Classic

He had rolled up the cliff walk with style all leather jacket and uggs, then stretched out his leg on the rail as he watched the surfers, commenting every now and then about the quality of the evening's surf. Then he touched on why he was no longer able to get out in the water, the neck injury that was too dangerous to surf with. All told I was finding out a lot more about this guy than I thought I ought to know including the 26 surgeries he'd undergone, I didn't want to ask. Despite the toll time had taken on his body, his mind was beyond sharp as he discussed the SUP in the water and how it would be a better fit than kayaks.

I asked him if he used to surf Steamers and his answer was a solid "I used to CHARGE Middles!". When anyone in his eighties has that kind of response, you know he's for real. He followed up with a somewhat resigned, but definitely disgusted "I was relegated to Cowells until I stopped surfing at eighty!" He was surfing here when I was four. His first surf here was in 1960 and it was a quieter place back then, turned out he was local doctor. Damn I thought this guy must be somebody!

We introduced ourselves Nance and I and he said "I'm Doc, my daughter has a wetsuit company you may have heard of, Hotline and I make earplugs for surfers." Between surf sessions and while checking The Lane we had met Doc of "Pro-plugs" fame, a sweet guy who was doing his own surf check well past his prime surfing days. We left a little before sunset as he stayed watching, still surf stoked after all these years.

Happy New Year to you all, get some surf in ya!

Surf report.

No wind really, sunny but cool. Surf head high plus out of the north west. Surfed a couple of reef set ups, north of town out of the crowds. Friendly and low key all around. Checked out surf city and on the late afternoon low tide a couple of nuggets rolled through the kook school. one little ripper held court in the corner, a grommet shredder which are like fleas on a dog around here.

Surf picking up tomorrow.

Surf trip!!

Laters.

Quiet lines

Frosting on the cake

Oh yeah stranded and isolated. All 3 highways closed, no emergency lines. Now if the surf would cooperate this would be paradise!

Hawk-eye

This hawk wasn't stoked that I came too close to the feast it was perched on and walked me off it two days in a row...... "Move along folks, nothing to see here!" in it's best cop on the beat kind of way.

She's a good sized red tail and I kept on moving as she flew from tree to tree. I think it's a she as the females tend to be bigger than the males. Up close and in the wild those talons and beak give one pause when they approach, they're impressive and hawks have raw power that's very apparent. I once had the urge to aid an injured hawk down near Pistol River but thought better of it and just waited for the bird to recover, which it did and it was those same two tools that kept me in check.

Peaks in snow

Not my cup of tea, when the air drops to 22F and the windchill drops it into single digits I much prefer coffee! Taken from comfort of the truck. Clouds look lovely though.