Tuesday, July 29, 2008

ben(burning dinosaurs)

Yesterday I loaded up the gas hog with board toys and drove to the beach. Hell, why not? The talking heads on the news are reporting gas prices are down, we can all get in our cars and drive again. Yeah right, like $3.79 is a deal.
Aside from feeling guilty about burning up dinosaurs, I had a great time at the beach. I got a late start and missed the 9:30 low tide at Tower Rd (Dewey Beach DE.) and the waves were all but non-existent.
I locked my 9'6" Robert August to the car and dragged the SUP down to the beach. I paddled out and headed down the beach to get away from the crowds. I had been on the water for about 2 minutes when the biggest dolphin I have ever seen, popped out of the water about 30' feet from me, man.... I about Sh!* myself. Glad it wasn't a shark. When you step off the beach you are entering the food chain! Something I try not to think about.
Mostly I just paddled up and down the coastline, but there were a few small sets and I got a couple of rides. It is a pretty wild feeling to have 11 1/2 feet of surfboard drop out from under your feet. It is also a pretty wild feeling to eat it, and have 11 1/2 feet of surfboard dragging you to the beach like a run away train. Just one of the many reasons to stay away from the crowds.

The beach was packed, and the people watching was great. Some of the kids were tearing it up on skimboards. Some of the adults looked like beached whales riding their bodyboards right up on the the sand. I expect some of them are still digging sand out of certain parts of their anatomies. Still everyone was having a great time, and it was fun to watch. Don't forget about all the young lovelies covered in oil. Me.....when I wasn't in the water, I was under my pink umbrella covered in #45 sunblock. a: I'm trying to make my dermatologist proud. b: I'm tired of her cutting those "little spots" off. Seriously too many years of playing in the sun, is catching up, and I'm trying to pay attention to sun care. Even so, I have been getting too much sun and the arms and legs are sporting a pretty good (ie:bad) tan.

I left the ocean side and drove up to Dewey. I stopped by H2Air to see Dave and Spunky. Dave was out running errands, and Spunky was holding down the fort. Although I had already paddled a ton, I sweet talked her in letting me take their Jimmy Lewis 12'6" Distance board for a spin. The boards that I currently own are designed for both wave riding and flat water. The Jimmy 12'6" is designed for cruising . It is super stable, and cuts through the chop with ease. Since I was by myself it was hard to judge speed, but I think it was pretty fast. The board turns like an aircraft carrier, and it is really too long to use in the surf, but for cruising around it was a sweet ride. Many thanks to Spunky and Dave for letting me steal their board. A quick stop at the East of Maui in Dewey , and it was homeward bound. Other than getting lost on Kent Island looking for gas, the trip home was uneventful. A hand full of Advil to take care of the aches and pains and it was off to bed and dreams of dinosaurs and dolphins. Good day off!

Speaking of aches and pains, my friend Sue Haywood broke her leg a couple weeks ago at a mountain bike race in VT. Not only Sue is great biker, she is a really cool person. I wish her the best with her recovery. Sue rides her bike really fast, hopefully she will heal really fast too!

Aloha

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