Wednesday, November 16, 2011

Fall riding - Damon Point

Damn, it's getting cold quick like in WA.  Did that stop me from getting out on the water. No sir...well, at least with a little push and shove my buddy Jeff Lamb, aka Loki (www.pskite.org webmaster) I agreed to road trip it to Ocean Shores to hit the epic spot known as Damon Point.

Jeff hit me up, as his wife and newborn baby were on their way to see the in-laws.  And Becky is out of town with her mom and sister....so could there be a better reason for two guys to head to the coast when the forecast is upgraded on Friday night?  Hell no, there is no better reason.  The wind is supposed to show up around 12pm and keep going from there.

So, after dropping Becky off at the airport, I get home and get the gear laid out.  Jeff arrives at 7am and we are on the road, a 3 hr trip, to Ocean Shores.  Our buddy John  Hausman gives me a ring at 7:30am to let me know he is also on the road.  We all meet up at a coffee shop in Aberdeen.  Then the caravan makes the last of the drive, arriving at Damon Point at 10:30 am-ish.

Damon Point

When we arrive there are already a few kites on the water.  Excitedly we jump out of the car into extremely chilly wind. 

John and Jeff concur "Sh*t it is cold out!"

Anyways, we suit up.  I even opt to wear a helmet just to keep me a little warmer.  If you know me then you also know I never wear a helmet....but I can honestly say that it has now become a part of my winter apparel because it did keep my head warmer in the cold wind.

I pump my 10m RPM.  It is just enough to be fully powered, not too much, just enough.  I ride for a good 3 hrs session.  At the point my legs are jelly I head in.  Dan aka Tuna invites us over to his place about 2 miles away for a lunch break....and a chance to warm up a bit.  We take up his offer and head over.  I am glad I had stopped in the morning and stocked up on beer and a sandwich, which I take advantage of at Dan's place.  After refueling and warming back up, we head back for another session.

Another 1 -2 hrs of awesome super lit 13m conditions wait us.  When we get off the water, barely able to stand up, the wind is still blowing.  That is how you know when it was an epic, epic day.  You stop riding because of exhaustion, even though the wind is still ripping.   Yeah, 100% epicnesss!!!

Before I leave though, I grab the camera from the car and get a few shots of my pals riding.











After packing up, and getting these epic pics, we head back to Dan's house.  A quick stop at the grocery store first to stock up on sausages and buns, cream cheese and jalapenos, and of course more beer is all we need to end a truly awesome day.

Dan and his roommate are quite the hosts....and after such an amazing day on the water I am not sure that any dawg has ever truly tasted this good.  I am beat.  Refueling was totally necessary in order to make the 3 hr trip back to Seattle.....but it was sooo worth it!!!!

Stay tuned....final Puerto Rico kitesurfing update is coming soon.  I just got the last of the pictures from our trip...which is what I had been waiting on for the last P.R. recap post.