Today was the make up for the Pro Demo at the Ann Arbor Skatepark. It was a great time with perfect temps and a bunch of skaters who came to ride and watch the pros in action.
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It was a beautiful early fall night. I headed down to the skatepark for a couple laps. There were a couple out of town rippers (Nora Vasconcellos & Daniel Vargas in for the event at the Ann Arbor Skate Park tomorrow. It was a small crew at the park tonight and we skated for a bit and then I got the camera out for a few shots as it got darker. I also grabbed a couple frames with the film camera so I’m really excited to see how those turn out.
Heading out to the point at Maple Bay is always a gamble if you don’t have a boat. There was a slight breeze enough to make me nervous that we wouldn’t have enough wind to ride. The family decided to venture with me. From the parking area its a good 45 minute to an hour hike. You hike through the woods to the beach then along the coast up to the point. There was a bad storm about a month ago that left a numerous trees down. This made the adventure a bit more challenging.
We made it to the point to see Matt coming in overpowered on his 15m Liquid Force Solo. My face turned into a giant smile. Matt let me borrow his gear and I wound up riding the 15m for the rest of the day. It was a blast. The water was a perfect temperature. There were a ton of boats out celebrating the Labor Day weekend. It got a little congested but it was a great group of kiters and boaters. Everyone was having a blast.
We started off with a trip to Esch beach. It was a bit crowded but the beach was amazing. The beach had a great view of the Empire Bluffs. We hung out a the beach for a while relaxing and wading in Lake Michigan. We saw a cast of hawks swarming the skies over the bluffs. It must have been feeding time.
After a great time at the beach, we headed North to see the scenic drive by the Sleeping Bear Dunes. It was a beautiful drive with stops along the way. The highlight was the dune overlooking Lake Michigan. It was a bit hazy but the view was still incredible! We finished the day with dinner in Leelanau.
I headed out on a foggy morning to paddle Silver Lake. It was so calm out which makes it really great to paddle. I went about half way around the lake looking for some good photos. Here are some of the view from the paddle.
We had a blast Up North with the MSU Alumni Ski Team. It was a weekend of good laughs, drinks and boating. It was great to see everyone!
Dominic and Michelle’s wedding was so beautiful. It was on the banks of a small lake in Cadillac, Michigan. Michelle & Dominic made my job very easy. They are so great together and easy-going. I’m very excited for you both!
This post is a bit longer so here are a few songs to listen to while you browse their incredible day…
It was time to start shooting film again. I took out the Leica M5 this summer and shot a role of tri-x 400. It took a while to find a place to develop the film, but I found one and got the results. The exposure was clearly not correct on most of the images, but I was amazed at the clarity and feel of the images that did turn out.
I ventured to Muskegon for the first big SW push in weeks. It was a beautiful day. I arrived at 9 to a stormy seascape. I rigged on the Northside of the inlet. I tacked upwind to the inside of the pier heads to find the Mackite crew having an awesome flat water session. I rode with them for a while before they headed off to work.
As I downwinded back to the North the sun started glaring through the dark clouds making an amazing view. It later cleared completely, and the rest of the day on the Northside hitting waves. At least 25 surfers showed up and a bunch of kiters. Everyone got great rides. The water was warm and we only wore boardshorts! It was a great day.