Birthday at the Beach

The girls asked me where I wanted to go on my 39th Birthday. To that I said, "somewhere surfy, of course." So we made plans for Crescent Beach. For a week, the forecast was so-so, a 10 ft NW swell, and the weather was looking like a cold one. Nevertheless, we left the house this morning (a half-hour late, because I had to open my birthday presents -- a new kayak helmet and the Wolf Mother CD) and headed to the North Coast. Our van has been in the shop for some repairs after it was backed into by a big pick-up with a trailer hitch, so we didn't have the roof rack for my boat. We have a Dodge Caravan for a rental, and we managed to fit my kayak, Ryleigh's surfboard, and Zoe's boogie board in the back.

Our arrival at Crescent was pretty disappointing, the wind was up and created a chop that sometimes seemed bigger than the little wavelets hitting the beach. So further west to Twin River. Twin wasn't any better, so we headed back to Crescent and suited up for what we thought would be a quick session. A couple people were there as we pulled up and I made a connection with someone I've been communicating with via Boater Talk for a few months. Hamp had his daughter with him, so we both went out for surf lesson before we got out past the break. Ryleigh caught some great little waves and had a great time while Laurie and Zoe set up camp on the rocks and took pictures from shore. Although it was windy, the sun kept everyone fairly warm.

After a while, Ryleigh decided to get out and grab a snack while I fought my way into the on-shore wind and the chop. There was a nice little rip along side the island which brought me out past the break. Hamp was already out there and we took turns catching sloppy waves. Except for a couple of board surfers, we had the place to ourselves. Hamp's Cyclone was a great boat for the conditions and he caught wave after wave. After a nice session, I headed back in to drain the boat and let Ryleigh paddle up Salt Creek a few hundred yards. Hamp headed in for the day, but we made plans to connect at the Hobuck Hoedown Festival on Memorial Day weekend. Soon after, Gary and Rob showed up in their hand-made Freerider kayaks. So it was back out for another session. The ebb-tide seemed to hold the waves up a bit and they gained some size. I managed to catch a few more before I got tired out. I chatted with Rob and Gary a little bit, then headed in. We loaded up and hit the road, stopping for coffee in Port Angeles and tried to make it to the Sequim Game Farm. By the time we got there it was closed, so we made the trip home, stopping by to pick up some Thai Food on the way.

Not a bad day for my (first) 39th birthday.

Easter on the Oregon Coast

The girls had spring break that ended on Easter Sunday, so we took a four day weekend and headed to Seaside, Oregon. Seaside is a nice touristy beach town about 4 hours south of Bremerton. We left home on Thursday morning and made it to the beach around noon. After a stop at Cleanline Surfshop to rent Zoe a wetsuit, we hit the beach at Avenue U (The Cove). The waves were about 4 feet, but pushing pretty heavy. After spending some time with Ryleigh, pushing her into waves, I went out in the kayak. My first wave was a rough one and I got tossed a bit, but I rode it out only to find that I had cracked the shaft of my favorite hand-made (home-made) paddle that I've had for a few years. So, it was back to shore and up to the van to get the spare paddle. As I got back to my boat, Laurie noticed that I was also missing a fin. It had broken on that first wave, so back to the van to get another fin. After some repairs, it was back into the water for some great surf. I was one of only a few people in the water on a Thursday afternoon and the weather was as warm and sunny as a summer day. After some time, we were visited by our friends, the Westlakes, who have a vacation home in Seaside. Their two girls are the same age as ours, and they had a blast playing in the waves. After the beach, we enjoyed dinner at the Westlakes'.

The next day started with a rollerblade/longboard adventure on the promenade, a few miles of concrete boardwalk that runs along the beach the entire length of the town. The weather was great and after a quick breakfast, we headed out of town to check out Ecola state park. Just a few miles out of town, the fog got thick and the temperature cooled a bit more than we had hoped for, so we kept going south to scout Short Sands another great surfing beach. Unfortunately, the warm sunshine of Seaside was to alluring, so we made our way back to the cove for another couple hours of surf. In her nice warm wetsuit, Zoe couldn't stay out of the water. She and her friend Natalia made for a kids photo-shoot in their matching wetsuits.

My first wave was another mishap. I had forgot to put in my drainplug and by the time I was in position for my first wave, I was sinking fast. I managed to catch a wave and ride it in, so I could drain the boat and put in the plug. Of course, as I carried the boat out of the water, Laurie cringed as she mentioned that I had indeed lost another fin. At this point, I was frustrated enough with my gear that I took the other fin off and headed back out into the water. What a difference those fins make. I had beautiful peeling lefts all to myself, but without the fins, I was sliding sideways down the waves and missing sections I could have made but for the fins. In any case the weather was warm again, it was Friday and I wasn't working. I still had a blast. After a few hours, it was back to the hotel for a swim and a dinner of Mexican food with the Westlakes.

Saturday was rainy and miserable, so we spent the day doing the touristy thing at Seaside. bumper cars and shopping, pronto pups and the carousel made for a long and expensive day. We made it back to the surfshop though and made the investment in a used wetsuit for Zoe and some new fins for me. After a day in town, we spend some time in the pool and had a late dinner of pizza.

Easter Sunday started with Easter Baskets left by the bunny and a swim while mom hid eggs in the hotel room for a little hunt. Then it was the Easter Sunday brunch over which we debated the merits of surfing in the sloppy mess that was the Oregon Coast. We finally decided on a hike on the beach at Ecola, so we checked out of the hotel and made our way south again. It was rainy but warm and as we suited up for our hike, I changed my mind and instead got suited up for surf. The waves were total chaos and I was the only kayaker in the water again, with just a couple of surfers. I caught a few waves, but mostly had fun trying to manuever through the slop. After about an hour, I left the water and met up with the girls. We loaded up the van and headed north, stopping for coffee and fastfood on the way home. We got home late in the evening on Sunday and just had time to unpack and rinse the gear before bedtime and work on Monday.