aloha

My last day in Kauai consisted of a 2 mile walk back to the Kountry Kitchen for another loco moco.   I had to get another one of those things.  Then, i trooped back down to "donkeys" beach to snap some photos.  Later i met up with the brothers cwick down at kealia for the last surf session of the trip.  After a bunch of fun rights and lefts it was on  to Susan's place to see Kai and say goodbye to everyone.  We finished off the night down at Dukes for some beers and some fish and chips.  Going to the airport after that was incredibly sad.  This is the hardest place to leave in the world.  i love the energy i feel here, it truly makes you feel alive in every way that one can feel alive.  I will be back but for now mohalo kauai! Aloha.

Napali coast

The boys and I headed back to polihale this weekend to camp again.  This time around the surf was small and the water was glassy. We packed up two kayaks and two longboards for the four of us to paddle as far up the Napali coast as we could.  We stopped at a few truly private beaches along the way and enjoyed some beverages out there as well.  We got about 2-3 miles up the coast and had to turn back.  it was a killer workout on the board for sure and we were running out of daylight.  The next day we woke up and hit the surf a little bit.  The waves were small but the water was clear, warm and beautiful.  On the way back to the east side we drove up a 15 mile 4,000 foot climb to the top of waimea canyon.  Seventy five percent of the time you can not see the canyon due to clouds and guess what...... it was covered in clouds.  The way i look at it is another excuse to come back to this incredible island

loco moco

This is the BEST way to start a full day of surfing.  This boheamath of a breakfast contains three scoops of rice, two burger patties, two eggs over easy, and smothered in gravy.  Trust me it is twice as good as it sounds and looks. After puting this thing down we were off to Kealia beach for another beautiful day of surf, sun, bar b q, beers, and most importantly great friends. This place is magical and i will cry when i leave.

if you click on the photo it zooms in

polihale part three

As the morning sun rises on the east side the temperature swells and the ocean does the same.  A couple of feet overhead, lefts, rights, clean, no wind, and hot as you can imagine.  I paddled out hungover and dehydrated as can be and caught one of these bad boys.  It was a fun ride and then i got thrown off like a rag doll and got the "washing machine" on high cycle. After i popped up it seemed about 45 seconds later, i grabbed the board, went to the beach and shot some photos of the guys who knew what they were doing.   

polihale continued

Nathan shows up to polihale with his girlfriend, another buddy of thiers and two other girls.  We all proceed to have a bar b q  on the beach with beers and laughs and watch the sun go down.  Damien had to go back east side because of work in the morning but the rest of us stayed to camp.  Later on, Nate found out that a buh of his buddys were camping about a mile down the beach.  So we pack up camp,, put the fire out and headed to the spot.  Six or seven pickup trucks on the beach, huge bonfire, plenty of booze/food and it was on! Theres nothing like camping out on a warm beach. Why? Because you dont have to pack any layers at all.  The only thing you need is a sleeping bag and your bare essentials.  The most stars i have ever seen in the sky as well. Absolutely incredible!

Polihale

Loose translation of polihale is the land of lost souls.  We drove to the west side of the Island which is much  more dry than the east side and has more gnarly waves for sure.  I was pretty nervous to go out in this surf  due to the fact that it is bigger and more intense than anywhere ive ever surfed.  So i gathered my thoughts said a prayer and was paddling out.  Before i knew it i was in the impact zone getting pounded by wave after wave duck dive after duck dive.  The ocean spat me back out on to the shore and i sat there trying to hype myself up to get back in.  Ten minutes later i got back in more determined and in a better mindset.  This time i made it out to the lineup and Damien throws me  a shaka and im loving it. I got worked on a few waves but also caught a few as well.  This place is truly humbling in the best way.  

Night off

I have officially been here in Kauai for one week and its been the most incredible week of my life.  Two nights ago the " Tru Bruddahs", also known as Damien and Nathan Cwick, cancelled their show up on the North shore.  The reason is the night before they played a gig at "trees lounge" and needless to say we all  had a hell of a time and were not feeling up to playing all the way up there.  Later the next night Damien and I took a couple of ladies that we met at "trees" down to Kealia beach.  We made a fire, drank beers, and played music to the girls.....  and thats all i have to say about that.

day four

Got a pretty late start the the day. Damien went too hard for too many nights and it caught up to him this morning.  Nate picks me up this morning and we drive to the South shore to play some golf for nine dollars a piece.  Most incredible views i have ever seen and oh yea i beat Nate by two strokes.  Later after golf we drove down to the beach to check out a couple of surf spots known as "acid drops" and "cows ass".  We sat there watching these guys get pretty worked out there as we sat safe from a distance and drank beers.  For dinner we went to a sushi place Kintaros  which was amazing.  We ended the night early so as too get up the next day ready to surf.  

kanakapelea

I decided to venture out by myself this morning via my own two feet.  A jeep rolls by me with the top down of course and the two ladies inside throw me a shaka and aloha!  I get a little further down the road and the same jeep comes back in the other direction.  This time they stopped and asked "do you need a ride"?  I respond with "i dont really know where im going" and they say "neither do we get in"!  So i was off with my two new best friends Yadi, who is from Puerto Rico and Elife, who is from Turkey.  It turns out it is also the girl's first time to the island as well so we proceed to drive up to the North Shore which was absolutely mind blowing!  We got to know eachother and stopped at all the cool spots to run down to the beach and feel the sand, or jump in the ocean, or explore, a cave or stop for a fresh roadside coconut, or 100% Kona coffee.  The lovely ladies then dropped me off a Kealia to meet up with Nate for yet another surfing session.  Im getting much better and actually got some sweet rides.  Later on the boys and I had a gig to play at this kind of touristy resort but nonetheless it was a blast. 

Day two

So i wake up this morning in my tent at around five in the morning or so to the majestic sounds of..... roosters?  Why did'nt anyone tell me this island had a rooster infestation?  Come to find out they have no natural predators here except for the occasional dog attack.  Moving on, my buddy Nate scooped me up around 9 a.m. or so and we went down to "donkeys" to surf.  A little bit further up the east coast of the Island from Kealia.  These waves were bigger than yesterday and the beach was absolutely gorgeous! Had to hike down this path to get there and im talking sheer 100 ft cliffs jutting up from the ocean.  Totally worth it my back and shoulders hurt like hell from paddling so much and yes i got WORKED again.  Im going out tonight to see Nate play drums in this jazz band in town, should be a blast. Aloha and Mohalo! 

Mohalo

After I barely made my connecting flight in Arizona due to the plane in Denver getting De-iced for and hour and a half ( seriously running through the airport dawning a heavy pack and my guitar) i made it to beautiful Kauai.  Nowhere else in the world have i gone that have been this breathtaking.  Within 45 minutes of landing i was in the water pale skin and all trying to surf the "mellow" waves at Kealia.  My first wave in Hawaii was lining up and of course my buddy Damien is yelling to me not to take it but as i told him later "i couldnt resist it bruddah".  So, besides dropping in on my buddy and getting the washing machine treatment from the Pacific it was a great session.   

Last night in Colorado.... for awhile

As I sit here on the eve of my huge trip to the beautiful island of Kauai it is currently snowing in colorado.  I couldnt be more ready to get out of here and fully embrace the Island Style for a while.  No expectations, no reservations,  and most importantly no worries.  Aloha!