Post Padre Post

[Hendy]

Just about back to the citys, reflecting on a great trip,
lots of new kids on the block, putting in serious time on the water.
Addie going huge, Kari on the water in a downpour with no thought to giving up a second to get out of the rain(Nice)


Sam made the week with no bus rides & a some jumps

Aga progressing to ridding up wind (with great speed)
Bill going after the big air.

Elkster having a great last couple of days

Also a couple of new young guns Cal and Sam Krey both 15 years
had greAt success staying up wind also throwing a jump or two


Saddly little Debbie broke her leg at a bonfire accedent, but she was a trouper and went to the beach and dinners with a unsuported double fracture( tough chick)

Jenn B was super cool out in the lagoon up to her neck to get all the shots. Also to witness tricks your buddies were not buying, Thanks Jennatude
great times wind every day (but not all day)
thanks to Mike Tighe and the rest of the cast of charcters

Great fun if I forgot your best memory please add on

Hendy

[Tighe]

Yeah great trip for sure. Mike did a great job organizing and keeping things flowing.

Great to meet so many new faces and see so much progress on the water.

The wind was great for learning new tricks. Think I've added a few to my quiver.

Fun having the kids down. First time I've rigged with massive bubbles drifting by.

I've got a bit of photos and video I'll try to get up soon, but the real deal will be Jenn's work. Her dedication was amazing. Can't wait to see what she came up with.

Our last day was the icing on the cake. It was forecast as a E 5mph day. The winds came up to high teens for a couple hours late morning from the NW. We had a short break then it kicked in again and blew 18-22 all afternoon into the evening. A few of us saw the potential for the Red Fireball sunset that we know so well, so we headed out and were blessed with a magnificent sunset accompanied by the massive red fireball.

so nice

[Elkman]

Actually, I had a good day of riding on Friday as well. I blew the bladder on Thursday after trying to repair an abrasion that caused an air leak, so I brought the kite into Air Padre and had them fix it. After considering the options, I decided to take a lesson on Friday afternoon so I could finish my IKO certification and be able to rent equipment independently. The lesson turned out to be a good choice, because we were able to boat out into the middle of the bay and get a little more wind there. Brett, my instructor, gave me some really good pointers on being able to stay upwind and how to do slide turns, so I made some really good progress.

The wind came up Saturday afternoon just in time for a late-afternoon session. I rode for a few hours until it was close to sunset. Then, on Sunday, I got out there with Mike after the first morning kiters were finishing their session, but the wind was calming down. I was determined to get out there and ride anyway, so I got the big kite and big board out and kept trying to launch until the wind picked up again. Even though I ended up downwind at the South Flats, I was able to ride back upwind to get back to the North Flats and rejoin the other kiters. I think I spent about five hours riding on Sunday, just soaking it in and enjoying the experience. I soaked up plenty of sun as well.

It was a great trip. I've posted some of my photos on Flickr, including a few I took with the helmet mounted GoPro Hero.

[JRN]

IT WAS A BLAST, spending time with all of you both on & off the water. Thanks to the E-Side Crew for encouraging me to go. What a group, what fun, what memories! A special thanks to whomever retrieved my skivvies, tied them to Randy's back bumper, and parading them across the country for all of America to see! And to you, Keith for spreading the bread crumbs, and making my rentacar a seagull feeding station. I'll be looking forward to seeing all the pictures in the gallery.

[Judd or Dianne]

Dianne

[Hendy]

Normann your not mad about the birds, or is it the undies?
Hendy out

[Perry Pearson]

Forgot to post the pans:
Travellodge hot tubs.W/O salt water feet heal fine, do not under any circumstances use 5 toe vibram
shoes for kiting. Pressure Points and seam stiches do not match
21 broken kites...thats the tally
and this is if it was law of averages, not just rot from salty ,wet ,sandy conditions taking a toll on kites performing at the edge of design tolerances...how long can you tomahawk a kite into water under power?
long enough to say " I cant remember but keep on pushing"
Greasy slicks ..fine sand... hot days with sun rising... something is going to give

[MK]

Recall we rode in a sprinkle on 4/9 when we arrived. Didn't phase us. 6 days later it was shaping up to be a kite marathon of endurance with all the kiting we were getting.

Off the beach after sunset and under headlights (usually Jenns). Finding restraunts still open after 9pm and crashing late to get up and do it all again, day after day.

The rain came in after a few days and gave us a little recovery time in the morning. This proved to be a good time to grab a massage from our newb kiter Kari. I think it was "handy" having her along. Plus she rocked on the kites.

Nice pics Todd (Elk). Great food...don't forget the rack of ribs at The Brewery and Louies. Love the Stripes burritos for $1.61. I'll have to go back and get an "Addi burger."

Great group of houligans. Enjoyed our time. Some unforgetable rides with: Cory while we discovered some challenge courses; Jump sessions with Randy - just cranking on the kites to see how high we could go; Cruising in tight on rides with Tighe and his mobile video boom; Perry who is a style rider, seeing Aga and Todd smile; Debbie (pre-break); Pete while he was strapless; Dorian inspiring us all (he's 192 yrs old); Bill and Addi just giving it hell and letting loose under the canopy; Sam (both), Pat, Roger, George, Adam (both), and more I'm afraid I'll forget. Also, one solo ride across who knows how far of beach lagoon side; I completely lost site of the town and was kicking up rays, chasing groups of flying fish and absolutely blessed with solitude and scenery all in 6-12 inches of crystal clear, warm glassy water. Jenns lens work got us all in line and attacking her hundreds of times over the 9 days. She's got a mountain of photo's to sort through and we will all reap the rewards of her efforts.

Thanks to Jim and Patty for sharing the stoke and potatoe salad, Air Padre for the rentals and repairs, Randy and his gang for being the king of miscellaneous support, Jenn for getting the gear down and back and all for making a wonderful lifetime experience.