Daydreaming

Mid-November in Western Washington can be a bit of a drag. It's right around this time of year when most people around here seem to disappear completely. It's not that they leave town, but more that they just hunker down indoors with tons of coffee, heavy winter ales, boozes, blankets, movies, etc. It's like most of the population succumbs to a collective metabolic downturn similar to bear hibernation .. but more like a 5-month transformation into a state full of pale zombies. People actually refocus on their jobs once again. Lots of books get read. Weight is gained.

I'm a pretty active fella, but even still, it can sometimes be such a struggle to maintain my enthusiasm & motivation for activities & adventures when it's 45 degrees & drizzling all the time. On the other hand, it's this time of year when our mountains start to get hammered with the first winter storms of the year .. which also means the lowland rivers are full of water, & that our coastal zones light up with big swell from the North Pacific caused by the same storms that deliver so much snow to the Olympics & Cascades. Mt. Baker just opened up this week with a 70-inch base & reports of gagger pow turns in & out of bounds. I'm looking forward to some powder slashes & to reacquainting myself with my favorite whitewater paddleboating run, Robe Canyon, in the very near future. However, at the same time, I'm also looking back & reflecting on the warm, sunny, salty goodness that California offered up on a recent surf trip Matty G. & I did. Having just now come in from a cold wet dog walk, I'm really missing the shorts & flip-flops lifestyle we had for that week right about now. Here's some pics from our trip..














old-growth live oak grove on our buddy's property where we stayed on The Ranch


300 yr-old tree










Nothin' quite like a golden sunset szechuan with no one else out & screamin' rights & lefts




This is pretty much exactly what I'm talking about .. totally daydream-worthy


..yep...



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So while I'm posting surf/beach pics, I might as well go ahead photo-dump some of my others from the PNW coast ..


In the NW, you often have to work a bit harder to find waves


But then you can end up at a place like this with no one else around ..



















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Around here late fall, as harsh as it can be, is very much a season of possibilities. So as I'm daydreaming about warm sunny head-high glass, I definitely still have one foot planted firmly in the reality of my current situation .. I went out today & got my snow-shredding setup all dialed-in & am anxiously awaiting my first deep turn of the season!