Beginning to Get Colder Way Too Soon

I was excited that the waves from last week stayed around through the weekend. It has to do with the north winds and the beginning of the fall season. I've been a little sad since the days started getting shorter. I want the days to be long and the air to be warm. It's still rather warm right now, but the when the northers come through and the air temps are only in the 80s, I have to wear a long sleeved rash guard. After hearing about perfect waves all week, I went down after work on Friday, despite a report that the waves were dropping fast. I drove to the 43rd St. jetty to see what the waves were like. About seven other surfers were out. Most of them were on the east side of the jetty, but two of them were on the west side. They seemed to be having fun without all the problems facing the crowds on the east side of the jetty. So, I paddled out on the west side. I caught a wave almost immediately, but after that, I waited. I eventually caught another, but by that time, the other two surfers had moved to the east side of the jetty. I hung out a little longer on the west side, and caught another, but the waves were definitely getting smaller and coming through even more sporadically than when I first arrived, and definitely smaller and more sporadic than earlier in the day. I eventually moved to the east side and caught a few there. All in all, it was a wonderful day

By Sunday, the waves were as pretty as they had been during the week. I had some morning responsibilities but, fortunately, the waves held on until I made it down by 1:30. In fact, they were beautiful. I had received a text from dude Brian saying the waves were going flat and he was leaving the beach, but it looked great to me. I went out at 37th and, although there were three or four others already out, there were plenty of waves for everyone. By friend David also drove down and we spent the next couple of hours catching wait- to shoulder-high waves. The were fast and big. Had a BLAST! It was a great way to wrap up the weekend. The only negative aspect was that I had to wear a long sleeved rash guard for the first time this season. There was just enough coolness in the air to make being in the water cold. Bummer! Although it is flat right now in G-town, a north wind is blowing through, and this Friday afternoon is looking pretty nice on SwellInfo's forecast. Hmm. Despite my proclamation that I probably wouldn't be surfing on Friday until after my Marine Corps Marathon at the end of the month, I might have to make an exception this weekend. What the heck?!? I'll just have to go to bed earlier that night to rest and relax before my training run on Saturday. 22 miles of running the next day will definitely give me a workout.

Remembering Where I'm From and Watching Fireworks

What a busy and exciting week! I decided for the first time in three years to return to the Smoky Mountains for some hiking. It hasn't exactly been three years since I went hiking, but it has been three years since I had been to the Smokies. It was nice to be back on the trails I had hiked many times before, as well as to try a few that I had never set foot on before. I had a couple of unusual things happen during a particular long and treacherous hike. At about mile 6, my phone rang. What makes this unusual is that I hadn't had much of a signal most of the time we had been in the mountains. In a strange turn of events, it was a newspaper editor calling about my job at the university…he wanted to know if the university would be open the next day because of a forecasted tropical storm approaching the area. I explained I had no idea and that I was in the mountains. What I can't quite figure out about it, is how I was able to receive a call in the middle of a forested trail in the mountains. I hadn't been able to  get a signal during most of the trip and, now, in the middle of a hike, I was able to get a call. Then, about a mile later, my right hiking boot feels odd so I stop to check it out. Thinking I had a rock caught in the tread of my shoe, I expected to dislodge the rock and keep on; that is, until I realize that the tread of my boot had come detached from most of the shoe except the toe. I just shook my head. What is most odd about all of this is that, for the first time, I had packed my trail running shoes in my backpack. I'm not sure why I did it, but I was incredibly happy that I had. Once I changed into the trail runners, I realized how heavy my hiking boots were, and how light the trail runners are. I was light on my feet and almost immediately decided that the next pair of trail shoes I would get, would not be high boots, but a lighter weight, lower cut hiking shoe. The hike became much easier with the lighter shoes, which is a good thing since the trail we were on turned into a a difficult one with multiple downed trees, high weeds, lots of stinging nettle and a little poison ivy. All of those on the hike made it through even though we were crawling, climbing and high-stepping through the trail. In the end, it would go down as one of the all-time best 10-mile hikes I had ever been on, with just enough intrigue to keep me on my toes.

I returned to Texas on that Thursday (6/18)…after the storm had passed. I had already decided that

I paddled out at 37th and had fun!

Friday would be a surf day and, fortunately, there were a few waves. They definitely were not as big or well-formed as they had been just before the Tropical Storm was about to come through. But, at least there were waves. I traveled to 37th, paddled out about 150 feet to the east of the jetty and, almost immediately, began to catch waves. Needless to say, it was a great ending to the week. I even rode earlier that morning, which meant that during the week, I had already hiked, biked and surfed. I was having a stellar week. And, a fun one. I ran on Saturday morning before going to my family's church to help with their rummage sale. My mother had requested my assistance some time ago, but I had forgotten about the sale. Since it had been scheduled at three other times and then canceled because of rain, when she called me on Tuesday of the week before, I knew that there was no way for me to get out of it. And, I'm glad I didn't. It turned into a beautiful day at the church in which I grew up…the church in which I was confirmed. I saw people I hadn't seen in a long time as well as met new people. I watched my mom compassionately lower prices on clothing priced at a quarter for people who didn't have a spare 25 cents. It was a humbling, yet wonderful experience. And it was good to be with my kind and loving mom.

Later that evening, I did something else fun. Let me backtrack a little. A couple of weeks ago while surfing social media, I found a link to a night-time SUP tour in Galveston. I couldn't resist. I signed up immediately and persuaded a friend she needed to go also. What a fun evening! We met with the tour leader at the Offatts Bayou parking lot on 61st Street. They brought us 11'2" SUPs and we launched from the boat ramp. we paddled to Moody Gardens and waited for the weekly fireworks display to begin at 9:30ish. Saturday evening was beautiful and when it came time for the fireworks, we locked our SUPs together by putting one end on top of the end of another. Then we each leaned back and watched the fireworks, which appeared to be right overhead. I never saw fireworks so close. It was as if the show was just for us. We then paddled back to the boat dock to unload. The only scary part was making sure that the boats passing by could either see us or hear us. I would probably buy a waterproof headlamp for the next time…and I definitely plan for a next time. I'm hoping to do it again another night this summer. Until then, I can just close my eyes and relive the bright and beautiful lights as I remember them.

Spring Excellence…Well Kind Of

Waves were a little mushy,
 but still surfable. It felt good
to be out surfing again.

Three weeks have flown by since I've been surfing. Rain, no wind, no waves and cold have been keeping me and everyone else who wanted to surf away from the beach. I've missed it. I've stayed busy  with my other sports. I've continued to run and cycle, and when that wasn't possible, I attended spin class. I definitely kept active, but was dreaming about being back out in the water. The forecast for this weekend did not look promising on Surfline early last week, but, by Friday, Sunday looked like it would be the best day of the two. I was beyond happy. I wanted to surf.

Sure enough, when Sunday arrived, I looked at the webcam and could see some ripples. Surf reports indicated that it was, in fact, surfable on a longboard. I couldn't wait to get out. I had some early morning conflicts so I couldn't make it down to the island until later…until mid-morning, around 11 a.m. I drove to 43rd, but it looked crowded already by the time I got there. So, I kept driving. I made it to 37th Street jetty, and, while the surf didn't look quite as big/strong, there was only one other person out in that spot. I was sure it was the best place for me.

I went out on the east side of the jetty because of the direction of the wind. However, I didn't feel like the rip current was very helpful getting out. It was better just to watch the sets and choose the right time to get out. I paddled out to the end of the jetty and was quickly swept toward the west by the current. The waves were mushy and not very powerful, but everyone once in awhile, the right wave would pick me up and I was able to surf it. I felt wonderful out in the water. And, the air was warm and the water was warmer than it had been. For the first time this season, I was able to wear my 3-2 again rather than my 5-4. That's always a good thing. I can move better. Surf has been "okay" so far since Sunday. I'm hoping I can make it out this weekend, but I'm not sure I will have the time. I'm keeping my fingers crossed. I want to get back in the pattern of surfing twice or three times a week. And, when there are waves, I need make the most of it. Happy Easter!

Surfing Again, at Last

It's been a little over two weeks...actually, almost three...since I've been surfing. The waves always seem to come during the work week when I can't make it out. I was hoping for some waves on Friday afternoon because I knew that I would be working on Saturday (UHCL introduced it's new mascot -- the Hawk), and I wouldn't be able to surf if the waves were good. Friday was too messy according to my surfing contacts, and, fortunately, so was Saturday. My report early today (Sunday) was that it was messy again. I decided to run instead and got in five miles, but once I returned home and looked at the Galveston web cam, I decided I must go down.  I'm incredibly busy lately, but I felt like a good surf session would help strengthen my soul.

I surfed at 37th today instead of
my usual 43rd Street jetty.

Since I have my first marathon coming up in June, I needed to run today. I also had some responsibilities at church this morning, so I knew even if the waves had been decent, I wouldn't make it down this morning as early as I would have liked. I really prefer getting down to the beach by 7 a.m. because fewer surfers are usually out at that time -- usually just the locals.  I also had a lunch scheduled with my mother and father, but I was able to convince them to eat in Galveston. Once lunch was over, I drove over to the Seawall, which was full of other enjoying April. Although the sun was shining, the temps were a little on the cool side, which meant that I would probably need a wetsuit. (The water temps were quite cool too.) I found a parking spot on the hotel side of the Seawall between 36th and 37th and opted to surf there. Waves were breaking beyond the jetty, but they weren't all holding up very well. I made my way out and immediately turned back toward the beach when I saw a powerful wave come my way. I caught whitewater but it was still incredible to be out surfing again. I caught several more whitewater waves while I was out and was able to practice turning and looking forward instead of down. I wanted to catch some waves as they were breaking instead of just catching strong whitewater, but only accomplished that once. I definitely need more consistent practice. I can't go two weeks between sessions. Just like my running and cycling, I need to surf more. As the water warms, the days get longer and the busy-ness subsides, I'm sure I will be able to do that.