The "North Shore" Surf Adventure - April 12, 2008

On Friday, April 11, 2008, a friend of mine that I swim with at the downtown Minneapolis, MN YMCA asked me an interesting question - would I be interested in surfing on Lake Superior?

How could I resist? Here is my surf report for "L-Trains," a left-hand pointbreak just north of Duluth, Minnesota:

Air Temp: 25 degrees

Water Temp: 33 degrees

Surf: Chest to shoulder high on the sets

Comments: FUN! And the people were so great too, my friend's friend let me borrow his board, wetsuit with hood and booties! The way people hang out and are so friendly makes me think of how surfers in Hawaii must have been back before localism and crowds got out of control.

How good was it? Better than a bad day at Kewalos or Cliffs, about as fun as a good day at Irma's. Some of the longest ones I rode for almost 100 yards - my first time really at a left-hand pointbreak, so I was pretty stoked.

How cold was it? I was shocked at how warm I was in the 6-5-4 wetsuit, and how flexible it was - but my hands were really gold at first even in the 5 mm gloves. After a while, I got used to it, and ended up staying out for almost 3 hours!

What a great adventure! I hope to go again some time.

Here are some pics:

The North Shore of Lake Superior, that is. A long way from Haleiwa! And yes, that is snowflakes in the picture - it was snowing on the way to the surf (a 2.5 hour drive from Minneapolis to Duluth).

The setup at L-Trains - incredibly, surprisingly fun for "lake surf."

Natural board rack. Yes, we had to walk over snow to get to the water.

I struggled to get used to all the gear but ended up getting a couple fun ones, and even got a couple pics to prove I did it! Photo Credit: Bob Tema, superiorsurfclub.com (thanks again Bob!!)

I like this pic a lot too - but I'll give you two guesses what happens right after Bob took this picture - and the first one doesn't count (thanks again for making me look good Bob!).

The Minnesota Cussin'-In Ceremony Adventure

K got sworn into the Minnesota Bar on March 13, 2007. Most memorable about the ceremony was the court clerk's recounting of P's sister's pushing of the SWAT team button when P got sworn-in last year, and P's motion to the Supreme Court for K's admission. Look out Minnesota, there's another shark in the 10,000 lakes!

We Stand Before This Court . . .

Two Sharks Ready To Hunt!

Shakin' Hands

Swearin'

Waiting to Be Sworn At

Happy To Be Here

Blast from da (not so distant) Past #1: Blahlah and P-Diddy at the Lamplighter in San Diego, August of 2003. Also Pictured - P's buddy Lori in the background. Not Pictured - an interesting debate about the California Gubernatorial Recall election during the car ride home. 

Blast from the (not so distant) Past #2: Braddah Boy and Minsona's First Birtday Luau! July, 2006. NOTE: At least one of our 'ohana HAS to close his/her eyes in every picture - it's a family curse - can you find who did it here?

Where your teeth go to rest when you eat it. 

This could possibly be me but I doubt it. 

Tough crowd. 

Here's a nice pic James took from the beach, too bad it's not me. 

The bottom is scary. 

Da view from da sponge. 

No, I didn't catch this one either. 

Pretty. 

Nice, but have you seen the Minnesota River in January? Now that's paradise! 

I still haven't caught a wave, but it's a beautiful day. 

Yet another portait pick by James, with Kaena Point in the background. If you look close you can see the souls jumping off into the afterlife. 

Blahlah playing in the park. If only there were more waves. 

Toe's - a sequence from July 2006: da setup (do someting!) . . . 

. . . geev 'um, baddah . . . 

. . . putting some he'e on dat nalu . . . 

. . . a big blahlah swinging fo' da fences . . . 

. . . and da finish. 

The Herbie and M Wedding Adventure

Last weekend we saw some old friends at Herbie and M's wedding - good times were had by all.

". . . and in conclusion, I love children." Vote McDermott-DeLay '08