Dia de descanso

Ginger and I had the day off today. I spent the morning taking care of some long-overdue bike maintenance. I've already gone through a set of tires and a few Slime tubes, and after the recent rain I needed to replace my derailleur cables.

Wednesday saw the biggest wind of the year so far. It came in so hard and fast that the Sea of Cortez was super-choppy and rough. I was overpowered on a 4.7 and a Pure Acid wave board and was holding on for dear life. Most of our guests were completely wasted and sore after just an hour of sailing.

I was pleasantly surprised to see the palm trees swaying in our yard just after noon today. I had been prepping the Palomino trailer to move up to Playa Norte, but after fixing a flat tire and cleaning out the dust I went over to the center to see what was happening. I had to dig for my shorty, since the water has been so warm I've only worn board shorts so far this season. I jumped on a 120l JP board and grabbed a 6.5 Expression and immediately headed upwind. I stopped in to say "hola" to the kiters and other folks at North Beach, grabbed a brownie and a cup of water from Dave, then held on for the downwind ride back to Vela. I made it back just as the sunset was lighting up the mountains to the West.

Earlier in the week I had some conflict with our Swiss neighbor Henry, after he took a rake and shovel to some of the local mountain bike trails. By the end of the season most of the ruts and technical spots get worn in after a few hundred rides on them, so it is fun to enjoy the extra challenges and problems while they are there. Mateo and some of the other locals were outraged by the "dumbing down" in difficulty, and since I am really the warden and caretaker of the singletrack network I had to hear it from everyone. Funny how this happens in Bend as well. I walked over to Henry's place and we had a heart-to-heart talk and resolved the issue. At least I have maintained the integrity of Pemex Ridge, which is the best trail around...

I'm settling in with a Ballena before our bonfire on the beach tonight, then, who knows, maybe some karaoke at Tio's...