Shaneslogic

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A few years ago I had rented a surfboard for an hour while we were in New Zealand and I had managed to get up a few times and actually surf a wave. The funniest part of the experience was while I was laying on my belly trying to look for waves to surf I saw a wave that looked like a really good one. Way bigger than what I had been seeing. I paddled as hard as I could and managed to catch it. I felt the wave pick me up a little like it does in the river, and then I was able stand up after a lot of wobbling around and waving my arms. I finally got it together enough to look around and it was then that I noticed I was surfing a wave that didn’t even come close to being up to my knee. Its all in your perspective isn’t it?

Those first initial surfs planted a seed and every once in a while I would rent a board for a couple hours and try it out, but I never really got any feel for it. A group of us had tried for several years to put together a surfing vacation, well finally this year we got it together and it pretty much has changed my life, well at least for one week a year.

Dixie Marie, Big Simon from Switzerland, Maria (and her two kids), Whitney, Sophie, and I spent a little more than a week learning how to surf. It was perfect. Sayulita is a perfect spot for learning. Its a mellow little break that was consistent and soft. Its pretty fun to be a beginner again. You learn so much so fast. And it really is fun to be a total geek. Especially if you can laugh at yourself which is what I did a lot of.

It was great everyday. Wake up go do a couple hour surf first thing. Go get a cup of coffee. Hang out at the house. Eat some lunch. Take a nap. Go surf again until you couldn’t move your arms and then go drink margaritas and each fish tacos. Then repeat. I think we are going to do this every year.

We already started looking at our next trip where it might be, what the waves are like, what the logistics would be, when is the best time to be there, etc… sounds kind of familiar.

If you haven’t surfed before I highly recommend it. It was awesome. The one thing that was super lame though was some of the surfers attitudes. Its crazy to me that folks could have such an amazing sport, activity whatever you want to call it, and then have such a crazy attitude.

We did meet lots of very cool surfers and it seemed like the most experienced surfers were the coolest. I think they realized that there were plenty of waves. They even smiled and laughed when we cut them off and fell on our heads. They would give us little key instructions just when we needed them and ask us about the waves we surfed.

It really makes you appreciate what we do have with kayaking. Rarely if ever do you run into anyone that has a bad attitude on the river. Its an awesome thing we have I hope we can always keep it so casual.
Here is a video of the surf action with good surfers, and us.
Sayulita Surfing Video

Shane

Ian and Lane just spent a little time down south in one of my favorite countries to travel in. Chile rocks! 3500 miles long and around 150 miles wide. One border is the Andes mountain range and the other border is the Pacific Ocean. That makes for a lot of sick, sick whitewater. Every river pretty much tumbles out steep from the start, then working its way through miles of class 4 and then slowly mellowing out until it cruises the last bit to the ocean.

Ruta Cinco (Route 5) goes down the central valley north to south and acts as your access on just about every single run. The directions almost always start, “Get on route 5 go to kilometer marker number… and turn left up into the mountains.” And so it goes you just work your way south from the capital Santiago down the length of the country picking river after river. I always just thought of it as a ladder of whitewater. Drive south, take a left, go upstream, put in, paddle down, get back on route 5, drive south, take a left, etc, etc, etc…

There are other highlights besides the paddling also. Very good, very cheap wine. Avocadoes for 25 cents. Great ocean surf. Lots of mountain views. Oh I almost forgot you have to have a Completo if you go to Chile. Just go to a little sandwich stand or resteraunt and ask for a completo. Hmmmmm nothing like piles of mayonaise on a hot dog. Makes me a little queezy just thinking about it.

There are a few obvious paddling highlights. The Pucon area is known for some amazing creeking and of course you get down south to paddle the bigger water like the Futaleufu, and Baker rivers.

It looks to me like this video that Ian and Lane put together is almost exclusively from the Pucon area. Great creeking, great food, and very hot Chilean, and Argentinian women. I am pretty sure that the rivers got the boys to Pucon but it was the ladies that kept them hanging around.

Chile Video from Ian and Lane

Hey Ian and Lane I hope you like the music I put to your video. Well done fellas.
Shane