Some old friends recently sent me an article detailing the
top party schools in the nation. Our
alma matter Southern Illinois University didn't appear anywhere on it which
stung a bit considering that we were ranked among the top party schools in a
Playboy article during my second senior year.
SIU's faculty and the town of Carbondale set out to change this after
our class left in '92 doing enough damage to the party image that we're now an
afterthought in these unofficial rankings.
It got me thinking though, this trip were on is a lot like going back to
school. Only instead of learning in a
class room we're learning in the ocean and on the street. Plus, you can crack open a brew at anytime of
the day be it 1045A after you've surfed for 3+ hours or 3P when you're heading
down to the pool. There is a lot of down
time which was true of the college experience as well. The snap back to reality in this comparison
is obviously the kids. This also makes the comparison seem to buckle a little under examination, but hey it's pretty
close.
There's been a lot going on in the six weeks since this blog
was last updated. Surfing here has been
off the chain. We've seen consistent
swell as expected and had stretches of 5, 6 and 7 consecutive days where we've
surfed head high point break perfection.
Our surfing has gotten considerably better as a result. Ability to paddle into, read and surf waves
has greatly improved for both of us.
We've done some video with the GoPro which we haven't been able to share
due to HD video being nearly impossible to upload on our wifi connection.
Hopefully, we'll be able to get some up soon.
This week has been a bit of a downer since the swell has been small
forcing us to find other activities like "thing finder" from Pipi
Longstocking which Melissa is currently reading to Jordan. It's given us plenty of time to rest and lick
our wounds that inevitably pop up when you surf for too many consecutive days.
Thing Finder from the Tide Pools:
Jordan started kindergarten this week in the pueblo. We headed over to the school last Sunday for
an all school cleanup. The class rooms
are inside but still open to the elements which leaves it quite messy after a
couple months of inactivity. While the
school is small with few resources, it really cleaned up nicely after a couple
hours. Monday was the first official day
and Jordan predictably was upset to be left in a strange environment. He'll adapt with time and by the end of
October I'm sure it will be tough for him to leave all the new friends he'll
make. For all of you paying for private
school in the states for your kids this is costing us roughly $15 for the two
months he'll attend.
Jordan at the Gates:
Slater has become the unofficial mayor of Troncones. When we walk through the streets he is recognized
for his shock blonde hair and blue eyes which makes him stand out. He clearly embraces this as he freely says
"hola" and waves at people that smile at him walking down the road to
the store. Most of the people seem to
connect with him leading me to believe he might have a future in Mexican
politics. For now he'll just have to
retain the title of unofficial mayor.
The Mayor Having Ice Cream:
We're moving on to leg 2 of the "Not Currently Employed"
tour on October 30th when we'll fly to Managua, Nicaragua. Our original plan was to head to Costa Rica
next but after examining the surf breaks, crowds and costs Nicaragua trumped
that plan. We'll stay at Hacienda Iguana
which lies north of the Costa Rica boarder about an hour and a half. It is probably more remote than where we are
right now with the nearest town 30 minutes away. There are two exceptional surf breaks on the
property which is a gated community. Colorado's
which is one of the best barreling river mouth breaks in San Juan Del Sur and
Panga Drops which is a consistent horse shoe reef that fires with amazing consistency. There are a dozen or so more breaks in the
area so we'll be at no loss for surf.
We'll be pulling in on Halloween to our new digs which will be a lot of
fun. We'll check back in way before
then.....
