January Jonezing

[pro moe]

Long weekend
swell direction tides all pointed to a certain place
somewhat challenging drive
Especially at the access points
kinda small & junky opted to wait check a few other spots
Looked at the point to see some poor suckers from Oregon
surfing knee high slop with a nice ne chop
Went back to the previous spot
virtually flat with the exception of a nice ankle high ne swell
Decided to bail home
and not wait for the tide to bottom out in the late afternoon
heard it got pretty Decent.
Next day headed out closer to home
In total 450 miles
one surf session
albeit a pretty decent one

[holddown]

Batten down the hatches...

[stinky]

Cold wet ground and hurricane force winds sounds like a good combo for lots of trees to fall down. I hope they called in the calvary, this sounds like it could be ugly. I'll make sure the candles and wine are in good supply!

[smithgrind]

Sounds like a forecast for a cuddle fest on the coast.

[holddown]

I swept the runway today.

[RXXL]

Yes, extreme sweeping! I got my eye on a cow barn down the road...

[Doc]

I swept the runway today.

Did the tower clear you for take off?

Doc

[holddown]

There is no tower. Remember that this is Tillamook County.

I did have an emergency landing on the airstrip the other day, though. I was determined to do the same downriver run that kicked my @ss the other day, so I decided to try it again Sunday. The wind was brisk out of the SE, so I figured that it would be smooth sailing. There was a minor issue of a storm force wind warning, but I figured I could get in before it really started to blow.

So, I talked Mrs. HD into shuttling me up to the boat ramp just above HWY 101 and jumped into the river. The wind pushed me under the bridge and I quickly made it to the base of cannery hill with the SE wind at my back. As I reached the spot I was getting pushed back the other day, I noticed that the wind was kicking up massive spray up the Big Nestucca. While the SE wind was blowing down the little river, a stronger SW wind was blowing up the big river. At the fork, I eased into the current coming toward me as the wind and wind chop came from two other directions. About halfway into the channel of the big river, a huge gust blew up and, as much as I despise knee sweeping, I went to a kneeling position to maintain balance. The wind blew me toward the point on the other side where a lot of stumps and debris has built up over the years. I navigated through the stumps while knee sweeping and eventually got into the channel of the big river and headed upstream along the E bank. The wind died off, so I returned to my feet and managed to surf some of the wind chop for a while.

As I reached the guard rail, my truck was in sight and I started to angle across the river toward the W bank. There was enough W in the wind that it made it difficult to cross, but I was making headway. When I was about halfway across the river and within about 50 yards of my truck, a massive gust forced me back to a kneeling position. I fought for 30 seconds or so, but the wind was winning and quickly blew me back to the E side. It was high tide at about flood stage, so the runway was under two or three feet of water, so I aimed for the end of the airstrip. Unfortunately, the wind blew me to the S of the runway and even knocked me off of the board a couple of times while kneeling. I finally landed next to a protective wall at a house near the end of the runway. I waded in about waist deep water and pushed my board until I made it to the airport. Once on the runway, I jumped back to my feet and taxied down to the other end at 20 mph or so with the wind at my back. I stashed my board at the end of the runway, walked across the bridge and into the wind toward my truck carrying my paddle. The river kicked my @ss again.

I checked the local weather station when I got home and there was a gust of 72mph while I was on the river. In case you're wondering, hurricane force is 73mph.

Stay tuned...

[Doc]

You're a quick learner HD...

Doc

[Gazsurf]

Cow shite can't be good for you. Not a lot of it anyway.

[Doc]

Cow manure is vegan isn't it?

Doc

[Doc]

In fact, here's early proof...from my Great Great Grandfather's account traveling to the California gold fields in 1851:

From Dubuque we crossed the state of Iowa, aiming at Council Bluffs, then also known as Camsville, 320 miles distant, and arriving there we found collected a large number of ox teams in charge of gold seekers, and they were waiting because it was claimed by them that the grass was not started sufficiently over our route beyond for our cattle to have sufficient grazing. We also laid over there with them about two weeks, and then, as the grass was still too scanty to start, it was agreed by the company and a train boss, or road pilot, to whom the others looked as being the big chief of the expedition, that if nearly all the company in charge of teams would buy and carry along from 15 to 20 bushels of corn to help support the cattle, the expedition might start in a day or two, and that all those who would not buy corn must start with some later expedition. Nearly all immediately bought the required amount of corn there in Council Bluffs, and on the fifth of May our expedition crossed the Missouri river on a hand ferry boat, a caravan of about 80 wagons with three or four yoke of oxen to the wagon. We followed the trend of the Platte river, and while passing through the Pawnee Indian country about 70 or 80 Pawnee bucks and squaws closely followed our train and gathered up the droppings of our cattle and washed the corn out of it and ate it.

There you go.

Doc

[holddown]

I'm confused. Did they eat the corn and throw away the poop, or eat the poop and throw away the corn?

Grampa's writing style is similar to mine. Are we related somehow?

[Lil' Snowy Plover]

Been on the bucket list to live in a place where I can surf everyday ever since I started. I've settled in down south now, and life is quiet and happy. Wake up early, pound out a few hours of work then surf somewhere between Oceanside and Cardiff then more work, then a run in this forested park by my apt. and a couple of beers and gnite. Rinse, repeat. Surfers are really lazy here-- they won't walk ten feet, but they're really f-ing good. But I'm getting empty peaks if I negotiate the cliffs in Carlsbad, otherwise, no more crowded than up there between Swami's and Cardiff. Swami's gets busy, so does Trestles, but hey, there's lots to be had here. But the wave quality and a 3/2 shortie sure is nice. People look at me like I'm insane for wearing a spring suit, but 60 degree water, sun and no wind? Come on.

Steady progress, day to day, boards getting shorter. Good stuff for an old man.

[Doc]

Thursday was super fun...
Late bail, in the water by 3:30...
Got the best wave in recent memory...
Overhead left, walled up and reeling...
Into the rip, rode it back out, repeat...
Some pretty solid ones rolling through...
But not slot of back to them...
So the beatings were acceptable...
Since I can count on one hand 2012's surfs...
I was happy to the the ocean in a reasonable state.