Logan’s a bro.

And he’s freaking FAST!

Fast enough to throw down against nearly 500 other riders in last year’s Ski to Sea and come out on top. Top Gun, that is: fastest dude on fat tires of the whole day.

In this podcast interview, Logan shares such tips as:

What piece of gear you can add to your bike to go notably faster, that you usually would NOT see on a mountain bike;

What most riders who throw chains and get flat tires have in common;

What he spends 90% of his training time doing — and it ain’t mountain biking!

Whether he rides 29″ or 26″ wheels on the notoriously un-technical Ski to Sea mountain bike course;

And lots, lots more!

Crank up the speakers, and enjoy the interview!

We got a bit of that on day 1,and had settled in for a week of pure Aloha! But on Day 2 a true Pacific winter storm blew in and it’s been typhoon-like for the past 48 hours, non-stop. In a word, it’s been EPIC!

More on that in a minute, though. First, a bit about where we are…

We fell in love with the beach and waters off Lanikai on Oahu’s southeast shore the first time we stayed here, in 2006. That trip was to race the Molokai OC6 World Champs for the first time, and we’ve returned here 3 times since.

On this trip, we rented a vacation cottage about a block off the beach, with a pool and exercise area — things both we and Hayden love to have at hand.

We’re geared up with a surfski, stand-up board, a full rack of other boats like OC-1′s, Ocean Kayaks, a kids boat… pretty much anything we’d need or want, all thanks to our friends the Scales family, Mike, Karen, and their boys Stryker and Skey.

The vibe is super mellow on the golden sandy beach here in Lanikai, the antithesis of the Waikiki scene. Hayden’s had us building the sand version of every aninal in the zoo or on a farm during our 3 or 4 daily trips to the beach. The only diversion that’s worked on him so far is to announce a session of “Rocket Boy!” where he’s taken to call for bigger and bigger air the bigger — and heavier — he gets!

Water-wise, the area immediately off-shore is protected from the brunt of the Pacific swell by coral reef, so for close to a mile out it’s relatively calm unless the wind is nuking, but still no ground swell really comes through.

At the edge of the reef sits a pair of ridiculously photogenic islands known as the Mokes, or Mokuluas. The area to either side and between the Mokes is where the action begins wave-wise. On past trips we’ve paddled and surfed between them doing lap after lap, heading a couple miles beyond and linking waves back in through the center channel.

On this trip, though, the first big winter storm of the season slammed the islands and stacked up HUGE swells that exploded against the islands, and closed out across the channel between them. I did a bit of “high adventure” paddling (and swimming) out beyond them on Wednesday, but have for the most part stayed inside the reefed-in area since then.

On Thursday we took a drive along the coast south of here past Koko Head, stopping at all the surf breaks and overviews along the way. Watermen and waterwomen young and old lined the breaks and rode waves standing, laying, kneeling and quite often tumbling. 

Being storm lovers, it’s truly an amazing thing to be in Hawaii — the surfing and big-water paddling epicenter of the world — during a big winter storm, and to see it in all its energetic, un-tamed glory.

Tomorrow, there just HAPPENS to be a race starting from the very beach we’re lodged next to! Heather races at 10, me at 11:30. We’ll report!!!

B, H & H

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Thanksgiving, after all, is a word of action. 
~W.J. Cameron

Happy Thanksgiving!

Brandon, Heather and Hayden

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As I pulled into the southern shore of lake, what we call ‘the wilderness end’, I was greeted by a team of swans taking flight from where they had been gathered on the lake. A bald eagle pirched on a treetop nearby while an osprey soared overhead. On the beach, Brandon and Hayden waved a ”Hello!” with grins as wide as mine.

And that was all before lunchtime!   

Stay Warm!

Heather, Brandon and Hayden

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To the next 8 years, and the next, and the next……

Happy Adventures!

Brandon, Heather and Hayden

Maui has turned out to be the kind of place

Since our last post, we’ve broken more out of our beach basecamp sanctuary of Kihei, and have explored:

• The magical Ahihi-Kinau Natural Area Reserve and La Perouse Bay, just a few minutes south of Kihei;
• Makena Bay, known to the locals as Oneloa Beach, where Hayden discovered “dune jumping”;
• Waianapanapa State Park on the Road to Hana (52 miles, 600 curves, 50+ 1-lane bridges) complete with a coconut palm-lined black sand beach and hike-thru lava tubes;
• The towering 400-foot-tall Waimoku Falls, glistening at the end of a 2-mile, up-river hike carved through bamboo forests;
• Sunrise from the summit of 10,023-foot Haleakala Volcano, WAYYY above the clouds and dramatic enough to enrapture and silence even a 2-year-old!

What’s been even cooler than these places we’ve experienced has been watching Hayden’s fascincation, excitement and comfort with the water, the surf, the Hawaiian landscape in general blooming and growing more and more every day.

After a week here, we’re heading home to Bellingham, totally satisfied and saturated on one hand… yet on the other hand, more inspired than ever to plan the next adventure!!!

Aloha!!!

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Coming off a busy spring work season and the race-centric lead-up to Ski to Sea,

No races, no real estate deals, no expeditions or circumnavigations. Just the beach, a SUP, a mini-van and 7 days to enjoy watching Hayden — and each other – experience this watery wonderland.

We chose for our basecamp the mellow beach-town of Kihei on Maui’s southwest shore.

Since our bodies (and certainly Hayden’s internal adventure-clock) are on west-coast time, we’ve been up at 4 a.m. and on the beach by 5:30 or 6 both of our first two days.

It’s good timing: the early-morning water is glassy calm and perfect for taking Hayden out on a sea-turtle scouting paddle and snorkel.

By 8 a.m. (almost lunch-time by Washington standards) we’re heading back to the condo for our 2nd meal of the day, and by then the wind is starting to wind up.

Today, we were back on the beach for the 2nd time by 10:30, and Hayden was ready to go out in the warm waves. Much to our satisfaction, the boy is made GIDDY by the water, waves, sand, sea birds, sand castles and everything else that defines this way of life. Even the condo swimming pool thrills him into an hour-long stream of laughter and games.

Today we ventured in the afternoon to the Maui Ocean Center aquarium. What a trip and a treat that place is!!! Hayden ran from colorful, life-filled tank to tank, face pressed to glass as critters of the deep swam up to meet the boy. His coolness as giant manta rays and hammer head sharks charged by him was kind of unnerving. Jacque Cousteau the sequel?

In the next few days, we’ll travel the legendary Road to Hana, explore the 7 Sacred Pools of Oheo, and stare into the crater of 10,023-foot-tall dormant volcano, Haleakala.

‘Til the next update from Maui… Aloha!!!

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Happy Adventuring!

Heather, Brandon and Hayden

Direct Link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B5LJwAyr9Ng

Happy 2010,
Heather, Brandon and Hayden