First Florida Sesh

I woke up this morning amped - we had a killer adventure the night before (which you'll find out more about later), and I was stoked for my first florida paddleboard sesh.

That lasted about five minutes after I got wet. Florida, you see, is not Maui. The wave faces are choppy. The wave period is short. All the paddleboarding I'd done in Maui (and in the lake near my office last week) was for naught - I felt like I was a beginner again. The sunken tail, one-stroke board 180 I had thought I had mastered? Pssshh. I could barely stand on the board.

My frustration lasted for about ten minutes before I said "Screw it, I'm getting a sail." \

That changed EVERYTHING. The wind was VERY light and very offshore, and the waves were breaking pretty close to the beach, so I didn't get many rides as I really wanted to only take the set waves that would give me a chance to ride then pop out before getting caught in the dead zone of the shorebreak. The few rides I did get, though, were top notch, according to my buddy Brent who was surfing.

Post-sesh, we grabbed some IHOP, then headed back to the resort to get Brent windsurfing - he'd taken a lesson a few years ago, but hadn't sailed since. It's a tribute to his athleticism that he was basically sailing on his own after just a few minutes of instruction. I bounced between boards and sails (Aerotech Phantom 6.8, Severne Element 7.5, Sailworks NC4 8.5, Kona 11'5, Kona One, Starboard Serenity, Exocet S-Cross 145...) the wind picked up enough to send us all running for shortboards, but the wind died just as a I got the 8.5 rigged and on the water.

Oh well.

Non-windsurfing stuff...

Last night I flew into NYC to visit some family and friends. I started chatting with a gal on the subway on the way from Grand Central to Port Authority, and she was heading down to Times Square to be among the throngs watching the election on the big screen... really incredible. I figured I had a few minutes to spare before I caught the bus to Scranton/Wilkesbarre to see my Gramma, but the gal from the subway dragged me down to Times Square, and I'm really glad I went ... It's been a long time since I've seen that many people so happy about one thing that wasn't a sporting event, and man, was it cool. Political platforms aside, I have to say that Obama has a rare talent for inspiration, and merely hearing him speak has been a refreshing change from the Bush years.

Turns out the Peconic Puffin was there too...

Now, here's a few pictures from my drive that I've been meaning to put up....


Some odd stuff around Arizona, including the largest Teepee in the Southwest... and a town by the odd name of "Truth or Consequences" .... I wonder if they support capital punishment.





Then, I stopped in Marfa, Texas, about 70 miles south of I-10, to see some an old family friend, who was just recently named FAA Instructor of the Year - he teaches gliding lessons at his flight school, Marfa Gliders.









Anyways, now I'm on "vacation" - maybe a NY post or something ;-)

The office ....

...is still standing.

Home!

.... tired.


Left Berkeley Tuesday AM.

Flagstaff, Marfa, Ft. Walton Beach, Orlando. 3,130 miles.