Author: Edgar

Only a Surfer…

Edgar, surf, Surfing, Travel

TSY recently shared an awesome adventure.
When it hit the Facebook bunch it received a lot of attention, some of which was very favorable, and some that came in the form of an ugly attack.

I’ve heard a phrase come up many times in and around the surfing community. “Only a surfer knows the feeling.” This phrase is a bit abstract. It is a bit inviting and sends several messages. 


After reading Leigh’s bear hunting article, I see the phrase in a new way. For most of surfing’s life, it was frowned upon. Surfing was thought to be a waste of time and simply not productive. Only a surfer knows, was sent to the folks judging and berating. It was a message that said, “Hey, you ever surfed?”  It asked “Could you, even if you tried?”  It said, “If you made the commitment that I made to do this thing, your perspective would not be what it is.”


When I spent more time with it, it echoes other sentiments found in the Indian’s Prayer. Do not judge your neighbor until you have walked a mile in their moccasins.  It is says judge not, lest ye be judged.


These simple ways of respecting one another have a common thread that seems to be lost in our cyber space.  I’m certain the cyber bullying would diminish if it were not cyber. In a one-on-one session, cowardice would silence this hate. With no accountability, some folks simply can’t behave or don’t understand how to control themselves.


We don’t all agree on everything and that’s good. The world is a lovely melting pot of ideas and pursuits. That’s beautiful, until ugly hate is allowed to creep in.  This is the stuff that perpetuates ill will, and we can control it.
If you can’t say anything nice, zip it.


It’s very simple.
If you are not able to apply some empathy, learn.


Only a surfer knows the feeling is not exclusive to surfing.
Only a Yogi…
Only a Vegan….
Only a Woman…
Only a Hunter…
Only a whatever…don’t be ugly to one another.
One more interesting point, and please fact check this, if you look at the hate-filled childish comments, they seem to come from a crowd that touts inclusion when it’s trendy.
Interesting to see who says what.
Enjoy what you do, and let’s all just be little sweeties.
If you can’t find sweet, then just zip it up.

Slides Around

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On a recent trip to Fairbanks Alaska, Marie and I had an interesting insight offered on a pretty slick (couldn’t resist) form of transport….dogsledding. We pulled into our accommodation and there were loads of dogs and sleds, literally. As we burrowed in to the goings on, our education on the event began. It turned out all of the dogs, mushers, and their supporters were just finishing up a thousand mile overland dog sled race. Every sled team was comprised of 14 dogs, one musher, and their support unit. The support came in to play, mostly at check points, some scattered over 200 miles apart. This would leave the 15 mostly in transit, and enjoying one another’s company.
The goal of the game is to…make time, and of course live to tell about it. One of the most interesting rules was centered around the dogs.
If you had a dog “fall out” due to exhaustion, sore feet, or just losing interest, the dog could not be replaced. Furthermore and to this point, any teams with under 7 dogs remaining were disqualified.
I thought these rules truly spoke to the commitment of the musher. The underlying behavior derived from this spoke to me of human and canine supporting one another in a pack fashion, and conjured thoughts of ancestors in tune with their world slipping along under mystical and primordial lights, happily sustaining themselves by an understanding of their world and their role in it, and with no WiFi connectivity. Amazing!!


The human spirit is something incredible. These things that are unquantifiable like love, passion, and the spirit of freedom are deeply rooted in us.  Our current condition becomes inconsequential when we recognize and feed that spirit, even if we don’t fully understand why, or how. We need to transcend; it is required to touch even fleeting joy.
Run and skate under the mystical lights. Howl, even if only in the privacy of your pack, and realize the chill in your blood does not belong to the frigid wind.
Cheers to you, Jack!

Edgar

A Welcome Change

Edgar

The heat index is around 120 F in South Texas, and the humidity is just under 5000%.  The air is so thick, you have to chew it to get it down.
I was recently reminded that September is next week, and praise the Lord for that.
Thankful for new seasons coming in and the exit of old ones.

Folks feel differently about a lot of things, and certainly there are various perspectives about change. It is certain and consistent that things do and will continue to change, and I say embrace it.

Welcome home fall.

I look forward to the snow of winter and the bitter cold of a Northern gale blowing in…

Happy Labor Day to all our TSY friends.

Edgar~

Endless Summer in Ghana

Edgar, Surfing, Travel

I recently had an interesting opportunity to surf an iconic surf spot, and when you hear that knock…well, wax up and paddle out.

I got a call early on a Wednesday.  “Can you go to Africa to…” I interrupted w/ a resounding “Yes.”  We worked out the details, well mostly.  There was some uncertainty about Americans being able to procure a VISA on arrival in Ghana, but nothing that some good old-fashioned straight-faced tenacity couldn’t overcome.


Sunday I was roaming around Ghana, Africa in awe and wonder.  Monday brought an onslaught of intense meetings w/ government, clients, shipping lines, etc etc.  I managed to find the time for some google searching, and was reminded that in the Endless Summer film the first African beach surfed was in Ghana.  Target acquired folks.

I started my education on geography, ground transport, swell report, and local safety.  After spending three to five solid minutes researching it, my scheme was in place.

I was flying in country for site walks etc and saw a gap between close-out meetings in Takoradi and flights back to Accra.  Wednesday night I lined out a driver for the next morning, and after I completed my responsible stuff, we were off.  After two hours of some interesting car traveling, we had arrived. 
This place was fantastic.  It had several local surf shops to rent boards on its dirt streets.  The wave was great.  Good solid swell made for a consistent beach break.  The locals were fun.  One of them provoked me into a three-way surfing competition, that just meant we watched each other and openly admired or laughed at the others’ performances.  With only about 12 people in the line up, there were lots of waves to go around.


After 2.5 hours I was surprisingly chilled and had to catch a flight.

I returned the board, dried off, did a wardrobe change, grabbed my driver, and we headed to the airport.  After some more interesting driving, I was at the airport and thinking about all of the unsurfed surf in the world.   After that trip, I know it’s out there.

Edgar~

Rides Around: Aboboyaa

Edgar, Travel

Traffic is interesting away from home.
It becomes a cultural phenomenon.  Think about a New York cab driver’s behavior on the road…see what I mean.


Accra is a city of five million people in the West African country of Ghana, and that is where we are looking in this week’s rides around.


We found an aboboyaa and a fairly disinterested driver.  The aboboyaa is a three-wheeled motorcycle contraption used for the delivery of local commerce.  Take note of what’s in the background of the photos…the goats grazing and the locals toting wares on their heads.
Ghana is no different; to a local it is normal.
For me, I enjoy the aboboyaa, its driver, the goats, and the vendors.
I enjoy learning from the locals about the trike, eating the peanuts purchased roadside, and laughing w/ my driver about the girls he will not marry.

The Rig: A well-used aboboyaa
The Location:  The streets of Accra, Ghana
The Driver:  A seemingly disengaged commuter
The Special Circumstance:  Taking in rush hour in Ghana

Edgar~

Rides Around: The Men That Don’t Fit In

Edgar, Travel

Last week’s Rides Around has us still thinking about why people like the spirit of motorcycles, and specifically adventure motorcycles.

Robert Service captured the spirit of the fabled open road in a poem called The Men That Don’t Fit In.  Taken as a whole, the poem may not accurately describe every adventure rider, but the lines that speak of the allure of the new, the challenge of the mountain and the love of the unknown can’t help but catch our attention.

 

There’s a race of men that don’t fit in,

A race that can’t stay still;

So they break the hearts of kith and kin,

And they roam the world at will.

They range the field and they rove the flood,

And they climb the mountain’s crest;

Theirs is the curse of the gypsy blood,

And they don’t know how to rest.

If they just went straight they might go far;

They are strong and brave and true;

But they’re always tired of the things that are,

And they want the strange and new.

They say: “Could I find my proper groove,

What a deep mark I would make!”

So they chop and change, and each fresh move

Is only a fresh mistake.

And each forgets, as he strips and runs

With a brilliant, fitful pace,

It’s the steady, quiet, plodding ones

Who win in the lifelong race.

And each forgets that his youth has fled,

Forgets that his prime is past,

Till he stands one day, with a hope that’s dead,

In the glare of the truth at last.

He has failed, he has failed; he has missed his chance;

He has just done things by half.

Life’s been a jolly good joke on him,

And now is the time to laugh.

Ha, ha! He is one of the Legion Lost;

He was never meant to win;

He’s a rolling stone, and it’s bred in the bone;

He’s a man who won’t fit in.

-Robert Service, Source: The Spell of the Yukon, and Other Verses (1911)
The Rig: 2008 BMW 1250 GS Adventure
The Location: Texas Hill Country
The Driver: a Robert Service fan 
The Special Circumstance: taking the long way
Edgar~

Rides Around: Sidecar Sam

Edgar, Travel
This week’s Rides Around features an eccentric motorcycle adventurist and a dear friend.  He is a legend of the west, often seen as simply a plumb purple streak wearing a rut in a Montanan highway.  That is Sidecar Sam.  We are going to focus on Sam’s Chief Darkhorse, although he has a variety of cycles to choose from.  Some wives might say too many….
Sam says, “A Motorcycle is the Perfect Vehicle to Explore the World and Your Own Backyard; the Sights, the Sounds, the Smells, the Feel of the Wind, Road, and Weather.”

Sam’s Philosophy:  “2 Wheels, or 3, is the best way to see the world.  You experience the places you visit with All of your senses – not just your eyes like when you are in an automobile, bus, train, or any other vehicle that is enclosed.  It doesn’t matter what Marque or Brand of machine you choose – they All have their Good points and Bad points.”

Sam’s been writing about his adventures for some time, and you can read more about his motorcycles, travels and family, on his website here.

The Rig: 2016 Indian Chief Dark Horse
The Location: on the open road
The Driver: Sidecar Sam
The Special Circumstance: featuring a friend
Sam was recently involved in a motorcycle accident, for more on that and how you can help, click here. 

Edgar~

Rides Around: Stretch Wagon

Edgar, Surfing, Travel

We found another great ride for our Rides Around series!  This is a custom bug on a South Texas beach.

Someone enjoyed bugs so much, they wanted more.  Instead of getting a second one, they decided to add more to the one they had.

They cut the body and frame, added some body and frame and… voila!  A little paint and some elongated linkages, and this thing was ready for the sand.  The genius behind this knew the stock bug engine was a little light, so they went ahead and through a V8 in her.  That should do it…

The most amusing part of this long bug, is the fact that the owner stuck w/ this theme and has a longboard on top.

I applaud the creativity, apptitude, and drive this creation took from its creators.

Well done!

The Rig: Stretched VW Bug
The Location: Some South Texas beach
The Driver: a creative and ambitious Louisiana gentleman
The Special Circumstance: as a species, our creative well is limitless
Edgar~

Rides Around: The Quintessential Coffee House Bus

Edgar, Travel

The next ride we are featuring in our Rides Around series is a VW bus that was spotted at a Couer d’Alene, Idaho coffee house.

It is amazing to me what these vehicles continue to represent.  They have been the quintessential mode of transportation, and sometimes lodging, for the folks living on the fringe, or at least dabbling in the lifestyle since their creation.  Their engine coughs in time to the beatniks’ groove, and the lines of their form takes the admirer to a different place in history.
My father owned one of these monsters, and I vividly remember being impressed by the functional space it had when set up as a camper.  We had spent years tent camping before he invested in this piece of luxury equipment.  He would perpetually endeavor to catch as many fish as he could, on any given weekend, at any freshwater spot within driving distance.  The van allowed maximum fishing time, due to its easy set up, and was much more comfortable than tent living.
When we were van camping, I always felt a sense of the fringe.  We weren’t living on it, but it could be seen from our camp.  Like the bug trip down the Baja, the VW drew attention and sparked many encounters w/ fellow travelers.
These rigs are fabulous and continue to  fill our minds w/ inspiration, start interesting conversations, and remind us of fishing trips w/ Dad.
The Rig: VW Bus
The Location: Lake City, Coeur’D Alene, Idaho
The Driver: a speculatively caffeinated modern day beatnik
The Special Circumstance: tripping down memory lane
Edgar~

Rides Around: Rekombinando

Edgar, Surfing, Travel

The second vehicle featured in our “Rides Around” series is a VW combie van with an interesting story and a fantastic paint job.  I was at a little surf spot just southeast of Corpus Christi, Texas, when I spotted this creation pulled up on the sand.

Before paddling out, I introduced myself to the driver, a bit of a surfing icon, and the father of an exceptional woman who was passionate about making a change and actively doing so through her “social project “.  It is called “Rekombinado” and can be read about here.  It is an educational mission based out of the van, and takes place en route from Brazil to Northern California.

I spent a few minutes discussing the van, its travels, and function w/ the gentleman in the driver’s seat before paddling out.
During my session, I contemplated purpose and passion and priorities.  I thought of how I choose to spend my time, and where I burn the most calories.  It was a bit of a self check-up that I passed w/ some ideas for improvement.

As I was wading back in from my surf, and wrapping my leash up on the tail of my board, the combie was pulling off into the setting sun.  It was undoubtedly headed out to continue its mission of education and love.

Funny how chance encounters can impact lives…

The Rig: VW Combie Van

The Location: Packery Channel, Texas

The Driver: a surfing icon named Joao

The Special Circumstances:  an amazing encounter during a Tuesday after work surf session

Edgar~