that I was such a talented artist, but when I was cleaning out an old desk I found this drawing circa 2002, when I began surfing. I don't remember drawing this, but I believe it gained the motivation during an 3 hour evening Women's studies class. Listening to her blab on and on for three hours about the various women who made they're journey to the West must have somehow pressured me to access a different region of my brain. Don't ask me why that kook doesn't just walk out to the point, I guess he likes to paddle.

Wintery

2008-02-02T12:15:00.000-08:00

This photo was taken by me last year in late january. It was the smallest day of the winter that far, so it meant brave the icy roads and get out for a longboard session. We havent had many days like that this year, yet anyway. 26 has been quite the obstacle with ice and snow.

I returned recently from southern california. Rain spoiled 2 of the 4 days i spent there, closing the waters due to high bacteria levels. I managed to get in two days with decent size beach break.

Californian Dreamin'

2007-12-27T17:42:00.000-08:00

It's been cold, rainy, icy or snowing around here lately. I really do enjoy this kind of weather but from time to time I can't help but to think about what life would be like in Southern California. The warm(er) water, sunny skies, manageable surf, bikinis, bonfires and a different surf culture. Of course this is just my imagination, I've never actually surfed there. I've only really spent a few days there once or twice before. Come late January though, I'll be spending a few days there and I'm hoping to soak up a little bit of the culture. Its hard to say whether I'll like it or not. Probably not, but i'm dreaming anyhow. Above: my GP's D-fin in a california sunset.

Duck...

2007-12-19T12:07:00.000-08:00

I havent posted in a while, mainly because nobody reads this. Its been a relatively surfless few weeks. I did manage to get some good waves just outside the strait of juan de fuca over thanksgiving but just missed the "epic" conditions by a day. Not nice. Besides that, i got in few other in between storm sessions in some dirt brown aqua. Hoping I can get lucky at one of a few mysto spots this weekend with the 20 something foot swell.

Peakage

2007-11-08T08:44:00.000-08:00

I haven't surfed in a few weeks. But it makes it so much worse when you know its going off. You see check the cams and reports and everything looks perfect and all you can do is imagine yourself on that wave. Pretty fuckin lame eh?

Beachy

2007-10-29T18:01:00.000-07:00

I had planned to get up real early and go surfing saturday morning, but I had a late night jam session with the boys Friday night and ended up having a few extra beers. I had no choice but to sleep in. I dont enjoy surfing with a hangover, nor when I'm tired. This almost always ends up being the "should been here earlier" scenario. I woke up around 930 am and checked a webcam and was spectacularly surprised that it was still glassy. Loaded up and went surfing. No need for crowds, it was small enough to surf ANYWHERE. And to have a day like saturday this late in the year one must take advantage, So I did. Not "epic" but great conditions for sure.

Diffraction

2007-10-16T18:02:00.000-07:00

So the forecast is calling for 20 some odd ft this weekend which equates to chaos at any beach even remotely facing the swell. Now thanks to an amazing property of waves known as diffraction, surfers can enjoy waves of lesser energy at certain locations. There are a few spots work very rarely, but when they do, it equates to winning the lotto. I've scored a few of these locations but the stars really need to align to get it right. Get a map, study it and go explore. You might amazed at what you find, but you're more than likely to get skunked!

Finally -- Twas good

2007-10-14T17:48:00.000-07:00

I actually made it out in the water this weekend and got some decent waves. I managed to surf the 9'8'' and the 6'8''. Things were good all day Saturday, and still clean this morning but quickly turned into garbage around 10 am. The future isn't looking too promising though because theres another system heading our way, which means big, gnarly, windy and rainy conditions. This weekend was the calm before (and after) the storm--a good lull. A little stoke my way.

Finally

2007-10-12T13:04:00.000-07:00

Its been weeks since i've been out in the water. This weekend looks excellent so i'm not going to miss it. The forecast calls for 5 ft 11 seconds with minimal wind. I'm sure ill be able to find various sized peaks suitable for both my noserider and 6-something single fin. Hope it all pans out because im goin nuts here

The Rouse

2007-10-01T19:26:00.000-07:00

It's that time of the year again. 10-15 NW swells accompanied by wind and rain. It is really the opposite of a lull, but to me it is a lull indeed. It has been over two weeks since i've seen the ocean. I check webcams and surf reports very frequently in order to satisfy my oceanic urges. It's really all I can do at this point. I'm not a big wave charger by any means. I've been in over my head quite a few times, literally and figuratively. So I opt for protection at this time of the year. There are quite a few of those--not so secret--secret spots. But in the mean time, I've got some reading to do. Just received my first issue of The Surfer's Journal. www.surfersjournal.com

Bye Bye Sunshine

2007-09-21T18:02:00.000-07:00

Its that time of the year. Cold and crispy in the morning, school buses, more traffic and almost to the point where i have to warm my car up in the morning. The waves are also bigger. Strong NW systems are bashing the NW coastline which can be good or bad depending on how you look at it. I prefer smaller and cleaner waves from waist to head high. You know the feel, sun shining off the nicely shaped peelers. A slight offshore breeze keeping you cool. Spending a considerable amount of time on the nose, watching the water skim beneath your feet while you do it. Those were the days. Well, I shouldn't be so pessimistic. Fall has its bonuses, too. Bigger waves means less people in the line up and more waves. Shitty weather in general will do that. And there will still be those small days you just have to wait around and get to the right spot. For the most part I'll be busting out the 9'0 high performance longboard so stay the fuck out of my way (I'm only kidding. I'm always down for a party wave as long as you know where the hell you're going).

Burrrr..I like it.

2007-08-31T13:38:00.000-07:00

I managed to get in the water last night and damn was it cold, but there were only a few surfers so it was worth it. I'm willing to part with warmth if it means empty waves. A few weeks back surfers up and down the Oregon coast were trunking it in waist high waves. It felt like California, and looked like it too. It seems that the sport (if you call it that) has been growing exponentially around here, perhaps it's from various media coverage or good waves. I dont know anyone who enjoys surfing crowds, and in comparison to California, we have serene empty breaks. I recently took a surf trip southward and was fairly disgusted with the surf scene there. I mean, it wasn't too bad, but so different from Oregon and Washington that it helped me appreciate what we have here in the NW--empty breaks. And understandably, many want to keep it that way. (I stole the above photo, like many others. It's what I do. Get over it.)

A good day

2007-08-22T22:08:00.000-07:00

I didnt check the forecast before i headed out last weekend. I basically expected shit surf so that I wasn't let down. Anyway, it was good. Real good. Well, not really good but pretty good. I was alone first of all. Its amazing surfing alone because there is such a multitude of waves and the greed just overtakes you, especially since the conditions were so great. Fast and glassy waist to shoulder high waves. One of those special days I wont forget.

Windswell

2007-08-12T10:33:00.000-07:00

The surf was certainly smaller than I like. Friday evening yielded the greatest results with minimal winds, but Saturday was smaller and windier. Never before have I seen so many beginners out on shortboards. One guy even had just purchased a brand new gun! Good thing, because the swell was pumping! Oh well I should just lighten up, right? Besides, we were all at that stage once. I remember the first time I went surfing and asked the shop owner to rent me a shortboard, but he was honest enough to tell me that I really needed a longboard. Not only to suit me, but for the current conditions as well. I'm glad I took his word for it.

Tonight

2007-08-10T11:52:00.001-07:00

As of right now the coast looks awesome, but I'll see if it pans out tonight. Sure, it's a small swell but that's the way I like it. More spots to surf, no need for protection. Besides, there is miles of open beach in Oregon like the photo above. Hopefully I can get in the water before the N wind kicks in this evening. It always seems better in the morning, that is, before the wind gets on it. I might just awake tomorrow to some glass if things don't pan out this evening.

One More Kook

2007-08-07T21:01:00.000-07:00

Another perspective

from another kook