It has been a while. We have been skating every day and all sorts of terrain. Recently it has been dry as a bone which has brought the local out to the local mountain more night missions. In case you weren't aware, it is very dark at night. Especially on a mountain road surrounded by jungle. The local guys know the roads so well, it is really impressive to watch them fly through hairpin corners, avoid gnarly holes, wet patches all just by following the gaps in the tree's above and their knowledge of the road. Myself, I use a head light on my helmet and try my hardest to remember what corner is coming up next, how fast you come into it and what the surface is like. Recently the Hawaiian powers that be have put ''sand bars'' on some of the roads corners to try and deter people drifting through corners in their cars. It is a horrible smelling adhesive they put down, sprinkled with a loose and very sharp gravel. Remembering these corners is crucial, falling on that stuff would suck... Big time! Starting to get the hang of things though and remembering the road better each run. It's an interesting way to learn a road and will certainly make it easier during the day, if not a little boring...
I have also been riding the streets surrounding Ethans house a lot each day. All the roads go down and have the most perfect driveways for slashing and surfing. The momentum carries you for miles with no need to push and it's very easy to forget that eventually you will have to skate back up hill to the house. I love it, the dogs hate it. Dogs in hawaii are not friendly in the slightest. Almost everywhere I have lived in the world I have always found a local dog I could pat over the fence and have a chat with. In Hawaii though, dogs are scary, especially if you ride a skateboard. Even today while riding back home from the shops I was verbally abused by a Golden Retriever which I have always though were born happy as Larry. This one was mean though, he hurt my feelings and left me not wanting to skate past that house ever again.
Yesterday, Nelly, Ethan and I went for a hike through the Jungle looking for nothing in particular. We ended up in that same area with the waterfall I wrote about a few weeks ago. This time though, Ethan took us on a very interesting path that saw us balancing along a plastic pipe miles off of the ground. Heights is a big fear of mine and this was high! After the pipe and a bit more bush bashing we ended up above the waterfall. If you read the last write up about the waterfall you will remember that we jumped from about 8 meters. Ethan had now lead me to a jump on the opposite side of the fall that was another 8 meters higher than the first jump we did. Did I mention I'm scared of heights, I can't remember. Anyway, assessing the situation, the only way down was to either jump or try to climb down the 16 meter, muddy cliff. Either way would probably result in me falling so I chose to jump. It was sweet! Scary as hell, but sweet!
Some ninja Avocado and Jabong hunting has also taken place as well as the feasting of Avocados and Jabong. Being beaten by the waves at Sandy's beach has also become some what regular. The other day Sandy's was pretty flat but every now and then a set would come in of maybe 5 foot waves. Even I can tell a tourist in hawaii, if they are whiter than me they certainly aren't local! So, this father and son come swanning into the water. Dad is maybe 40's and the son is 17 or 18. Both looking stoked, if not slightly nervous and both wearing black framed seeing glasses. The son makes it out fairly easily while dad gets battered by the waves, rolls about like a hauled out seal without flippers and eventually, has the glasses ripped from his face by the waves. Blinded, dizzy and stunned he flops about the water for a while with his son looking for the glasses. No chance. Eventually he heads back to the beach, stands with his wife trying his hardest to watch his son who is still busy looking for his old man's specs. The son makes a terrible mistake. He turns his back on the waves and sure enough a stomper comes in, smashes him to the ocean floor, rolls him all the way to the beach covered and full of sand at his parents feet... Without his glasses. 2 sets of prescription glasses in less than 40 minutes, they left myself and some other guy from Texas in stiches from laughing and trying our hardest not to get dumped by the waves ourselves.
Until next time...
I have also been riding the streets surrounding Ethans house a lot each day. All the roads go down and have the most perfect driveways for slashing and surfing. The momentum carries you for miles with no need to push and it's very easy to forget that eventually you will have to skate back up hill to the house. I love it, the dogs hate it. Dogs in hawaii are not friendly in the slightest. Almost everywhere I have lived in the world I have always found a local dog I could pat over the fence and have a chat with. In Hawaii though, dogs are scary, especially if you ride a skateboard. Even today while riding back home from the shops I was verbally abused by a Golden Retriever which I have always though were born happy as Larry. This one was mean though, he hurt my feelings and left me not wanting to skate past that house ever again.
Yesterday, Nelly, Ethan and I went for a hike through the Jungle looking for nothing in particular. We ended up in that same area with the waterfall I wrote about a few weeks ago. This time though, Ethan took us on a very interesting path that saw us balancing along a plastic pipe miles off of the ground. Heights is a big fear of mine and this was high! After the pipe and a bit more bush bashing we ended up above the waterfall. If you read the last write up about the waterfall you will remember that we jumped from about 8 meters. Ethan had now lead me to a jump on the opposite side of the fall that was another 8 meters higher than the first jump we did. Did I mention I'm scared of heights, I can't remember. Anyway, assessing the situation, the only way down was to either jump or try to climb down the 16 meter, muddy cliff. Either way would probably result in me falling so I chose to jump. It was sweet! Scary as hell, but sweet!
Some ninja Avocado and Jabong hunting has also taken place as well as the feasting of Avocados and Jabong. Being beaten by the waves at Sandy's beach has also become some what regular. The other day Sandy's was pretty flat but every now and then a set would come in of maybe 5 foot waves. Even I can tell a tourist in hawaii, if they are whiter than me they certainly aren't local! So, this father and son come swanning into the water. Dad is maybe 40's and the son is 17 or 18. Both looking stoked, if not slightly nervous and both wearing black framed seeing glasses. The son makes it out fairly easily while dad gets battered by the waves, rolls about like a hauled out seal without flippers and eventually, has the glasses ripped from his face by the waves. Blinded, dizzy and stunned he flops about the water for a while with his son looking for the glasses. No chance. Eventually he heads back to the beach, stands with his wife trying his hardest to watch his son who is still busy looking for his old man's specs. The son makes a terrible mistake. He turns his back on the waves and sure enough a stomper comes in, smashes him to the ocean floor, rolls him all the way to the beach covered and full of sand at his parents feet... Without his glasses. 2 sets of prescription glasses in less than 40 minutes, they left myself and some other guy from Texas in stiches from laughing and trying our hardest not to get dumped by the waves ourselves.
Until next time...
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