Author Topic: The Chilly But Smokin Spring and Summer Gorge Report  (Read 98876 times)

pdxmike

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Re: The Chilly But Smokin Spring and Summer Gorge Report
« Reply #210 on: May 08, 2013, 10:00:42 AM »
Headmount--come on over to Oregon!  Better yet, find someone here with a birthday, and have him fly you over with 28 other Hawaiians.

stoneaxe

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Re: The Chilly But Smokin Spring and Summer Gorge Report
« Reply #211 on: May 08, 2013, 08:04:55 PM »
What's the water temp there now?...and more importantly August...looking like we'll be visiting then... ;D
« Last Edit: May 08, 2013, 08:07:22 PM by stoneaxe »
Bob

8-4 Vec, 9-0 SouthCounty, 9-8 Starboard, 10-4 Foote Triton, 10-6 C4, 12-6 Starboard, 14-0 Vec (babysitting the 18-0 Speedboard) Ke Nalu Molokai, Ke Nalu Maliko, Ke Nalu Wiki Ke Nalu Konihi

PonoBill

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Re: The Chilly But Smokin Spring and Summer Gorge Report
« Reply #212 on: May 08, 2013, 08:21:41 PM »
Boy, today sure was fun. The wind was howling, I bet we had some 45 MPH gusts--ripping spray off the water. Steve Gates from Big Wind did a test of his shuttle idea. Big success. He's talking about starting Memorial day, but I bet folks are going to bug him to start sooner, like tomorrow. Very handy not to have to pick up shuttle cars.

I took advantage of not having to race back to Nichols for shuttle duty to take my 12'2" X 26" Starboard Surfboard. It was slow, but I had a blast. I think that's going to be my standard ride. I'll probably take the F16 sometimes, but the 12'2" is such a hoot, it will be hard to leave it home. Constant surfing.

It's hard to get back up when you fall, and I fell three times (not counting the ten times I fell off trying to get back up), but it's worth it, and once you're up it's challenging, but sufficiently stable to play. I cut across the river just after the split rock to pick up the waves at the Hatchery and Swell City. Even just cutting across the river was great. I was dropping down to the bottom of swells angling North, doing one of my patented weak-ass backside bottom turns and then just staying low and slicing across the river. I think it was no more than ten waves to slice all the way across. Crazy fun.

Swell and the hatchery were big, but not monster overhead like they sometimes get. I think the wind angle wasn't quite right. But chest to shoulder high, and I got some big drops and lots of hoots from the windsurfers. Fun enough to drop down and let the current take me back for one more run. World's biggest escalator. I got a couple of good bottom turns the second run, and a noseride--well, a logo ride. Then I sat down, went halfway back, then cut across to Wells and rode the express all the way to Nichols. In a major league glide the whole way.

Everyone was dressed and dry by the time I got to Nichols, but I couldn't stop grinning and laughing. What a crazy great little board that is. It looks like a windsurfer next to all the big iron, but it's fun.
« Last Edit: May 08, 2013, 08:23:46 PM by PonoBill »
Foote 10'4X34", SIC 17.5 V1 hollow and an EPS one in Hood River. Foote 9'0" x 31", L41 8'8", 18' Speedboard, etc. etc.

PonoBill

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Re: The Chilly But Smokin Spring and Summer Gorge Report
« Reply #213 on: May 08, 2013, 08:27:52 PM »
Speaking of surfing at the Hatchery, I expect this bad boy is going to see a lot of river action. It looks perfect for the overhead fatties. It should be here in a week. Going to be a fun summer.

Foote 10'4X34", SIC 17.5 V1 hollow and an EPS one in Hood River. Foote 9'0" x 31", L41 8'8", 18' Speedboard, etc. etc.

covesurfer

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Re: The Chilly But Smokin Spring and Summer Gorge Report
« Reply #214 on: May 08, 2013, 10:21:09 PM »
Apparently, PB brought the wind with him. Today was the best day I've had so far this year and I've done fourteen downwinders since I started in March. It was like the best summer days today, sunny, warm, and blowing like stink. It never backed off, just felt like it built and built over the course of the run. If anyone else had said, 'let's go again', I would have.

The Big Winds shuttle was great. No rushing at the end of the run - time to hang out and talk about the run with everybody. We had a pretty good sized group, two OC-1's, a ski and six of us on standups.

My wife and I took a walk around 7pm and it was still honking on the river and I was comfortable in a tee shirt. In May! Around here, that's unusual - at least the past few 'springs'.

Demo'd the Bullet 14 again. Very impressed with this board. Had a fast run, under an hour and a half and caught more glides than I think I ever have on a Viento run. Part of that was the due to the excellent conditions. I'm afraid I like the Bullet better than my Glide. Ever since I tried this board on Saturday, it's all I've wanted to ride. Hope the summer in spring continues....

headmount

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Re: The Chilly But Smokin Spring and Summer Gorge Report
« Reply #215 on: May 09, 2013, 12:58:55 AM »
Yeah PBill brought the wind there and took it from here when he left.   We have none.  Hot here, like really hot.

covesurfer

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Re: The Chilly But Smokin Spring and Summer Gorge Report
« Reply #216 on: May 09, 2013, 08:02:55 PM »
It's Thursday and the wind was blowing so someone had to go. Small group of us, Karen, Jan, Josh in his OC and me. Pono was out today but he really got the best day of the year yesterday.

Rode my Glide today and had a surprisingly good and fast run. Wind was in the low to mid 20's with swell around 3 to 4 feet. For some reason, I was linking my glides a lot more than usual. Instead of my usual strategy, which is to go like hell from the start until I blow and start falling in, I held back a little and tried to stay more focused on being efficient and letting the waves be my accelerator more than the paddle.

Kind of weird riding the Glide after a few days on the Bullet. They sure are different boards but I really like both a lot. I have so much time on the Glide, it just feels really good to me. This after I was sure I liked the Bullet better. I think they're just both really good boards and you're gonna have fun in good downwind conditions on either one.

Jan is an extremely fast paddler. He was on an F-16 and had to have put at least 5 minutes into Karen and I. He basically paddles with the ski or the OC's. Looks like the good conditions will last  through the weekend so I'm  ;D

PonoBill

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Re: The Chilly But Smokin Spring and Summer Gorge Report
« Reply #217 on: May 09, 2013, 09:17:18 PM »
Let's not show him any technique. He's fast enough without it. Looks like he's mixing concrete.
Foote 10'4X34", SIC 17.5 V1 hollow and an EPS one in Hood River. Foote 9'0" x 31", L41 8'8", 18' Speedboard, etc. etc.

gorgebob

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Re: The Chilly But Smokin Spring and Summer Gorge Report
« Reply #218 on: May 10, 2013, 08:22:23 AM »
Wednesday was so fun. Great to catch the Big Wind shuttle with the whos who of the NW.
First downwinder for me this year and besides trying to cramp up it was sweet. C photo . Fiona on her 24"wide Javelin.
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headmount

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Re: The Chilly But Smokin Spring and Summer Gorge Report
« Reply #219 on: May 10, 2013, 08:54:45 AM »
Whose who is on first?

covesurfer

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Re: The Chilly But Smokin Spring and Summer Gorge Report
« Reply #220 on: May 10, 2013, 08:56:31 AM »
Fiona became a little speck out in front on that board. She is quite an amazing paddler!

pdxmike

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Re: The Chilly But Smokin Spring and Summer Gorge Report
« Reply #221 on: May 10, 2013, 10:26:47 AM »
Wednesday was so fun. Great to catch the Big Wind shuttle with the whos who of the NW.
First downwinder for me this year and besides trying to cramp up it was sweet. C photo . Fiona on her 24"wide Javelin.
Thanks, Bob.  FIrst I feel bad because I saw all you guys walking back through the park with your boards Wednesday night after your river paddle that I couldn't do, so I comforted myself with the knowledge you'd probably been hard at work all day earlier at the shop.  Now this.    :'(

PonoBill

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Re: The Chilly But Smokin Spring and Summer Gorge Report
« Reply #222 on: May 10, 2013, 01:14:23 PM »
Whose who is on first?

I was trying to figure that one out myself. The only Who I can think of in the Van was Dan Gavere. Though I have to admit you get a little jaded when you jump into Kelly's rig with Dave Kalama, Scott Trudon, Slater Trout, Connor Baxter, etc. etc.. And of course the world famous Bill Boyum.
Foote 10'4X34", SIC 17.5 V1 hollow and an EPS one in Hood River. Foote 9'0" x 31", L41 8'8", 18' Speedboard, etc. etc.

gorgebob

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Re: The Chilly But Smokin Spring and Summer Gorge Report
« Reply #223 on: May 10, 2013, 10:26:13 PM »
To me your are all rock stars!  ;D
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PonoBill

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Re: The Chilly But Smokin Spring and Summer Gorge Report
« Reply #224 on: May 12, 2013, 07:49:31 PM »
Did a viento run today with Greg (covesurfer). Looked like a low wind deal, but I decided to use my 12'2" again. It's a handful, but it fun and good conditioning. Sure is a bitch getting back up when I fall though. There's so little rocker that the nose sometimes disappears when I stand, and then there's no forward stability. Lots of wobbling until I can get it moving, then it's fun. Lot of work though.

The wind was better than it looked, and we got some nice glides right from the start. The waves off the drainpipe at Mitchell Point were amazing. I caught one riding towards Greg, but when I went to turn there was a cross swell that shoved the nose back and I ran right over him. No damage, except I fell again and it took a while to get back up in the big waves, so I missed some fun.

The Well Express was ripping though small, and there was good shove all the way to the end. Fun run, but as soon as I cooked dinner for Diane I crashed out on the couch. I never do that. Made some nice wild sockeye salmon on the grill, fresh asparagus saute'ed with paper0thin mushrooms, and pasta alfredo. Good grits. Sure was hungry.
Foote 10'4X34", SIC 17.5 V1 hollow and an EPS one in Hood River. Foote 9'0" x 31", L41 8'8", 18' Speedboard, etc. etc.

 


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