Mel ran in the 2014 Run Woodstock in Pinckney, Michigan. It was a really fun scene. We arrived before the sun was up to see the ultra-marathon runners who were still trucking from the day before. They offered races from 100 miles to a 5k. The vibe was great from the runners everyone seemed to have a great time.
Author: Bryan Elkus
-
It’s feeling like fall
Today was pretty much one of the best surf days I’ve had on the Great Lakes. The forecast was calling for SSW winds 20-30. There was a large storm cell brewing over southern Lake Michigan which looked like it would stay just south of Muskegon. Amer, Edgar and I packed up the car and headed West. As we were driving over, the southern buoys were reading 45+ knots. We were getting excited. Fall was here! We drove through part of the storm and it was windy!
We arrived to our location to find about 8 knots of wind and tons of waves. Marc was already out surfing when we arrive with a smile from ear to ear. I ran back to the car to grab my board and bolted back to the break. It was a great day with blue skies to the North and an ominous front brewing in the south. The water was warm so I wore a sleeveless-shorty. By the time I made it out to the end of the pier, the waves had picked up a lot.
The sets coming through were at least over-head and glassy. I missed the wave of the day right off the bat and still kicking myself for it. Then, I took the set of about 5 waves on the head. The lefts were going for 100-200 yards. The wind never really picked up to kite. The waves really died down by mid afternoon. It was a great day and so rare to have a day with that big of waves with no wind. The lack of images is a testament to quality and brevity of the session.
-
Visiting the Charlotte Mi Skatepark
A few of the guys meet up in Charlotte, Michigan for a morning skate. The park was really fun! The layout took a while to get use to. The cement was a lot less smooth than the Ann Arbor park. That made falling a bad idea as your pads wouldn’t slide as well. A few of us found out the hard way…
Mathew one of the locals joined us for a few hours. It was helpful to see some of his lines through the park. It was a great morning! After Charlotte, we ventured down to a Kzoo for a little mini ramp session.
-
A Summer Lake Michigan Swell
We were given an unexpected mid-summer swell on Wednesday. Mel and I hit the road to South Haven. Though it was blowing 20 knots, we arrived to a rather calm Lake Michigan.
The wind increased though out the day and shifting more NW than the NNE that it was when we arrived. This caused the waves built too. After kiting most of the day, I grabbed a couple of waves surfing before we headed home.
-
Layne & Zach’s Wedding
Mel and I had a blast at Layne and Zach’s wedding. It was a beautiful weekend up north celebrating such a great couple. The reception site was gorgeous and surrounded by a cherry orchard. It was clear Layne and Zach had the best day ever. Congrats you two!
-
Cherry Festival Race 2014
The Roney family came out in full force again at this year’s Cherry Festival race and everyone posted great times.
-
Weekend Exploring in Traverse City
We had another great weekend in Traverse City. It was full of activities like wake surfing, skating and paddling. The weather has amazed this summer.
One of the highlights was driving down the two-track to the mini in the woods. We unfortunately didn’t get to skate it for very long but it was really fun and I can’t wait to go back.
-
Ann Arbor Skatepark Session
I had a great session this morning at the Ann Arbor Skatepark. Mike and Todd drove in from Kalamazoo. We were out there early and had a great time. The weather was perfect and it wasn’t too crowded. It was great having the guys in town to push each other into a few new tricks. All around, good times were had by all!
-
A Honeymoon to Arcadia Bluffs
Mel and I hit the road to drive North to Arcadia Bluffs Golf Course for a couple of days after the wedding. Arcadia is just south of Frankfort Michigan on the banks of Lake Michigan. They cleared the trees and created a beautiful dune styled golf course.
After we checked in, we took a long walk on Lake Michigan. The water was still freezing and the skies were overcast. We then headed back to the bluffs to have drinks and dinner overlooking the course. They had fantastic food and a great sunset to go along with the meal.
The next day we played 18 holes. It is a beautiful course. The greens are huge and fast. The bunkers are taller than me and the views are spectacular. We both played a great round of golf. That evening we hiked around northern Arcadia and into Frankfort.
One of the highlights of the trip was when we were on hole #3 and the ranger came to tell us to be careful on hole #5 because there was a newly born deer on the course. By the time we got there, the doe and mother were gone. The next morning while having breakfast on the back deck the doe came wandering up to us.
It was a terrific trip!