Dreams of 2012

My 2012 was dominated by a lackluster shred season followed by a major hip surgery to replace my running gear and gobbled a couple pharmaceuticals which lead to a couple fun months of living out of my car attached to a 13 foot trailer and then moving to a completely new sketchy town where I have zero friends for a mellow job that isn't guaranteed much past the beginning of the New Year. As the end draws near, and 2012 goes into the books, I kinda feel like I should be saying good riddance. But somehow I'm not. Life is too fun. I'm so thankful that I snowboard and surf. Through all that mess in 2012, I'm pretty fawking stoked on everything amazing that's happened to me this year. I still have 2 legs, a small trailer, memories, some cash coming in, a bunch of surfboards, a snowboard and season pass to Squaw Dildo, Tahoe resorts within 1 hour, health insurance, met so many rad people from all over the world, and spent an awesome couple months in Indo surfing and living the dream. 2 days are left in 2012 and I'm keeping my fingers crossed that I'll only have had 1 surgery in 2012. For the record, I'm cruising into the New Year with a probable cracked rib or two thanks to a foggy vertigo inspired mishap at Alpine Meadows a couple weeks ago. Bring it, 2013.

Pow Road trip

To be honest, I haven't watched this whole video. But I'm certain it's rad.

Sasquatch Would Go

Bigfoot surfs. And he rides a red fun shape. I saw him and snapped this pic on my way to Mt Rose from rainy Squaw Valley and powerless Alpine Meadows. I salvaged my morning of driving with an epic monday pow sesh on an empty mountain. Super fun place and they opened the gates to The Chutes right as I was getting to the top. So I was able to score a bunch of wide open power slashes on some super fun steeps. Couldn't get too rad, though. I'm still working into the season a little bit more before I brace for lift-off and destruction.

product test

Subject: Old and broken
Location: Mt Rose
Time: 9-11:30
Temp: 30 degrees
Weather: Sunny and breezy
New Snow: Middle of the boots to shin high
Product: Zimmer Titanium Hip and Ceramic Socket Combo

Day #1 of the 12/13 shred season is under my belt, and as JayRad Gallapagos would say..."not bad, pretty good". My new torsion beam suspension seems like it will be able to shred. I'm not yet able to crank down my buckles and immediately stand up straight, it takes a little finesse and grunting. But it's good for it. I need to break up some scar tissue and bust outta my hip's comfort zone. There was many cringes and a lot of awkward straight-leg action. It was a solo mission because I had no idea what to expect and didn't want to ruin somebody's day with my gimpyness. So there was also miles of smiles to myself realizing I'm almost back. This mini-pow day was just what the head needed cuz I was seriously about to lose it yesterday. We're back on track starting today.

2-3 at best

Last friday I sat around scratching my head trying to figure out something, anything to do on my Sunday/Monday off. Absolutely none of it involved hanging around Reno. So I set my headscratcher down on the coffee table and loaded up my rig for the long haul to Santa Cruz after work on saturday. Without dragging my trailer over Donner Summit, I can drive fast and take lots of chances which makes the 5 hour drive more like 4 hours. The score of the day was a nice little parking space in a wooded neighborhood under a droopy tree that partially concealed my sleeping arrangements. It's amazing I found the spot and none of the other 73,847 epicly smelly Santa Cruz weirdos found it first. The surf was nothing incredible at all. But for a landlocked crippled dude with limited skills it was all-time.

hidden gems

Going through an old hard drive and I found a ton of randoms. Some from Costa Rica, Bybee, CartKa, Amity, Duffy, boards shaped, animals dead/alive/dying, Mexico, and Utah, and some wave action.

Old Man Winter

Took the trailer into the Sierras and got a little creepy, too creepy. I didn't really do much except drink coffee, space out, read "Confessions of and Eco Warrior", and listen to the Ducks fail in Stanford on the radio. I also spent entirely too much time just driving around checking out the South Lake Tahoe area. I sat in the car pulling a fiberglass trailer through snow and rain way too much. Kind of a wasted weekend, but it's alright. Cleared the brain a little. Storms are stacking up out there and we're about to get pummeled. My winter program is just getting started. The camper is ready and my wrecked body is starting to work like it's supposed to. My hip is flexing, I can almost do a squat AND stand up from it, and I can hoist up my leg and get my knee above my hip. On top of all this great news, I have no friends in my new town, so nobody will get in my way of weekends in Santa Cruz or Lake Tahoe without taking a shower or changing my shorts. I tried to grow a Grizzly Adams so I could realty play the part of Unibombing loner derelict, but I gave up after 2 itchy weeks.

Trailer life is the good life

Today I dropped of my Boler at the RV repair shop to have a new Atwood 8012 furnace installed. 12,000 BTU's of shear power will keep it nice and toasty when I'm camped out in the corner of Kirkwood or Heavenly's parking lot this winter. I'm also in the middle of dropping in a new stereo. Electrical shit ain't my bag, but I'm working my way through it. 35 year old wires and vintage tapedecks are getting replaced with an iPod ready setup. Holes are cut. And when I get the rig back it's the last thing to accomplish during remodel phase #1.

"youre not gonna believe this shit"

Field Notes

After hearing about a shark attack in Northernmost CA and a seal washing up in Santa Barbara with it's guts dangling out, I decided to skip Santa Cruz this weekend and head for the hills. With no real plans, 2 days off, and forgetting to bring my atlas, I got off work saturday afternoon and drove south into No-Cell-Coverage-Country ending up in Markleeville. My backup plan is always to grab a site at some organized pay-campground. But I always feel like a fat, soft American if I pay for a campground when I should be able to sleep for free. Outside town I spotted a crappy road that lead to a mellow little landing pad along some tiny, nearly empty creek. I was bear bait along that creek, but it was awesome. The temps got down to the low 20's but I was toasty inside with my new shiney insulation and a Lil Buddy space heater. I love pissing out the front door into nature. The next day I packed up and slowly cruized north-northwest towards Kirkwood and South Lake Tahoe. I needed to take a peek at the area and spy Kirkwood for winter camping and shredding. I stopped and fished along a gorgeous stretch of the West Fork of the Carson River. There were some hogs in there that laughed at my cast, I definitely didn't have the right flys. The Stimulator is my go-to, and it wasn't working either. So I snagged a couple tiny little fuckers, called it an afternoon, and drove into South Lake for the second night. Today I got back on the river early and fished a couple spots along the way home. Might have to try my hand at gold panning next time. Mother lode, bitches.

Beefing up the Boler

Seeing as I've recently been living without TV, internet, or the simple focus to sit and read, I've been finding little random projects to check off the list. Last weekend was time to drop some Pergo in the Boler. I wasn't stoked on the red, shitty, particle board tile that was in there. Plus a little snap-together fake wood floor adds a structure and class to my fiberglass butt hut. It took me less than 4 minutes to demo the old floor and scrape it clean. And another hour to chop saw and snap in the new Heritage Oak. Another 45 minutes later to glue and clamp the molding. Done and done. Later than night some asshole nicely unscrewed & stole my $20 empty propane canister. Sweet.

Old shit

New shit

Gone shit

Won

Oh, how I long for this kind of freedom. I sit at my desk, in my broken down crippled body, dreaming for this kind of action. The cosmic connection of being one with nature. Uuhhhh. Uuuggggghhh. I'm talking about the waves you asshole. Being one with the waves in the middle of nowhere with no other assholes around. Just me and my camera. Doing things.

Gotcha

As great a person I believe myself to be, I'm not really the greatest son or brother. I've spent the last 20+ years missing most family holidays and birthdays due to surfing, snowboarding, or traveling. So last weekend my brother and I played the good kids and surprised the old man while he as on vacation at the Oregon Coast. We had a little surprise party for him. We were a couple weeks early, but that's the best I could do since I'm the Fucking New Guy at work. With a little help from my step-mom, I flew from The Biggest Little City in the World to The Neck Beard Capital of America then we drove down to Lincoln City. He'll be 70 in a couple weeks. I think we got him good. And I'm off the hook for another 20 years.

pretty trees

a thing

family love

see food

Best of Reno

Stop the insanity!!!!

No fist bumps in 2012....it's all high fives. That's been my platform for this entire year. I've slipped just a handful of times so far, and mostly to the same dude who kept mind warping and tricking me. I'm fucking sick of the FB. High fives are way better anyway. I'm hoping to throw many more high fives throughout the next few months.

The only acceptable fist bump....