If there is no risk, there is no adventure!

Aloha everyone!
Sorry for the extended absence from writing. As if anyone actually reads this.
Since I last wrote I’ve been doing much of the same…Surfing, sailing, hiking, carving, and enjoying beautiful Hawaiian sunsets.
A few months back I convinced my friends, Michael, Keith and of course…Oren, to Kayak from Maui to Lanai in the middle of the night on a full moon. The trip is 14 miles. We started at 10pm and finished 6.5 hrs later. The channel can be a little tricky with changing currents, but that night it was a rather smooth trip. It isn’t until about mile 9 that we all started to ask ourselves, “What the hell are we doing?” All I could think about was a big fat burger and a milkshake. The crossing helped me appreciate the little things. For instance, if I would have sat on a couch all day, a cold beer would sound okay, but when you paddle 14 miles, a warm beer sounds amazing.
Oren’s Brother Mickey has since quit his job as a corporate Lawyer and now works for the Obama campaign in North Carolina. Oren has been training for a triathlon, but still eats too much…to quote Oren, “BRO I’m so Fat!” I’d be right next to him training, but I won’t be around in June.
On Wednesday I’m taking the super ferry to Oahu to haul out Randy’s boat ‘Rosinante.’ It is a 63'x 45' custom–carbon fiber and epoxy–Hughes/Perry designed trimaran. Here are a few links to check out:
http://www.graphicdesignstudio.net/Rosinante/
http://sailrosinante.blogspot.com/ (this is our new blog)
In June we are sailing to Fanning Island, which is an atol just a thousand miles south of Hawaii (http://www.fanning-island.com/). It is absolutely pristine and the only way to reach it is by boat. We are planning to stay for a month. I’m officially stoked! We are going to try to update the blog with our satellite phone. The crew is Ginger, Denver, Kenny, Ian, Lilly and Captain Rand (aka Capt. Crunch or RC).
Do follow along. Many Alohas

A Whale of a Story

Back to work. Oren and I arrived safely last Tuesday the 12th and I’ve worked everyday since. All of my free time has been spent surfing, running, swimming, golfing, and hangin out with the boys. My friend from my younger years, Tyler, arrived in Maui last Friday. Unfortunately on his second day he cut his hand on a piece of broken glass while doing our dishes, so he is learning how to relax on the beach now.
In the last week we have had the most amazing whale watches of my life. On Saturday we had a group of males chasing a female and its calf. The 50 ton female was using our boat to block the males. And yesterday we had a mother teaching a calf how to do peduncle slaps just 50 yards away from our boat.
My first day back I managed to do an indo on my beach cruiser and land on my face. Now I have 3 more scars to add to my 20. Maui is amazing and I am so glad to be home. If anyone ever wants to visit, just feel free to give me a call. (808) 344-9536. Aloha

...the girls make me do all the work!

I Got Love for Tasmania

Before heading to Tazmania Oren and I took a ferry and bus to Coogee, to run along the cliffs to Bondi. Oren used to live in Coogee went he studied in Australia years back. His stories of Coogee are classic. The cliffs were beautiful along the cliffs, I kept telling Oren... closer, closer! In Bondi we stopped at an art gallery that Mikey told us about called aquabumps.com. Check it out! For lunch we stopped at Beach Burritos Company and we ate the most unexpected best burrito in a long time. But watch out for the pink ice drink, can't count how many times I got an ice headache.

Thursday night we hopped on a plane for Hobart, Tasmania, with a short stop in Melbourne. As the plane was landing the pilot announced, "The temp in Hobart is a crisp 11 degrees Celcius." I had no idea what the conversion to fahreheit was, but when I got off the plane I soon regretted only packing tank tops, boardies and sandals. That first night I froze my arse off, so in the morning I decided to pick up a fleeze. Hobart is a pleasant city, if you can even call it a real city. That first night we walked down to the marina for dinner as the sun was going down...very picturesque.

Oren's mom Aliza is great. When it comes to directions, places to eat, etc., she likes to get a first, second, third, and sometimes fourth opinion. Of course us boys don't feel like we need any opinions. But we did make it everywhere we needed to be. Thanks Aliza.

Friday was a busy or in other words full day of adventures. We started in Hobart and drove to the top of Mount Wellington. From the top of the mountain we had an amazing 360 degree view of the city and countryside. Of course we took tons of pictures. And on the way down we stopped for a short nature walk. I wish I had some way of bringing back the smells to share with everyone. The euchylyptus trees produce this smell that just makes you smile. Oren couldn't stop walking off the trail and smelling the trees.

On our way up north we stopped in Richmond at the Meadowbank winery. We tried 9 different wines, including an interesting sparkling Shiraz.

There was a great qoute by Madam Lilly Bollinger on the wall at the winery that read, "I drink champagne when I am happy and when I am sad. Sometimes I drink it when I am alone. When I have company I consider it obligatory. I trfle with it if I am not hungry + drink it when I am. Otherwise, I never touch it - unless I am thirsty." Great principal to live by! After the winery we headed down a dirt road to an olive grove, to get some olives and feta for the night. Just a quick fact, Richmond has the oldest bridge in Australia. The bridge was very uneventful. There was also a no parking sign at a local grocery store that gave us a good laugh, it read, "NO PARKING. Every third person parking here without permission gets shot, the second one just left!"

We stayed two nights on Promise Bay in the Freycinet National Park at the Lodge. We stayed in cabins and the lodge had a beautiful dock that extended 100ft out on the water. The first night we just lounged around and listened to a solo guitar CD, while drinking the wine from Meadowbank and eating crackers with roasted chile red spread and tons of cheese. That night before I went to bed I took the longest warm shower. Isn't it so true that long warm showers are the best in cold places!

The next morning Oren and I woke up early and went for a 6k run to Sleepy Bay. On our run we were visited by a Wallaby (small kangaroo). When we got back we ran down the dock at the lodge and took a very very short dip because the water was shockingly cold. Aliza and Jay rounded us up for a 12k circuit hike to Wineglass Bay and Hazards Beach. I plan to sail to Wineglass Bay! On the hike I brought along a native Tasmania tree book I borrowed from the lobby and tried to identify trees. I was successful in identifying the Banksia Marginata and Casuarmina Stricta. I had to ditch the book because I was tired of running to catch up to everyone.

Dad: I wanted to grab some sand from Wineglass Bay to add to your collection, but the consensus was I wouldn't make it through customs and agriculture in Hawaii.

Despite being sore the next morning, Mikey, Oren and I decided to wake early and climb Mt. Amos. The hike was a little dangerous and steep, but we made it to the top. One of the best climbs I've ever been on. The pictures I took from the top, do not do the view justice. Standing on massive boalders we could see Promise, Wineglass, and Coles Bay. We had to do some controlled sliding on the way down. You can see why from the pictures. When we got back to the parking lot there was two Wallabys hangin out. There was a mother with baby in her pouch. She would even let us touch the babys head. Surreal experience! Made me thankful that I didn't order the Wallaby on the menu the night before =)

Leaving Freycinet we looked back at the lodge and mountains and all agreed it was a great weekend. Well done on the pick Mikey. We drove another two hours north to the wine and food festival in Launceston. When we got to the festival there was atleast 30 concession stands, a Neil Diamond cover band, magicians and some locals shakin tail. Oren's philosophy was wait until all the venders are about to shut down and throw out their food, then run around and ask for free food. It actually worked and we got pissed and super full. So full, that I had a hard time getting out of my chair. After catching a late flight last night, we are now back in Manly, but just for another day before we head back to Maui sweet Maui.

Jay and Aliza left this morning for New Zealand. They took such good care of me. Two of the most compassionate, generous, and caring people I have ever met. And I don't know anyone that can match, nor come close to Aliza's energy. Cheers for a great weekend!

I absolutly love travelling! No cell phones, no list of things to do, no hustle and bustle , no work (in this case), new things around every corner, different foods, and loads of great new friends to be made. My brother is studying in Uganda right now. How cool is that?! Can't wait to hear the stories he has. Cheers to everyone that followed my blog. Felt like everyone was almost here with me.

I'm tooo lazi two prouf reed so iph I maid som sp mistackes...piss off! Sweet as Mate.

From Kebabs to Caviar

We're now back in Manly Beach, resting from our adventures along the coast. Last Wednesday Oren played a three hour set at the cafe 'En Situ.' There was quite the turnout and even Mikey came up to play 'Mango Kisses ' with Oren.

On Friday Oren's parents arrived. They told me over lunch that they were adopting me for the next few weeks. The first night they took us all to 'Quay,' which is one of the best restuarants in all of Sydney. From your table you can see the Opera House on one side and the Sydney bridge on the other. Amazing!
It felt like I was on that cook off show and you wouldn't believe what I ordered. First I started out with Sea Pearls (sashimi tuna , pearl meat, aquaculture caviar, smoked eel, sea scallup, octupus). Then for my second plate I had slow cooked quail breats, baby radish, eschallots, olorasso, truffle infused milk custard, and milk skin...simply delightful. That was followed by brioche crusted pink snapper (with celery heart, elderberry, parsley root, hazelnuts, brown butter, and young leeks). For dessert I had a five texture chocolate cake and the fifth texture was hot dark chocolate syrup on top. I can't decide what was the best part about the restaurant; the 9 people that served us, the amazing view of the opera house, the fact that I had no idea what I was ordering, or the muddy tasting Wine?! hmmm....

Lately Oren and I have been trying to get back in shape after eating disgusting for the past two weeks. Surfing twice a day, eating salads, running on the beach in the morning, and today, we woke up early and swam in the open ocean Cole Classic swim. I'm still a little tired from the swim, so excuse me for the short blog. Here are a few pics!
I think we are going to watching the game tomorrow...go Patriots! Then run 8k's to Bondi Beach. Off to the Blue Mountains Tuesday to rock climb, that is if the weather cleans up and Tazmania over the weekend. cheers all! zzzzzzzzzzzzzz...

Check it out!

I must clarify that it is Mikey, not Mickey. Oren corrected me. For some reason I thought I saw Mikey write it like that once.
Also, we were reading the paper this morning and we found a great article about Jack and his new album. Thought I would share it with everyone!

Jack Johnson Gets Sparkey
Nui Te Koha
January 27, 2008 12:00am
//JACK Johnson tours with two sets of demands. The first is an eco-friendly backstage wants-list of fresh organic fruits and vegetable platters.
Johnson's other requests are for his wife, Kim, and their two young sons.
"Family is first and foremost," Johnson, 32, says.
"I build my career around them. When I tour, I design it so that in any given place we have time to see parks and zoos and museums. It's a family road trip," he laughs. "And at night, I disappear to go and play shows."
Johnson's new album, Sleep Through the Static, was partly recorded in the garage of his home in Oahu, Hawaii.
"I had to declutter first. In between records, my studio had somehow become the boys' playroom."
When Johnson needed to finish the new album in Los Angeles, his wife and kids went, too.
"I can handle a few days away from home, solo. More than a week, then the family road trip takes over."
Family, love, death and circle-of-life themes play heavily in Johnson's new songs. Recently he has helped raise his two sons but also watched close friends end their marriage and cancer take a 19-year-old friend.
"Life deals us whatever it deals us," Johnson says. "I had to say goodbye to a close friend. It was a reality that everyone who knew and loved him were dealing with.
"I spent a lot of time thinking about him, spending time with him . . . in the end, writing songs not necessarily about that situation.
"But it was on my mind. I'd talk to my kids and, seeing them grow up, it was always in the back of my mind: all things must pass. It made me reflect and appreciate every day."
Johnson's conversations with his sons about life and loss inspired a few new songs, including Monsoon.
"It is about the inter-connectedness of all things," Johnson says. "I was trying to explain to my son how souls function."
Early reports about Sleep Through the Static said Johnson had left his sea-swept soft rock sound for something electric. That is partly true.
The album starts with the melodic, folk traditions of Johnson's hit albums In Between Dreams, On and On and Brushfire Fairytales.
Further in, he stretches out with different instrumentation and freer song structures. His producer and regular collaborator J.P. Plunier inspired the change.
"It's been '4ft to 6ft and glassy' long enough," Plunier told Johnson.
The singer explains: "It's a term to describe the perfect day of surf. But it was Plunier's way of saying something to me without being offensive. It was time to bring in a few new moods and feelings – make things more dynamic."
Initially, Johnson meant the album title, Sleep Through the Static, to be cynical.
"We are at war, but it's a war that television viewers can turn on and off whenever they feel like it. We can ignore it. We can sleep through the static."
Lately, he prefers a more positive take.
Johnson's home studio is solar-powered. He built a similar facility, called the Solar Powered Plastic Plant, in Los Angeles. It has skylights, walls insulated with recycled jeans and recycled timber panelling.
Johnson follows the eco-friendly lead of Neil Young, Willie Nelson, Jackson Browne and Pearl Jam. "Willie had a biodiesel bus, so we got one, too," Johnson says. "I'm jumping on these traditions to become part of a group trying to make a change."
Johnson has a greater affinity with those classic rockers than the pop charts he dominates. He has sold 15 million albums worldwide.
"There is a whole music industry that feels foreign to me," he says. "Big record companies pumping out formulaic bands. I've never been a part of that."
But Johnson, whose independent record company, Brushfire, is overseen by a major label, is prepared for another album tour. His world tour starts in Australia in late March.
"I need to clarify something," he laughs. "I do not own a house in Australia. That gets exaggerated."
But Johnson is a regular visitor Down Under.
"I felt at home in New Zealand and Australia right off the bat," he says. "Here's a guy in flip flops singing about sunnier days. I was the summer vacation guy."//
couriermail.com.au

i love jack's last line, very fitting, since I pretty much live an endless summer=)

Sailing with Sisca

The boat we sailed on was Sisca, which funny enough, is russian for "red titties." Our group was made up of French, Germans, British and ourselves. Our captain was Chey, with deckhand Gem and chef Megz. Once we told the crew we worked on boats and we are 1st mates, they put us right to work and they kept us working the entire trip.

We started sailing from Airlee Beach, past Pioneer Pt. and through the Hook Island passage, then south to Dumbell Island where we spent the night. By days end we had travelled over 50 miles. The first night Gem skiffed us over to the beach for little game of sunset beach soccer. It was an intense game, but Oren scored on an assist from me to win the game. Yea Buddy! That night captain Chey showed us how to play the didgereedoo with a 5 foot long pvc pipe, which he later gave to us as a gift. And the stars that night provided an amazing backdrop. It almost seemed as though there were more stars than darkness. Megz pointed out the southern cross constellation, which is on the Australian flag and tattooed on her arm. Unfortantly my camera couldn't get the shot.

The next morning we sailed to Tongue Bay on Whitsunday Island, where we hiked to Whitehaven Beach and Hill Inlet. Whitehaven Beach is one of the World's Best Beaches, all you need to do is see a pic and you will know why. The sand is incredibly white, made up of nearly pure silica, whcih is a very fine quartz (99.8%). To the right of Whitehaven is Hill Inlet where tidal movements influence the inlet and are continually shifting. From the Hill Inlet outlook we were blown away by its beauty and of course, we took a million goofy pics just so we could say we were there.

I reached the thousand mark this morning, having taken 1000 photos on our trip...ouch. The fish pics are for you Andy! At Blue Pearl Bay, we swam in the Great Barrier Reef. For any of you that don't know, it is that largest tropical coral reef system in the world, covering 2000km or about 70 million football fields. Despite having to wear stinger suits because it is jelly fish season we had an 'epic' time. We saw a huge Elvis fish (Hump-headed mauri Wrasse-2.3meteres), a Loggerhead turtle, Short-finned batfish, Banded Humbugs, Estuary Rockcods, a family of clownfish, a Sea Mullet, and I swam briefly with a Reef Shark under the boat.
On our way back to Airlee, captain Chey told me to take the helm and he let me sail all the way home from Blue Pearl Bay, about 20 miles. Simply amazing, cheers Chey! Chey said we were the best crew he has had in six months and that Oren and I should have been payed for working. We told him that he prob allways says that, but he also came out for a few drinks later and brought his wife, who claimed Chey hadn't come out to the bars in 6 months.
Love that guy!

Well everyone, a few days rest in Airlee, then we are flying back to Manly, Sydney. Those of you that sent addresses...I put your cards in the mail before I left for the Whitsundays. Oren's parents get here in a week and we are going to Tazmania. Wines, cheeses and hiking...yummy!

4 Wheel Drivin on Fraser Island

We made some wonderful friends these past three days on Fraser Island. Team C, as we were called, was ourselves, Chris from Germany, Genevieve and Erin from Canada, and Nick, Lee, Jack and Gill from England.

I've lost track of days, yet I believe today is Thursday. On Monday morning, we packed up an old Landcruiser with 4 tents, a shovel and toilet paper, food supplies, a map, water, tarps, our 7 new friends, and of course beer and wine. Not to mention "howz it hangin." So chalk up another epic adventure!

We took a barge from Rainbow beach to Fraser Island and as I pointed out in the last blog it is the largest sand island in the world. Before we left we were warned not to go into the ocean bc there are tons of sharks and deadly jelly fish.

Our first stop we drove 5 kms inland to Lake Mckinsey. Of course, Oren and I swam across the entire lake, a little over a mile. Oren said it felt like ten miles and I would agree. When we would get tired we would dive down and drink the water.

On our drive down from the lake we encountered a little problem. 3 of the 5 bolts on our back left tired had sheered off the tire bc they hadn't been tighted enough... the verdict was that it wasn't our fault. So Mickey, Oren, Jack and Nick headed back up the road to l0ok for help. We weren't very optimistic that they would bring back help, but we were fortunate to get a mechanic within an hour. Mickey had to use the SOS rescue line at the lake. The operator said do you need the police, hospital or fire department, and giggling he replied, "i need a mechanic." So she transfered him to the police! And it worked out in the end. The mechanic said we were one of his top 3 groups, but not 1 or 2 bc we were too self indulged...lol.

On Fraser Island you have to allways check the tide charts bc to get to most places you have to drive on the beach and you can't drive when the tide is high. After our little incident, we had to make camp bc the tide was coming up.

The first night we cooked chicken stir fry on our little stove. It was the night before the full moon so we all had a little moment on the beach before we hit the sheets. Oren and Chris entertained us with backflips.

On our second day we woke up early and Oren and I made eggs and toast for everyone. We had to wait til 11 to hit the road, so we passed the time with a little howz it hangin.

Incident #2, we let Lee drive! Stuck in the sand just 300ft from our campsite. Took us a good 45 min to get our car dugout and we were on our way. First we stopped at shipreck, then headed to Indian Head, and back to Eli creek. Oren and Mickey trecked up the creek and used a big stick to scare the girls into thinking it was a huge snake...and it worked!The boys and girls really took to the Carlton draft and the goon(wine) throughout the day. Oren was doing backflips off the back of the other trucks, Mickey was slapping the goon and the boys were wrestling. The night got a little crazy when a few of our canadian friends, that we had met a few days earlier playin ball, showed up and wanted to hear Oren play. Soo fun! Everyone had headlamps and we went NUTZ!

Took us a little while to gather ourselves and clean up in the morning. We then drove up to lake Wabi. Absolutly breathtaking. We were boogey boarding down the sand hills.
This weekend was crazy fun. We'll miss our 7 new friends. Just a sidenote, we finished all but 10 cans of beer, not that I was any help, I may have finished a six pack.
A little aloha to everyone back home. Oren and I were sitting on the beach yesterday morning and were were saying how it makes this trip even better that were are going home to a place as beautiful as Maui. Everyone we've met is dreading going home to work, we are stoked!
We are now in Airlee beach. Tomorrow we are leaving for a 3 day 2 night sailing adventure on Sisca, a 80ft monohaul sailing rig, with 22 people around the Whitsunday Islands. Sweet as mate!

A few notes from our friends...
Chris wrote:
ok guys, this is it! I had an awesome time on Fraser...playing how's it hangin, gooning everybody in and imaginable position, jumping off sand walls and backfliping! Group C just handled every situation, we got stuck after 1.5 hrs of driving, our wheel was broken...thanks for entertaining us, Oren! Anyways thanks to the crew, hopefully see you again someday!
Lee wrote:
First of all, I would like to take a chance to apoligise to the crew for getting us stuck! I'm sorry guys I was feeling pressure. And secondly, I would like to thank the most awesome group of people, hwo made my time on Fraser Island, unforgetable and now I'm gonna "put this shit to bed."
Jack wrote:
First impression of the group, way good ("beer") we were all thinking the same way, I like that.
The first day was probably one of, if not, the best day of my trip so far, everything seemed to go well and even when we broke the truck, we all got through it and had a good time. To be honest my two favorite times were breaking down and getting stuck in deep sand, there was definatly a big sense of unity and success in the group.
I will never forget this trip and the people that made it amazing!
Gill wrote: (condensed, jack you can back me=))
While our trusty mechanic fixed the very dodgey loose wheel, the group really bonded over a sing-a-long sess and the creation of the game "extreme goo" - the rules are complex...you have to drink a shot of goon while either playing the ucalaylee or standing at the top of a ladder held by your trusty friends?!
We exhausted ourselves on day one and pretty much went to bed at 9 (so much for a party night?!).
After another incident, I realized that there is nothing "team C" can't solve and with a bit of sweat, blood and tears we were on our adventure again. From beginning to end I have laughed, I couldn't have wished for a group of better people, i have never known so much energy, karisma, wit, humor, support, piss-taking, banter throwing, insult making, to be in one place at one time!
Love you all! Long live Goon shots!! Cheers to you and you all for managing (somehow) to get all of our deposits back at the end of the trip. How we managed that after beaking the seat and the wheel and losing that all important cereal bowl I never knew!!