Erosurfermaui

Golfin' at Waiehu

Thu, 29 Jan 2009 02:47:00 -0700

Got out for the second time this year. Played with a family friend, Wayne, visting from the LBC. He's played all of the top 100 golf courses in the country in addition to all of the U.S. Open courses. He really liked No. 5, par 3 200+yds., elevated tee. We both walked 18, $8 local rate...got to love it!! Greens were in the best shape I've seen in a long time. No. 2 is always sandy, but they were all rolling nice and super fast! First time to play in Northerly winds. Made No. 6 into the wind and nearly impossible to reach in two. To make matters worse, the evil greens keeper put the pin back left on a slope. So, if you putted from below the hole and didn't make the putt, like me, the ball would roll back to where you just putted from. After two attempts, had to pick up and move on to the next hole.

Waiehu, No. 7, Par 5 along the east shore, where O.B. is the ocean

Another one bites the dust!

Thu, 29 Jan 2009 02:37:00 -0700

Lahaina Store Grille & Oyster Bar on Front St. has closed down!!

Use to be the only place on the west side to go out on a Friday or Saturday night. Kind of hard to believe that a restaurant that serves decent food, ocean front dining and rootop dining, could go out of business. Something about that location...Tony Roma's used to be next door, opened in Spring of 2007 and was gone within the year.
Lulu's in the Cannery Mall just recently opened. Have to check it out.

HNL Surf Trip

Sun, 25 Jan 2009 00:57:00 -0700

First time to surf on Oahu in the winter...timing was perfect as a monster swell arrived the day I left
Met up with fellow Erosurfer from Tokyo, Toru, in Waikiki.

Sunrise over Ala Wai Canal
Headed to the west side, just north of Ko'Olina, to a surf break called Tracks.

Shallow reef, mostly short boarders. Shoulder to head high with some decent rights. Toru brought a 6'0" Fish for me...struggled with it but I had good time anyway.

ES and Toru

Toru
Monster swell was on its way, so the next day we headed back to the west side hoping for some wrap around. Swell was down and the wind was up. Even headed all the way out to Makaha, but again, too windy. South shore was junk with the Konas blowing...only other option was the North Shore.
On the way, had to stop, for the second day in a row, at our new favorite breakfast stop, Koa Pancake House in Waipahu.

Located off of Farrington Hwy., just behind the McDonald's in a small strip mall, this place serves up the best pancakes I've ever had at a restaurant. The vibe is like Jack's Inn or Tasty Crust on Maui, but the food is so much better. They have eggs paired with all of your local favorites, Portuguese sausage, spam, corned beef hash, etc. and a variety of omeletes. Day 1, Corned beef hash and eggs with 3 pancakes, Day 2, spinach, mushroom, and cheese omelete, with 3 blueberry pancakes all for $8!!

Definitely be back!!
In route to the North Shore. You can see the white water at Haleiwa from the highway.

Our first stop was Chun's. Eight guys out, overhead sets coming in, nice-looking wave but the water was brown from run-off...didn't look inviting, shark bait. We moved on to Sunset.

I'm not familiar with the names of all the different breaks, but we paddled out about 50-100 yds. right of the lifeguard tower. I was told upon returning to Maui via a third-party, that where we paddled out was "retarded" and that where we surfed "was not really Sunset". Anyway, I was pretty nervous before paddling out. I watched the surf for about 20 minutes. Saw a Japanese longboarder paddle out, snap his leash trying to get over a wave and come in within that 20-min. period. The paddle out wasn't bad, just have to contend with the shore break when you first paddle out. In the lineup there were about 12 people, mostly short boarders. I rented a Donald Takayama 9'0 tuflite epoxy board from town; I really liked that board, unfortunatley, they run around $850. My first wave looked about head-high, but by the time you drop-in the backwash from previous waves jack up the face another few feet...you have a pretty steep drop. The rights held up most of the time...a really fun right, but a really powerful wave. Caught 4 good waves, then the wind picked up and it wasn't fun anymore. The last wave in was pearl, down the falls, wipe-out, held under for awhile, regroup, ride the next wave into shore.

ES and Toru at Ehukai Beach Park

Ogasawara and Kanemura in Waikiki

Sat, 24 Jan 2009 00:40:00 -0700

Left to Right, Kanemura (Hanshin Tigers), Marcy, Ogasawara (Tokyo Giants)
Ran into two Japanese pro baseball superstars on Kalakaua Ave. in Waikiki. Ogasawara was with his entourage and he noticed my t-shirt (katakana version) and said, "Erosurfer!" Got that picture with a cell phone camera. Marcy said later that there's no way he would have stopped for a picture had it not been for the distraction of the EROSURFER!!

Happy New Year!

Fri, 02 Jan 2009 03:17:00 -0700

Out with the old...

Last sunset of 2008
In with the new...

First sunrise of 2009
Wishing everyone a happy and healthy NEW YEAR!
??????????!
ES

Season Opener for UCLA Football - UCLA vs. TENN

Wed, 03 Sep 2008 06:09:00 -0700

Labor Day set the stage for a classic college football matchup, Pac-10 vs. SEC. On paper, TENN had this game in the bag. Oddsmakers had this game at TENN -8 by kickoff. UCLA, with an inexperienced offensive line and 3rd string QB, wasn't given much of a chance against the size and speed of a powerhouse from the SEC. In an exciting finish, the Bruins pulled off the impossible stunning #18 ranked TENN at the Rose Bowl in overtime 27-24.
At halftime, I was ready to throw in the towel...UCLA QB Craft throws 4 picks, one for a touchdown right before half. Was not pleased with the JUCO transfer's performance. Running game was non-existent, 3 starters go out with injuries on offense, and the defense, their only bright spot, was wearing down. They were only down 14-7 at half, but it felt like it was a matter of time before TENN turned it up a notch. That never happened.
I don't know what happened a halftime, but the credit has to go to Offensive Coordinator, Norm Chow. They picked apart the TENN defense in the second half. This game was suppose to be a clinic on how SEC football is played. Now, I see TENN as a marginal team in the SEC, down with the ranks of Ole Miss, Miss St., Arkansas, Kentucky, and Vandy. Coach Neuheisel has brought excitement and hope back to Westwood. It's only one game, but it was on national TV for everyone to see prime time. Looking forward to a great season.
Go Bruins!!

Friday Night Lights at War Memorial Stadium, Kahului

Mon, 01 Sep 2008 03:21:00 -0700

High School football season kicked off this past week. I'm usually not that interested in any of the local teams, but this past Friday had an unusually matchup: #5 ranked (in the state of Hawaii) Baldwin Bears vs. #40 ranked in the nation (USA Today Poll - I don't know how they come up with these rankings every year??) Mission Viejo Diablos. Yes, a team from the O.C. came to play in Maui! Of particular interest to me in this game was the play of MV senior QB Allan Bridgman, on his way to Cal next year, and MV senior WR Alex Mascarenas, who will play for UCLA next year!!
From the get-go, MV dominated the undersized and much slower Baldwin side. Bridgman was impressive, picking apart the Baldwin D at will and Mascarenas returned a punt for a TD...he's got some wheels! It was like watching a freshman team play the varsity team. Lucky for me, a squall came through at halftime with the score 41-0 MV, so I bailed. MV ended up winning 48-21. Bridgman was pulled from the game before the 1st half ended...don't know how many starters played in the second half. MV looked scary good, but they are only the #4 ranked team in Orange County.
Crowd was decent, but no BAND?! What's up with that?? Didn't have the feel of a classic high school football game. Made me reminisce about the Wilson days...we had a horrible football team (playing L.B. Poly every year didn't help) but had a kick ass band with an amazing drum corps. Before entering high school, I remember hearing those drums from my house on Friday night home games...those drums fire you up, no doubt.

Maui Gas Prices drop for the first time in over a month

Thu, 21 Aug 2008 22:52:00 -0700

I was driving into town tonight and noticed the Chevron on Kaahumanu listing regular unleaded gas at $4.59/gal, yes, people, $4.59! This is the first drop, $.04, in gas prices in over a month. I've had issue with this, like a lot of other people on Maui, because with the drop in the price of oil from $147 down to $112 in the past month, we have not received any relief at the pump. From L.A. to Miami, gas prices have dropped at least $.30 - $.40 with the national average at around $.30. I saw a spokesperson for one of the gasoline wholesalers on T.V. saying that they replenish their gasoline stocks weekly and will reset prices based on what they pay for their gasoline. He further added that they do, upon occasion, keep prices static to "make-up" for losses incurred when dealing with the daily gyrations in the prices of crude and the finished product they purchase. Well, they sure have made up the difference this past month! At the expense of the Maui residents and visitors, of course.
Funny how the day that they decide to lower gas prices, crude oil shoots up $6 to $121/barrel. Does that make any sense? Will they reset gas prices on Sunday to reflect the recent rise in oil prices? Probably. In the meantime, I'm doing my part...I've resurrected my mountain bike and can been seen daily around the greater Kahului/Wailuku area. I realize "doing my part" won't contribute to any form of demand destruction for gasoline on Maui, as long as everyone continues to drive their lifted trucks around. Just got to remember that every day is Earth Day.
ES

Starbucks Leaving Maui Marketplace - 270 Dairy Rd., Kahului

Tue, 29 Jul 2008 00:28:00 -0700

Coffee lovers out there were probably stunned to hear Starbucks closing 600 stores around the U.S. to cut costs and boost profits. Five are slated to be closed in the "808" state, one of them in Maui. I'm assuming it's the one inside of Borders, but I could be wrong...the other one is next to Jamba Juice across the parking lot.
Since the announcement, Starbucks has (1) Launched a smoothie line (aren't most Starbucks next to Jamba's?), (2) Decided to bring back the breakfast sandwiches that weren't selling well (they don't even look all that appetizing through the display glass), (3) They acquire a company that makes a high-end coffee brew machine, called the Clover ($11,000 a machine), so they can charge more for a cup of coffee??
Who is running this company? I'm a Starbucks fan in Tokyo because they're everywhere and it's the thing to do over there. Don't really hit Starbucks all that much here on Maui, but I know it's really big here. Seems like a lot of bad calls are being made post closings - Stock will hit single digits by the end of the year!!

Erosurfer Workout Week #6

Tue, 29 Jul 2008 00:14:00 -0700

Monday, July 21
Row 2K Time: 8:32
21-15-9 Deadlilfts, 95lbs., 115lbs., 135lbs.
50 Floor Sweepers, 115lbs.
Thursday, July 24
?Fran? 21 reps -15 reps -9 reps
Thrusters 65lbs., 65lbs., 70lbs.
Pullups
17mins.
Saturday, July 26
?Jeremy?
55lb. Overhead Squats
Burpees
21 reps ? 15 reps ? 9 reps
Sunday, July 27
?Michael?
880 yds.
50 Situps
50 Back Extensions
3 rounds for time
29:00

Erosurfer Workout Week #5

Tue, 29 Jul 2008 00:10:00 -0700

Still nursing elbow injury...
Monday, July 14
50 pushups
50 situps
25 burpees
25 box jumps
3 rounds
Tuesday, July 15
Standing Military straight leg 1-1-1-1-1
Max at 115lb., failed at 135lb.
Wednesday, July 16
For Time:
440 yd. dash, 1:34 split
50 squats
444 yd. dash, 1:46 split
50 squats
440 yd. dash, 1:49 split
50 squats
440 yd. dash, 1:45 split
50 squats
ES, 18:52
CMD, 18:20

Erosurfer Workout Week #4

Tue, 29 Jul 2008 00:03:00 -0700

12 Deadlifts 115lbs. Friday, June 27
8 handstand pushups
10 burpees
5 rounds
Sunday, June 29 Body weight bench press, 175lbs. max reps - 5 rounds
12, 10, 8, 7, 10
Max pullups
13, 9, 9, 8, 7
Monday, June 30 Pullups
1 ? within 1 min
2 ? within 1 min
3 - within 1 min
Stopped at 9
45 pullups in 9mins.
Elbow injury, tendonitis

Erosurfer Workout Week #3

Tue, 29 Jul 2008 00:00:00 -0700

Monday, June 16, 2008
Crossfit Baseline Test
500M Row
40 Squats
30 Situps
20 Pushups
10 Pullups
Erosurfer ? 4:57 (Between Expert ? 4:30 and Craftsman ? 5:15)
CMD ? 4:40 (Almost Expert)
Workout
50 Situps
50 Double-unders
50 Situps
Walking Lunges, 50 steps
50 Situps
50 Burpees
50 Situps
For Time
Erosurfer ? 22:17
CMD ? 23:57
Tuesday, June 17
Chest workout
Bench 4 sets
Incline Bench 3 sets
Decline Bench 3 sets
50 Knees to Elbows
Thursday, June 19
10 Pullups
15 Standing Military Presses 45lbs. to 85lbs.
15 Back Extensions
7 Rounds
ES ? 26:17
CMD ? 28:30
Friday, June 20
Stadium Stairs 3 rounds
10X100yd. sprints increasing speed each sprint
Stadium Stairs 3 rounds

Surfing McGregor's

Wed, 18 Jun 2008 01:45:00 -0700

McGregor Point, Ma'alaea
I think I've passed up on surfing at this spot too many times to count. It rarely looks good from the road. Man, have I been wrong! Got a call from CD today saying McGregor's was overhead with little wind. It usually blows pretty good there daily...the new wind turbines are just above this spot on the mountain.
Got in the water around 1pm with 8 people in the water. Wind picked up a bit and the tide started coming in. Sets had long lulls, sometimes 20 minutes! But it was definitely worth the wait. CD and I caught the best waves of the afternoon. My first ride - paddled for a wave I thought was about shoulder high. By the time you drop in, it jacks up and gets steep. A long wall forms and if you can get through the first part of the wave without getting taken out, the ride is awesome! Fast, long rights. Next to Kanaha, one of my favorite waves on Maui.

Hui Malama Fundraiser on the Pride of Aloha

Wed, 18 Jun 2008 00:36:00 -0700

I'd like to thank Pua for inviting me to her big fundraiser aboard NCL's Pride of Aloha this past Sunday. Great time with friends, good food, good service, open bar (nice!). The event was a huge success, so I hope the committee can pull off this again next year!

See this ship docked at Kahului Harbor a couple times a week...I wonder what people think when they pull into Kahului??

Chris and Pualani Enos, Executive Director, Hui Malama Learning Center

Table 19, Front - Matt, Chris, Pua, Jennifer, Junior. Back - Reggie, Kai, ES
Interesting story about getting on the ship...there's a guard gate at the dock, they check your name and ID. Inside the ship they take your ID and put you through the metal detector and scan anything you have on you. Junior was ahead of me in line and jokingly asked me if I brought my knife...I had no idea what he was talking about?? I don't carry a knife around. Ends up he had a knife in his pocket, for some reason...I suppose the Maui waterman needs to have that with him in case he needs to...I can't think of anything??
Anyway, he goes through security, hands the knife to the security staff, the gentleman examines knife measuring it against his badge, determines that the blade, at 4", is not long enough to confiscate, so he hands the knife back to Junior and tells him to enjoy his evening on the ship. WTF!? "Here sir, enjoy your killing spree aboard Norwegian Cruise Lines."
So much for post-911 security measures...
Random Musings:
John Merrick, Long Beach Wilson Alum and UCLA Alum, finished 6th at the U.S. Open. Nice to see him along with Paul Goydos doing well on the Tour...LBC Represent!!
Celtics win. That game was hard to watch. Didn't feel bad for the Lakers because they didn't come to play. What was going on with KG in his post-game interview?? "Impossible is Nothinggggg!"