Switching Gears

So it has been a while since Ive posted, and since if gotten into a decent wave.  Ive been home in Chicago for a a few months now, and I for almost as long I have been wishing that I was still on the road, spending all day at the beach, and in the Ocean.

I am so fortunate that i had the opportunity to travel for a long as I did, more than anyone it is my Parents who made it possible so I owe them more gratitude that I have to offer.  In addition I met so many people, who were stangers to me and treated me like family, and they have my gratitude as well!  It was the trip of a Lifetime by nearly any standard, but I am on 25 still incredibly hungry for more!

But now the Surf season is beginning on the lakes, something I have been looking forward to since I last spent a fall here.  Hopefully this fall will mean more surf and more exploring, as my actual experience lake surfing is only on Lake Michigan Thus far.  Ive heard the call from Lake Superior and Lake Huron, for a few years.

My surfing dream now is to be able to spend at least one fall and winter season cruising around the lakes, all 5 of them, just chasing waves.  But in the words of Al Swearengen: “Announcing your plans is a good way to hear God laugh.”

I’m not too worried though, once I have it in my head that I can do something.  I can do it.  Ill leave ya for now with a the first picture i took after arriving home in May.

PiT!

Auckland Airport

So i have once again not posted anything in far too long.  I have been in Samoa forthe past 2 weeks, far from acomputer with anything fasterthan a 56k modem, andloving it!  On the downside my blackberry was stolen there but i am kind of glad not to have any connection to the internet or to email in my pocket anymore, ive already gotten used to not having it and findthat i have surprisingly less weighning on my mind now, so if you try andcall my cell phone, just know that you are wasting your time send me an email instead.

I left Samoa much earlier than expected, sadly it was more expensive than i had thought it would be.  It was an amazing place and the waves were insane (i got barrells going left and right, hooray for ME!)  I will elaborate much more on this, asw ell as my time in NewZealandhen i canput up the pictures.  Now i am on an airport computer with very limited abilities (like a special needs computer).  Just know that i amtraveling a long way for hte next two or three days, accross the pacific to costa rica, ill even spend some time in america, at LAXand Miami airport along theway!

love and enjoy

Australia Requiem

So ive got 13 minutes left to type some stuff about Australia.   Im leaving in a few hours.  I am ready to leave.  Ive been here for nearly a month and a half.

Ive have some really nice times and really crazy times and really boring times since ive been here.  I like Japanese food better than Australian food.

I thought living in a van would be fun and it was.  But on your own it can get a little lonely, driving from Cairns to Brisbane by yourself sucks ass.  Living in a van makes you dirty.  Living in a van makes you appriciate having a place to live that isn’t your car, a place with a toilet.

9 Minutes left.   The people in Australia are really nice, i think i only had two run ins with angry people and one was a cop.

New south Wales, south of Byron Bay is a totally amazign part of the world.  Nice waves, not much has been built up, i could live in some of the towns i visited, or at least stay there for a while.

Me Gusta La Mota de Australia

5 minutes left.

If you are the camping type, check out the whitsunday islands.

Dont drive too fast or you will be busted by one of the MANY highway cameras, however you shouldnt have too much trouble with the actual police, they are reasonable people.

ok 2 minutes left, time to finish up!

See ya in New Zealand

Updating (not dating up)

Ok so ive got a freshly baked batch of Pictures for everyone who is still actually looking here from time to time.  Currently I am back in New South Wales, living in a van again.  Im going to fly outta OZ in less than a week so Ive got a little time left to enjoy these waves but not much.  Since last posting ive driven around 3500 Kilometers (ridden for some) from Noosa to Cains and Back down to New South Wales (Yamba).  I cant wait to get on to NZ at this point.  been here for over a month.  Gonna meet up with Danny Omalley, an friend of a long time from Wilmette, at a Vineyard in New Zealand.  Im making the travel arrangements for that as i write this (multi tasking BOOYAH!!!!)

as always

Love and Enjoy

Lennox Head, Rainy morning

Taking flight

Up high

point 2 at Noosa

Lester into one at National park

on a Longbaord at National Park

Same Wave further DOwn the line

Thanks to Will beaton for taking the photos

Waaay down the wave

Check the guy riding with his dog!

Finless not Funless

Standing tall at Little Cove

over 40 years of Waiting

the 2nd day of the contest for will, about to go for a late take off on a steep wave

Ryan surfing his heat

Different wave same heat

After the market and pub in Eumundi

Big Ass Lizard on Whitsunday Island

My Brother

OMG!!!

yea

Noosa Heads: The conclution

Ok so Im going to do a photoless post here, additionally I’m not sure if I spelled Conlution right in the title, it looks wring to me.  The Important thing to take away from it is that it is the end of another amazing Chapter in my trip.  I have been in Noosa heads since the 1oth or 11th of this month, I spent two nights in a youth hostle called the Halse Lodge.  It was only 5 bucks more than pitching my tent and it was about a mile closer to the beach so…yea…easy five bucks to spend.

When I arrived the waves were maybe knee high, but a cyclone named Ului was brewing off the coast, which meant good news on the swell charts.  On the 12th I moved into a condo right accros the street from the beach, this place was the lap luxury.  The first two nights an aussie Born surfer named Lester who now lives in southeast Wisconsin slept on the sofa in the living room.  He was invited up by Ryan, the owner of Third Coast Surf shop (who had also come to Noosa Heads with his wife Erin) to surf with us for a few days as he (lester) was here visiting his parents.  Also on the trip was a couple from chicago named Kevin and Michelle, they were both inexperienced surfers compared to the rest of us, and rounding things out was my roommate Will Beaton, from Grand Haven Michigan and a lake surfer for over 40 years!  Will is a meteorologist who operates a website called www.Surfgrandhaven.com Its a cool site with a moving webcam of the lake, also you might just find a picture or two from this past week up there now.

The surf was absolutely cranking all week during the festival  the waves got to be well overhead and the current was strong.  The crowds were really thick in the line up but the waves were worht the fight.  We surfed our brains out for a week, and on the last full day (yesterday) the waves had died back down to about knee high.  This morning i was sad to see everyone go.

We had good food and conversations all week, and its made me excited to get home to the lake.  TOmorrow Ill mneet up with Nick and ALyssa and head north to camp and see what other things happen when we travel up there.   Should be fun to get back on the road after 2 weeks in Noosa.

Love and Enjoy

Noosa Heads

Hello again loyal readers, im sorry to have kept you on the edge of your seats for a while, but ive been in Noosa Heads Australia, living in the lap of luxury with 5 other lakers from home 3 from Michigan and 2 that live in chicago.  THe waves here have been RIDICULOUS its been at least head high and offshore for a week, and swell is still building, i think the waves might peak around double overhead, the longest point at Noosa runs for around mile, but the sandbars don’t connect all that way.  None the less I have ridden a wave continously for maybe a kilometer.  From boiling pot all the way to little cove.  The Downside to the waves is that the crowds are INSANE.  I think that there have been days where legitimatly 500 people were in the water, meaning that if you do manage to catch a wave you are constantly weaving through pedestrians.  Oh well.  few pictures below more to follow when my internet connection is better.

‘Nother post No pictures

So Im still in the van, for another Day or two.  IVe had some amazing times in the van, mostly involving my right hand….

But seriously i have been finding some really good waves and meeting some cookl other travelers.  I even went to one persons house for a little jam session.  He was a bassist and had drums at his house so he called up his guitar-playing friend and we jammed a bit.  THen we played “Hells Bells” by ACDC and “All the small things” by blink 182 (hahaha no jokes) then “Killing in the Name” by rage against the machine and “Blitzkrieg bop” by the ramones and a song I cant remember from Dookie by Green Day.  I didnt pick any of the songs, and had never really played any of them before but managed to fake it pretty well conisdering Ive played the drums 2 times in the past six months.

They even fed me a Barbie (not the doll), let me hold a baby kangaroo and let me sleep on their pull out bed, which was a nice change from being cramped and sweaty followed by shivering cold in the back of the van.

I am heading north now, Back to brisbane and then up t Noosa Heads for 12 days of longboarding and then aftewre that nick and Alyssa will scoop me up and we head onto the whitsundays.

Ok pictures to follow in the next post

Love and enjoy-TTFN

New South Wales

So here we are, just about caught up to present day on the old blog, well guess i havent posted anything for a week or two so maybe a bit behind but I’ve go good excuses.  1)I’ve been at the beach most of the time 2)I live in a van here so i have no internet.

See 2 decent excuses.  For those unstasified still I will do my best to fill you in on whats been going on.  I suggest a map of New South Wales  I landed on the morning of the 24th.  I took the train into town to find Jucy Van Rentals (where i rented my home).  Drove straight down to Ballina, with a stop in Nimbin (host of the annual Mardi Grass festival-read it carefully or google it if you think it makes no sense) which was just full of burned out old hippies, but still an interesting little spot.  The first night I stayed in the parking lot abouve lennox head (an awesome right hand point wave), the next night i drove down to Angourie (another awesome rt. hander), the next day i drove to Coffs Harbor and slept in a parking lot just north of the jetty.  This was a bit sketchy as I was in a bigger town than any other place yet, but i survived unscathed.  The next 2 nights I spent at Crescent Head, another Right Hander.  But it was quite small while i was there.  The next night i spent at the end of the road in Scotts Head, probably my favorite little town in OZ so far.  Then last night i was in arrewarre, another right point break that was small and the weather was super windy and rainy, so rainy i couldnt possibly heat my Mie Goreng noodles (like raman, only 62 cents a pack) properly.  Oh well.  Now i am back in Angaurie for a few days.  I might head back south and play some drums with a guy i met in Arrewarre, we will see how things shape up.  I plan to head north slowly and stop in lennox head again and see the gold coast and all its surfing glory, very crowded, but very glory. 

Ive run into a guy named Yaan a few times, from Long Island NY we are both crusing the coast before the Noosa Heads festival in a few weeks so ill be seeing more of him there.

Some non photographical highlights include illegal late night pool swims, Late night walks through estuarys with strong currents in the rain, The Yin and Yang of Mr Go, and Searching for America (two of the worst films ive ever seen, both starring The Dude).  And of course some good waves and good people who pop up everywhere.

 Probably wont spend too much time there, unless, i dunno i guess i just dont want to make any absolute staements about what i will and wont do……Pictures!!!!!  Normal rules apply, click the picture to get the present.

Yamba Beachy

Yamba Beachy

Veiw of Lennox head

Crumbly, head high Lennox

Lennox again, surfer surfing

Lennox head, view from the Parking lot above

Lennox again

not sure

not sure about this one either

Me (taken by some german girl who needed to eat something)

Angourie, view from the Green pools

Angourie again

Angourie

Blue Pools

Home Sweet Home

Dinner time!

Hungry Head

Still hungry

Hungry head

hungry head

Yamba beachy

Yamba again

Kyoto with James

Highlights include, Bike rides along the river (i had to use the old bike of James’ Host Mother), a mew concert, an all you can eat Pizza buffet, 3D version of Avitar, and the Fast N the Furious Tokyo Drift (no joke we watched it).   But mostly I spent time either in my room playing guitar or on the interent or trying to talk with james’ host family, who were amazingly hospitable.  As alsways a few stories in the pictures.

Me from below

James on the phone to home

MEW!!!

MEW!!!!

MEWWWWWWWWW

Goodbye

Actually…the real you do things in japan is…..

James seeing the divine light of Japanese Bakeries

Serfing in Japan

Ok here are the pictures from the surf trip i took with Issay to Iberaki.  It was really cool, we drove like 3 hours from his house in Tokyo, and slept on sofas in a swimming pool where Issay used to train definitely a unique part of my trip so far.  We surfed in the snow on saturday as well.  On sunday, the sun was shining and the wind had died, the waves were head High, (overhead if you are local).  then we drove home.  Much thanks to Issay for hooking me up with a wetsuit (that actually fit me ppretty well)

At the end Ill put some juicy pictures i took in Hakodate, when i was visiting Japan in January with my family for the holidays.

Love and Enjoy