Day 3 - 100 Miles of Butter

[kwk]

No updates until the riders arrive in Corpus this afternoon. They camped out along the Intercoastal last night. I received a call from them this morning but the cell service was not good enough to have a conversation.

Hopefully we will have pictures, gps tracks and wildly exaggerated stories from the team later today as they make their triumphant return to civilization. Is Corpus civilized?

[kwk]

I just talked to West who was enjoying some sushi and a Shiner after another 6 hour day of riding. The riders made it to the Lola launch in Corpus today after 3 days of riding. All 5 were able to ride the entire length of the intercoastal from SPI with only a couple minor gear failures today. They had a great time and indicated that they encountered some amazing riding spots that they wish they could have explored further. They were on 6s and 7s today.

Here are the GPS tracks for the past two days. Best viewed in Earth mode.

Day 2

http://maps.google.com/maps/ms?msa=0&msid=203502855421969643802.0004866c659133ccb5255

Day 3

http://maps.google.com/maps/ms?msa=0&msid=203502855421969643802.0004866c24e7c14b355a8

I promise this is my last post without pics. Should have some to post very soon.

[Northerner]

Congrats to the Bro-kite crew!!! Now this trip is one you can tell the grand kids about. Looking forward to the pics and even more to the stories.

[splash]

Dudes!
Epic, makes z2w and South Haven to Saugatuck look like a walk in the park.

[BRO]

Day 3: Wind SSE 30-40 mph.......20 miles from Corpus........Buck Ashcraft assessing the situation!!!

http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/u-UMSEzXINK_3PNxZnmbEg?feat=directlink

Pics to come...........

[BRO]

West Spreading the Butter

Taken by Bucky Ashcraft

http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/Si ... directlink

[kwk]

[West]

Sitting at Jerry's at Lola and all I can think is WOW, did that just happen? It was absolutely mind blowing...quite beyond all of our wildest expectations!!

The diversity in riding was insane.....today alone, we kited the last of the land-cut which is 40 yards wide before crossing the Hole to the Gulf side and laid down turn after screaming turn in lightly whipped butter. The terrain was wide-open with dunes, and birds, and marshes, and slicks, and dolphins, and miles and miles of different textured butter, with wind so smooth it would make your eyes fill with tears!!

We had several equipment failures today, but the chase boats really stepped up and helped us continue on our EPIC trek!! We made it to the house around 4, and began licking our wounds. WOW, did that just happen?

3 solid days of SSE winds pumping from 25 to 40...and it's still blowin'...man oh man....SPI to Corpus via the Intracoastal Canal....100 miles of Butter!

More pics, stories and videos to come...WOW, did that just happen?

[STF]

This is awesome!


way to go West and everyone else

whens the Great Lakes 100?

sheboygan to Chicago



Schiff

[Misfit]

100 MI

It's not the distance that impresses me but rather the BRO teams enthusiasm!

It really shows that you guys really love what you're doing.

Wish you the best!!

Cory

[jensmadwind]

what do you do with a 100 miles of butter to keep the stoke up?
whatever it is its gotta be better then me hittin the gym thinking about downwinders

[West]

The thing about it is that it was 100 plus miles as the crow flies, but as the BRO flies it was closer to 300..................

As for keeping the stoke, after about 8 miles of running in 4 to 6 inches of water throwing down about 746 linked toeside turns in absolutely mindboggling flat water; we would cross over the Laguna to the other side (be it 2 to 5 miles), and find some canals that were surrounded with small aqua bushes and sandbars...we would cruise through them like a maze, jumping from pond to pond, crisscrossing each other, screaming like madmen (and madderwomen), basically acting like a bunch of crazed Texans hopped up on a bunch of Shiner and PBJ's!!!!!!!! Then we would chase schools of redfish and drum through the flats, watching their fins ripple the surface and their tails stirring up the silt, as pods of dolphins cruised through the Intracoastal looking for snacks.

The stories are endless, and believe me there is never any boredom in throwing down turn after turn on the 134....remember that board was made for screaming turns, it's got a bottom shape that will increase your speed thru a turn, so just hold on COWBOY!! Just give it a second of contemplation....HOW in the world are you going to throw down a screaming turn in butter that propels you faster out of the turn than when you went into the turn, on a board that has a bottom shape that is as flat as a West Texas cactus infested desert? It ain't gonna happen.

All in all, my mind is still a blur...from the screaming turns, to the endless back rolls, to the sun, the intensity of the situation...we are all AWESTRUCK....we knew it would be extremely special and very challenging, but it is starting to sink in as to how very incredible the EPIC journey has been.

More later on the wonderful hospitality of the folks of TEXAS THAT MADE IT ALL POSSIBLE!!!!!

[Bob]

damn...i'm getting stoked just reading all of this. well done guys.

[jensmadwind]

i can't imagine your kite skills now

you and your kite are now one

[West]

Yeah I learned a few things......like a can of Tecate taste better with a squeeze of lime, and a pinch of salt on the rim, especially when on a hot Texas beach......Also when riding toeside at very high speeds, make certain to wear shin guards if kiting in 4 inches or less of Laguna butter!!!!!!!!!!!! They don't call me fishbone for nothin'

look forward to kiting with you Cowboy..........2Rvrs or bust

[IVO]

Sounds amazing West..hope you got more pic.See you soon!

[BRO]

Eating lunch the first day...first of many PBJ's



Lunch spot with Coconut anchored off Intracoastal just before our first sighting of a pod of dolphins...the first of many!!



Kites on the island, ready to fly



Oliver, Bucky, Maggie, Jerry, and West after making it to Port Mansfield



The love birds after landing the kites in Port Mansfield XOXOXO



Keith Floyd, resident cowboy, picking us up as we were walking into Port Mansfield



Cleaning off some of that wonderful Laguna scent.......oh yeah, it's something special



West, ecstatic to have made it to our humble abode in Port Mansfield



The launch from Port Mansfield the 2nd day....just look at that expanse of some of the MADNESS!!!!



Jerry hiding in the vapor spray after burning a turn in 4 inches of butter



Jerry, Oliver, and the relentless sun.... after lunch the 2nd day



Maggie with her ID just in case the authorities questioned us



Captain Jim of the Coast Rider with West on the dock in the Land-cutl



Bucky trying to rest and recuperate in his tent after the 2nd day of riding

[West]

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[West]

Day 1: South Padre Island to Port Mansfield

Here are a few pics from day 1 taken from the support boat. They travelled within the Intracoastal canal where the water was deep enough for boat travel, and were unable to follow us on our treks across the Laguna Madres, and into the various flats. We are going through all of the photos and videos of the trip. We had several different people taking photos from another boat and one of our riders carried a camera as well. Hope you enjoy the photos and get an idea of the expanse of water we are kiting!!

[seblue]

http://www.thekiteboarder.com/wordpress/2010/05/100-miles-of-butter/ was looking around and found this