The Butter.  It’s a phrase used throughout board riding sports, and one that always takes me back to my wakeboarding days.  It is used to physically describe a scenario with perfectly smooth water, but emotionally, it describes the epic aura of being somewhere with the skills, the time and the friends to ride with on a surface that melts underneath your edge.  It IS like riding a knife through warm butter.

            It creates a feeling that cannot be described and sharing in it with your friends is very special.

            Last Saturday, I found myself in “The Butter” at sunset with a camera in hand.  I can’t even describe what I saw as I know it is a secret stash around here and I want to respect that.  All I can say is that it was beautiful, and seeing grown men kiteboarding and laughing like children will attest to that.

            As the sun set, the wind changed directions and everyone had to book it out of there in order to get across the river.  Within minutes, everyone was gone and I was standing in a rising tide without a way back to the beach (I was brought over by a jet ski).  I was already coming up with a plan for handling the situation when I saw a small zodiac in the bay.  I walked right out into the water directly between the boat and the setting sun so they could see my silhouette and I got really lucky.  They came over, picked me up and took me all the way back to my van on the beach.  Thanks again, I REALLY appreciate it.

            As the weekend morphed into the work-week, I faced a few new challenges, and though it was more about keeping my head down and grinding through than shooting or planning, that is still a major part of it all, so I am okay with it.

            That being said, my favorite challenge of the week was not about grinding through at all.  It was about feeling.  It was about intuition.  It was about ripping across the Columbia River behind a kite, and it was incredible.  I finally put down the camera for a solid week and spent that time honing in on some new kiteboarding skills.  I have a long way to go, but one solo sunset session in good wind was enough to let me know that I am hooked.

            Unfortunately, that same solo sunset session ended abruptly when I caught a little too much power in the kite while jibing (turning down wind) back toward the beach.  I boosted straight out of the binding straps and landed in the water about 40 feet away from the board.  I have had this happen before and it normally wouldn’t be a big deal, but this time was different.  This time the wind was coming from a new direction, creating a wind shadow that threatened the very flying spirit of my kite.  That is again something that is very manageable, but not this time.  This time I was sitting in the middle of a shipping lane with a barge bearing down on my location.  I made one attempt to tack upwind and grab the board, but the current was carrying it too quickly.  Suddenly, that same decision-simplifying question I mentioned in one of my first blog posts struck me (“at what cost am I willing to pursue my endeavors?”) and it became clear.  I needed to get out of there, even if it meant losing borrowed gear.

            I kept the kite in the air and body dragged myself back to the beach where relieved onlookers were waiting.There was no time for storytelling, I had a board to go find.  I grabbed my creekboat (whitewater kayak) and started the long battle against wind, waves and a really strong current.  The light was fading and I searched every wave and ripple for as long as it made sense to be alone, in a kayak, without a light or radio in oncoming darkness.  We even thought that a newly anchored Coast Guard ship had found it, but a quick paddle reassured us that they had not seen the missing board.

            Talkabout a 180.  Life was stellar, then moments later it was in jeopardy.  That seems to be par for the course in the types of activities I participate in, but that is why you always need to know the dangers, have a backup plan and be ready.  Thanks to good instruction, I knew what to look out for, when to bail and how to rescue myself.  Eli, I owe you a board, but I really owe you so much more.  Thanks for making me very aware from the very beginning.

            On a complete side note, Sportsmobile integrated El Guapo (the van) and myself into their website this week.  I’m glad they feel we are worthy of showcasing their brand.