I was in San Diego last weekend for a wedding with 20+ family members in town. Sunday we all woke up, had brunch and said our farewells. One of my cousin’s and I had the late flight out of town so we packed up our sketchbooks and camera’s and explored the city on foot. Starting at the Omni hotel we trekked through town, across the train tracks and into Balboa Park. We stumbled upon turtles, bagpipes, the botanical gardens and much more. Here’s a few pics from what we came across.
I’m often strayed off path to look at a colorful setup or classic ride, I love the character that can be portrayed through just a bike. Here are a few I found the other day, of course I like the purple one.
Only a few years after my good friend and former ski racing teammate was told by doctors she might possibly never walk, run, ski, jump again from a broken back, now she bends and poses proudly to show her strength. An India trained yogi, Britt Bahle teaches at various studios around the Tahoe basin. After beating me up in class this weekend, she asked if I’d snap a few pics for Yoga Journal talent search, ironically she picked the back bend photo which I think has more meaning than just your average pose. Check out her nomination, like it if you do!
Yoga inspires me to be myself. It inspires me to laugh, to cry, and above all yoga inspires me to share all the knowledge I have gained through its philosophy and practice. – Britt Bahle
Winds, lines and closed signs didn’t stop the onslaught of people dying for fresh tracks. Gusts kept the top of the mountain from opening, but filled the tracks from the run before. I’d say it was some of the best skiing this year, even if you had to be light on your toes to avoid the shallow rocks, stumps and obstacles below. Let’s hope we have a ”Miracle March” with a few more powder days to come.
From the day I laid eyes on a Two Crows board I coveted them. They are unlike anything out there, really artistic, colorful and fun. Carl Olson had shaped under the well-known Santa Cruz brand Arrow before breaking off on his own to form Two Crows with his buddy Nic Wells. A few good friends had boards shaped by Carl and absolutely loved them. This fall when I got a chance to meet Carl and check out the shaping room in Santa Cruz I couldn’t stop thinking about what board I would get.
Ever since I started surfing a few years back, I had been using Criagslist boards. My longboard was slowly deteriorating and as great as it was to learn on, it lacked some of the real benefits of having a big board. With thin rails, narrow width and lots of rocker I often got smoked by your traditional logs and couldn’t get myself into soft waves. I decided it was time to go for a real long board, a wave machine, something super fun and easy to paddle. After talking to Carl we debated what fin setup, thickness and length and settled on 9’ tri fin with thinned out rails and tapered tail.
After a few patient months my custom Two Crows longboard is complete. Well worth the wait, this 9 foot tanker ship of a board is truly a piece of art. I keep taking it out of the bag and looking at its shiny glass job polished to perfection. Not only does it look better than most the boards in the lineup, it totally rips. Although it is a different style of surfing than I am used to, it’s going to be a fun board to play around with, walk around and make it to the nose. Already in the first day I found the ride to be solid and smooth as it accelerates to the end of the line.
The soft friendly light contradicts the progression of waves that could eat you alive. I sat in awe as the fierce monsters rose from the ocean, doubling up and swallowing the face. They crept in and dropped like bombs on the white sand, with a roaring echo that could be heard through the night. It was mesmerizing to observe.
Photos taken from the cave at the end of kalalau valley on Kauai, HI.
Have you ever climbed through a Volcano? Walked on a black sand beach? Wondered what life without vegetation would be? Watched the stars in silence? The sunrise?
That is just what I did in Maui. I was fortunate to be included in a six person hut-hiking trip through the desolate crater of Haleakala. Rising over 10,000 feet from sea level the monstrous crater rim is seven miles long, three miles wide and 2,000 feet deep. We had the huts and what seemed like the whole crater to ourselves. The weather was perfect, the sky blue and not a cloud above. We played like kids at sunset and pulled our sleeping bags under the stars till our eyes became heavy. The last day we rose before the sun to catch it come over the valley clouds and paint pictures with the wild colors of sand. Blacks, blues, reds and yellows danced across the hills as we climbed to the summit. The protected landscape was unlike anything I’ve seen before.
Just a bunch of city kids let loose on the beach somewhere between San Francisco and Santa Cruz…
On MLK Weekend the weather forecast was sunny and surf report too good to be true for January. We packed up our camping gear and headed down the 101. As we dipped away from the city the swell lines were clean and visible all the way down the coast. For the first time I’ve seen people were surfing all sorts of hidden breaks and spots along the cliffs. When we arrived at Waddell Creek there were only a handful of people in the water and waves “looked” friendly enough. Our crew of six suited up and hit the water.
Being the only people in the water, we charged the waves together, took drops we wouldn’t normally try and acted like fools. Some people caught a few on the head, others sat far outside and some ripped it up for the rest of us who couldn’t catch a break. We surfed till we couldn’t move our arms and chilled on the beach till sundown. Eventually making our way to Santa Cruz where we camped and woke up to do it all over again the next day. Only an hours drive from the city, it felt far more removed than usual because we had the wintery beaches to ourselves.
New years day at the Oregon coast looking out through the sea grass at Tillamook head. The weather was oddly calm and warm for January 1, with just a hint of coastal fog looming in the distance.
My good friend Vinnie on his birthday at Point Reyes, watching the sunset dip into the ocean. We all laughed at the thought of being entertained by the view, it’s far better than television!
