My new hobby. Underwater rock sculpture

Perfect activity for me. Very little thought involved and constant oxygen deprivation.

Busy July Fourth so far

Last Wednesday I met my buddy Elisa for our weekly dawn patrol of Hickam harbor. Conditions were perfect and we caught some nice waves for an hour or so.

Thursday was my last day of work at the HPARC. I decided to cut my time there short so I wouldn't have to hurry up and get off the water every morning before work. Now I can just stay out and surf until my arms fall off.
Friday Marianne and I bought some cheap fishing gear and went fishing out of the kayaks with Steve and Marie. It was fun and we both hooked up something big that we never got to the boat. Whatever Steve hooked into drug out all his line and smoked his reel before he lost it. I did land a baby hammerhead shark but I wanted to catch dinner.

Sunday I drove out to Kaena point for a ten mile HURT trail run. After eating popcorn and wine for dinner Friday I didn't expect much but I ran a great race and placed 6th or 7th. I like races that you can just walk up, pay ten bucks and are told that the finish line is to "touch this big rock right here" From there I drove directly over to Sunset beach for the Dahui paddleboard race at 11 oclock. Still haven't figured out how to go fast on my board but had a great experience. It looked like a floating circus when we got into Waimea. Marianne rode her bike down from the house and met me there. It was nice seeing all the different boards like this one made from old 2 liter soda bottles and this other wooden handmade beauty.

Life is good

Big Island redeux

We had so much fun on the big island we decided to go again last weekend. This time with no bikes, timetables or early mornings. We checked into the Mauna Kea
beach hotel on the Kohala coast. Probably the nicest place we've been in Hawaii. The bay was clean and clear with a riot of fish, turtles and even giant Manta rays. If your ever going there, this is the place to stay. We ate, drank and swam way to much and enjoyed every minute of it.

Honu Half Ironman

So with little to no training under my belt we flew to the Big island for the Honu Half ironman two weeks ago. I didn't expect any great performance and was hoping it wasn't going to turn into a death march for me. Lo and behold I had a great race, going the same time as last year ( 4:49) with a slightly harder run course. The run was stinking hot like always, but I usually race well in heat while others just cook off. I had made the decision not to do Kona this year but I didn't think I'd REALLY have to make the decision. I stuck to my guns and turned down my slot which is gut wrenching for me. Part of it was just not feeling like having to train up for it this year. Laziness I suppose. It was nice seeing all our friends and training partners. Maybe come over from the mainland next year and do it again?

See all of Oahu in 36 hours

Our friends Aaron and Danielle flew in for the Memorial day weekend. We were excited to do as much as we could while they were here so by the time they left I needed a day just to sleep and recover. Here's some shots of the highlights. And guys, I promise to check the surf report before kayaking and paddle boarding the North shore from now on!

Scenes from Hawaii

Summer is here and the weather has been unbeatable. The ocean has calmed down and has been like a mirror the last few mornings. Just nice long rollers to surf before work. Lot's of cycling and paddleboarding these last few weeks. I'm getting pretty good at not getting slammed every time I catch a wave now which makes it more enjoyable.

Paddleboarding , Tandem riding, unexpected cetacean

Saturday night we went to John's 40th B day party which was held as a "funeral" with his last will and testament and eulogy read. Everyone wore black mourning clothes and had a good time ripping on John. Sunday we woke up early AGAIN, and rode down to the North Shore for the Haleiwa metric century ride. We had borrowed our good friends Russ and Shannon's super high speed tandem. This is not your grandfathers bicycle built for two. After a few practice rides we felt we were ready for it. They say it can be a marriage maker or breaker. I'm happy to report we did fine. Marianne had total trust in my bike handling, (poor girl) and was always manning the engine room when I called back for " more power Scotty!" We were able to maintain 25-26 miles an hour on the flats with a few 30mph bursts for the first 30 miles. We decided to take it easy on the way back but still ended up hammering most of the way. This may be our next bike purchase.

So one more thing to report. I get to work this morning and notice it's just a gorgeous day. Sunny and totally calm. So I took the morning off and went paddleboarding once again. I'm about a mile and a half offshore and it's dead quiet when I look out in the main channel about fifty yards away and a WHALE breaches. After checking my pants for shit I watch it dive back under not to be seen again. Unbelievable.

Kahala Challenge

Another weekend in Paradise and we made the most of it. With my latest hobby of paddleboarding going so well I decided to do a race with it. I entered the Kahala challenge put on by the Lanikai canoe club. It was an 800 meter swim, 5K run and 2 mile paddleboard or stand up paddleboard (SUP) I was doing well until the paddleboard portion were my inexperience was glaring. I came in 12th place, it was a fun time and I learned a lot. Can't wait till next time. Right afterwards we drove over to Hickam Harbor and I took Marianne out with me on a rental.