What A Long Strange Trip It's Been....

There are probably a lot of people out there that might have labeled my departure from the world of the working to go surf with my family for a year as a midlife crisis.  It's actually been more of a midlife awakening.  We've done more in the last 10 months than most people do in 20 years of taking vacations.  We surfed at least  4-5 days a week on average, learned (or at least improved in my case) Spanish, visited four different countries, had amazing cultural experiences, experienced some crazy tropical weather and made a lot of friends along the way.  Personally, I've lost almost 10 LBS and gained back another 10 years on my life without a doubt.

Our last week  to surf in Panama was a wild one.  We had new swell fill in that was pretty big the weekend before we left that saw 6-8' waves when the swell peaked.   The only unfortunate thing was that it was accompanied by some wind and less than perfect conditions at times.  We did have one last session on Monday 3/31 in uncrowned, head high, clean conditions.

Picture: Paunch Paddle Out, Last Session Turns at Paunch Reef:

 

It was very tough to leave the beauty of the Caribbean and Bocas del Toro, but it has to end at some point and what better way to end it than with a job offer.  I've accepted a job with Charter Media as the GSM overseeing western region properties in NV, CA and OR state.  It will be based in Reno and move us away from the ocean for now, but we'll be really close to family, the Sierra Nevada's, Lake Tahoe and a hell of a lot of great snowboarding and skiing.  Plus, Charter is a client of my former company making the transition easy and my new boss is a visionary that I'm stoked to be going to work for.

Pictures:  Leaving Behind the Beach Life & Paki Point Happy hour at 4P:

Our trip back home started on Monday 3/31 at 4P where we stayed in Panama City the night before departing on a 7 hour direct flight to LA on Tuesday.   We had 5 days in LA to tie up loose ends and see friends then it was on to Reno to start a new chapter where we've been since last Sunday 4/6.  Needless to say it's been a hectic couple of weeks with all the travel and were really excited to be here.

Pictures:  Snap Shots of Panama City to LA Leg of the Trip & Corporate Makeover in LA:

We've cycled through or have seen a lot of stuff on this trip here's a quick look at some fun stats:

Cool Exotic Animal Sightings in the Wild:

Crocodiles which we hand fed in the mangroves of Mexico

Stingrays in all 3 countries - one with a 6 foot wing span that jumped out of the water at the ranch nearly landing on a surfer.

Howler Monkeys in Nicaragua and Panama on many occasions in our back yard.

Tarantulas in Mexico

Black scorpions in Mexico and Nicaragua - one carrying dozens of baby scorpions on the mothers back

9+ foot python curled up on the trail I was running in Nicaragua and almost stepped on

Toucan in Buffer's yard in Panama

Parrots daily sighting in Panama

Starfish in Panama

Tree sloths in Panama

Blister Beetle in Nicaragua

Green Tree Frog Mexico

Bats in Mexico

Whales in Nicaragua which actually were breaching just outside the surf break

Fire ants that relentlessly bite you if you happen to get them on you in mainly in Nicaragua and Panama

Photos:  Campeon (Champion in Spanish), Tree Frog:

Breaks Surfed:

La Saladita - Guerrero, Mexico

The Ranch  - Guerrero, Mexico

Rio Nexpa - Guerrero, Mexico

Las Gatas - Guerrero, Mexico

Escollares - Guerrero, Mexico

Panga Drops - Tola, Nicaragua

Colorado's - Tola, Nicaragua

Playgrounds - Tola, Nicaragua

Playa Maderes - Tola, Nicaragua

Caranaro Reef - Bocas del Toro, Panama

Paunch Reef - Bocas del Toro, Panama

Photos:  Scott & Melissa Surfing Rio Nexpa  (one of our favorite breaks on the trip):

Surfboards Used:

6.0 Dev Rocket Fish - Returned to LA after Mexico leg

5.8 Firewire Hellfire - Returned to LA after Mexico leg

6.3 Dev Stingray - Sold in Mexico

5.8 Rusty Dwart - Sold in Panama upon arrival used in Mexico and Nicaragua

5.8 Town & Country Custom Epoxy - purchased in Panama upon arrival

6.5 Dev short board - Returned to LA after Mexico leg

5.6 Lost Bottom Feeder - Sold in Nicaragua

6.2 Dev Rocket Fish - Used duration of trip

5.10 Firewire Spitfire - Used duration of trip

Photos:  Surf Board Quiver:

 

Sunscreen:

29 tubes of Headhunter SPF 30 tinted facial sunscreen

5 Headhunter SPF 45 face sticks

Worn Out Board Shorts Count:

8 pairs Melissa

9  pairs Scott

3 pairs Jordan

3 pairs Slater

Birthdays Out of the  States:

Melissa  10/8 - Troncones, Mexico

Scott  12/27 - Hacienda Iguana, Tola - Nicaragua

Jordan  3/1 - Bocas del Toro, Panama

Slater 3/14 - Bocas del Toro, Panama

Lost or Stolen Items:

New Martin travel guitar left in the overhead on Avianca flight from Mexico City to San Salvador

Rip curl tide watch stolen out of our door less Jeep in Boacs del Toro

2 pairs of flip flops stolen in Panama

Nearly lost our entire bag of electronics, pass ports and exterior hard drive in Liberia leaving a computer bag in a 4X4 cab which we took from the boarder and was driven back to us a few hours after the police turned our cab driver around.

Favorite Kid Beach in Each Country (ranked in order):

1)  Red Frog Beach - Bastamentos Island, Bocas del Toro - Panama

2)  Troncones Point - Guerrero, Mexico

3)  Playa Drago - Bocas del Toro, Panama

Photo:  Red Frog Beach:

 

 

While in LA, a lot of our friends were asking questions about our return to the states and how we felt.  Honestly, we couldn't be more excited to be back in the USA.  You can only live out of a backpack and board bag for so long before you want to get back to a more normal existence.  I would also be lying if I didn't say this was the best thing we've done as a family.  The cultural experiences and meeting locals in the countries we visited has enriched our lives for the better.  Seeing how people live in every country we were in also made me realize in no uncertain terms how very lucky we are to live in America.  We drove down many rural dirt roads in all three countries where families live in tin roof shacks with no water or electricity in some cases.  Many people in these countries really live hand to mouth and it's a hard, hard existence.  While we were comfortable on our trip, this certainly wasn't a 10 month trip to a Sandals resort which is what made it so special.

Photos:  Kids Reunited with Friends in LA:

 

Adventure has always been an important part of my life and looking down the road to the next several years I'd say were poised to have a great run of it here in Reno.  Outdoor recreation is huge here and California isn't that far away, so surfing is still on the menu so to speak along with a smorgasbord of other activities.  I've had a lot of fun cobbling together these blogs and they'll serve as a great reminder of our trip.  If you're reading this I hope you find some inspiration in all this to interject some random adventure in your life.  What we did as a family was pretty extreme on the adventure scale, but you really don't have to look that hard to shake up your everyday life if you want new experiences.

This will probably be the last blog for a little while now that I'm back to work.  Our family adventure is far from over and I'll continue to use this space for telling our story.  For now,  a special thanks to all friends we made on this trip in Mexico, Nicaragua and Panama.  This trip wouldn't have been the same without you all.  Checking back in, for now......

Photos:  Best Sunsets & Great Friends - Mexico: