AFTER a great afternoon floating just beyond the break, and a beautiful sunset surf session at Cox Bay, the three of us, (Big Dirty, KDunc and myself) got out of our cold, salty wetsuits and went on the hunt for the rest of our crew (Gastis and Ollie). When we got to the parking-lot at Wikininish it was pitch black except for three bright headlights glowing in the distance (Ollie had strapped his board to a dirt-bike for his trek to the coast) as we pulled up closer a wild yet strangely familiar image came into focus: the silhouettes of two crazy individuals running around in their underwear trying to find clothes before the approaching car got too close... this- funny enough, is not an abnormal thing for west coast parking lots. As Ollie put on his pants and Gastis put on a man sized fuzzy fleece onesie our evening plans started coming together- FIND SHELTER.
The plan was to sleep at "Sky Couch", this haggard platform that overlooks the Ukee coastline. On arrival, Ollie ditched his bike in the woods and rest of us started unloading and stashing our boards when Kdunc (aka K-donkadonk) had the brilliant idea to make what we now affectionately call DITCH NOODLES. What are ditch noodles? Well- Simply put, Spaghettini and pasta sauce. What makes ditch noodles so special is how they are eaten... picture it; 5 grown men huddled in a ditch on their hands and knees eating, communally, like a pack of wild dogs from one pot, using whatever utensils available- I'm pretty sure someone used a butterknife. The mess was real- noodle shrapnel EVERYWHERE, and as we devoured our prey Ollie chimed in saying"
"How funny would it be if an RCMP officer on patrol pulled up to this ridiculous scene? I'd probably just offer him a spoon!"
Well wouldn't you know it- 2 Minutes later a very friendly RCMP officer on patrol pulled up to that ridiculous scene- no spoons were offered, no noodles where shared but we WERE invited to move on from that ditch and camp in an actual campsite. Fair enough- so after we polished off the DitchNoodles (patent pending) we found refuge at Wya Point Campground- quite likely the craziest campground ever... no curfews no rules and no night-time staff- loud doesn't quite account for it... but cheap and available does! Win. In the pitch black of night we nuzzled in to the corner of what I think was an occupied campsite and from hammocks to forest floors we found rest for our weary heads... all of us excpt for Gastis, see Gastis spent the wee hours of that night driving the Ukee strip- note to self: don't leave your brand new $400 wetsuit on the roof of your car while driving.
This trip was so fun, full of crazy hi-jinx and wild tomfoolery- we laughed, we bonded, we surfed and we skated (Acid dropping off of Lovekin Rock into the waves), we ate good food and had great conversations. There was even a moment when I accidentally, full-on surfed a wave standing on top of a strangers back... YES, it was as awesome as it sounds- maybe even BETTER, I fully recommend it.
What does this have to do with TV or that Netaflixia thing? Well, as I mentioned in my last post, almost every night for the last 5 years I fell asleep to the sounds and scenes of TV streaming whatever nonsense I hadn't yet watched. But not that night- that night I fell asleep to the scenes in my mind, playing back the days' events. I fell asleep to the pictures in my imagination of what tomorrow would hold and to the sounds of friends laughing, sharing stories and saying prayers for Gastis that his wetsuit would be found (Which- drumroll... It WAS, thank you God).
That night, I fell asleep to the faint taste of DitchNoodles© on my tongue and the hope of good times to come.
It seems silly to mortgage moment like those for nights spent watching other people live.
Day 1 down- 39 to go.
Cheers,
Johnny
The plan was to sleep at "Sky Couch", this haggard platform that overlooks the Ukee coastline. On arrival, Ollie ditched his bike in the woods and rest of us started unloading and stashing our boards when Kdunc (aka K-donkadonk) had the brilliant idea to make what we now affectionately call DITCH NOODLES. What are ditch noodles? Well- Simply put, Spaghettini and pasta sauce. What makes ditch noodles so special is how they are eaten... picture it; 5 grown men huddled in a ditch on their hands and knees eating, communally, like a pack of wild dogs from one pot, using whatever utensils available- I'm pretty sure someone used a butterknife. The mess was real- noodle shrapnel EVERYWHERE, and as we devoured our prey Ollie chimed in saying"
"How funny would it be if an RCMP officer on patrol pulled up to this ridiculous scene? I'd probably just offer him a spoon!"
Well wouldn't you know it- 2 Minutes later a very friendly RCMP officer on patrol pulled up to that ridiculous scene- no spoons were offered, no noodles where shared but we WERE invited to move on from that ditch and camp in an actual campsite. Fair enough- so after we polished off the DitchNoodles (patent pending) we found refuge at Wya Point Campground- quite likely the craziest campground ever... no curfews no rules and no night-time staff- loud doesn't quite account for it... but cheap and available does! Win. In the pitch black of night we nuzzled in to the corner of what I think was an occupied campsite and from hammocks to forest floors we found rest for our weary heads... all of us excpt for Gastis, see Gastis spent the wee hours of that night driving the Ukee strip- note to self: don't leave your brand new $400 wetsuit on the roof of your car while driving.
This trip was so fun, full of crazy hi-jinx and wild tomfoolery- we laughed, we bonded, we surfed and we skated (Acid dropping off of Lovekin Rock into the waves), we ate good food and had great conversations. There was even a moment when I accidentally, full-on surfed a wave standing on top of a strangers back... YES, it was as awesome as it sounds- maybe even BETTER, I fully recommend it.
What does this have to do with TV or that Netaflixia thing? Well, as I mentioned in my last post, almost every night for the last 5 years I fell asleep to the sounds and scenes of TV streaming whatever nonsense I hadn't yet watched. But not that night- that night I fell asleep to the scenes in my mind, playing back the days' events. I fell asleep to the pictures in my imagination of what tomorrow would hold and to the sounds of friends laughing, sharing stories and saying prayers for Gastis that his wetsuit would be found (Which- drumroll... It WAS, thank you God).
That night, I fell asleep to the faint taste of DitchNoodles© on my tongue and the hope of good times to come.
It seems silly to mortgage moment like those for nights spent watching other people live.
Day 1 down- 39 to go.
Cheers,
Johnny
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