Jon Claxton | Photography

In celebration of the Pisces – Ara and Lorily, we headed up to Plaskett Creek with a “rain or shine” attitude this last weekend.  The waves weren’t all that great, but the camping and the beach time was epic.  At around 1 p.m. the tide was at approximately a -0.4.  Although it had some small effect on the already meager surf conditions, it had a more profound effect on the coastline, leaving us this sweet natural pool area surrounding a large rock along the coast.  Believe it or not, the water to the far left is probably 1 foot deep, and then it sharply declines to approximately 10 feet around the boulder.  The photo above is a pic of Scott Kam and Greg Cherry cutting loose like flying ninjas.

Check out some of the tequila and tecate infused campfire tunes from Pax (low res) and Cully (HD)…….

Can there really be a worse idea than having a beginner snowboarder (that’s me), carry his one-week old Canon 5D mark II in his hand while snowboarding?  I really couldn’t think of one at the time, but somehow I managed to not break my neck or my camera while in Kirkwood this last weekend.   Most people would probably opt for a point-and-shoot camera in that situation, but I couldn’t get over my excitement of Canon’s new HD technology in the 5D body.  I saw some footage on Vimeo (http://www.vimeo.com/3155182) of some other guys filming themselves with the new 5D mark II, and the footage looked awesome.  What I failed to recognize at the time, was how experienced those guys were in the video.  My footage looks absolutely boring in comparison.  However, I am in the process of trying to clip some footage together to make it look awesome.  Not sure if this is really even possible, but I’ll post a video when I finally get it done.  In the meantime, here is a self portrait (low res) of Lulu and I with the fisheye on the 5D mark II (my new baby).

Update:  I slapped a short video together last night.  The footage isn’t all that great, but it was fun to put together. www.jonclaxton.com/kirkwood.wmv

(I don’t think that I converted the HD correctly, so it doesn’t do the camera justice.  God, I need a Mac….)

First off, I have to admit that this is not a fresh photo (I took it in 2007); however, this does not preclude this photo from being getting posted on the blog.  I want this blog to also include my most recent stream of consciousness.  Therefore, I posted this photo because I had a momentary relapse tonight.  It was the kind of relapse you have after having 4 pints of beer with a friend and you talk about a wild location that you would like to visit (Chile is next on the list for me, I hope).  So I posted this photo because it reminds me of a wonderful adventure I shared with my buddy Pat Patten, where the cold water really didn’t matter much.  My guess is that the water in Chile couldn’t be any colder.  Anyways, I hope you all are inspired to take a new trip in 2009 that makes you happy or changes your perspective on life.  Cheers.

Last week has been a blur of travel. Almost to the point of rock star status, minus the girls, drugs, roadies, late nights, etc. After spending a few days in Phoenix on a work trip, I returned to SLO, only to pack up the bags, pet the dog, and kiss my woman, then I flew out to Vernal, Utah. My mission: to find Sclerocactus claucus. This tiny cactus is considered to be federally threatened and protected under the Federal Endanagered Species Act. The crazy thing about this cactus is that is about the size of a quarter. So for days, I walked through a desert, nearly hand-in-hand with a group of fellow biologists, as we literally “Combed the desert.” (God, I love Spaceballs). And, hey, guess what? We didn’t find shit. The photo I’ve included above was taken at a reference location, where the cactus is known to occur. As for the transects we walked, not one of these species was found. And, unfortunately, our survey period ended up getting cut short due to a dusting of snow that easily covered our spiney little friends for the winter.

Well it’s been several days since I’ve been at work and this last Sunday was a great way to cap it all off. Scott Kam (www.rootamental.com) and I headed down to Santa Barbara and Ventura in search of some decent waves. Hell, truth of the matter is that with buoys tipping the scales at 14 feet and 20+ second periods, there is not many places to hide around our usual SLO County surf spots. Thankfully we were able to find a spot amongst the fellas who all had the same idea. After it was all said and done, it’s funny how much excitement we got out of catching probably less than 10 waves between us, and paddling for hours with the masses of water that swirled around the point.

Last weekend Lulu, Pat and I packed up the toys for a weekend at Santa Cruz Island. Prior to leaving for the weekend trip, John Lindsay (local weather icon) announced that the central coast was about to get battered with high winds and swell. Not such good news, when you are about to embark on a boat trip to the Channel Islands.

The weekend started on Friday at 4:30 am when I quickly gave the steering wheel up to Pat Patten, who was something 0f a madman amped on coffee. As a result of his caffeinated state of being and discussion on world economics, the laborious 2 hour morning drive went by swiftly. It went even more swiftly for Lulu, who was resting her eyes in the backseat.

So, to make a really long story short: the wind at SCI was absolutely ridiculous! Thankfully this only lasted from Friday to Saturday, but it’s strength and random gusts keep us second guessing our steps along the majority of the 12 miles of hiking we did the first day. We were stoked to finally wake up on Sunday to slack winds and a flat, clear ocean. Finally, we were able to launch the kayaks and do a hunting along the shores of SCI. Notable observations within the 30 feet of visibility included a couple of lobster-saurus’ who had a stronghold on large crevice, a couple of medium sized rays, and a legal cabezon that thought he looked more like a rock than a fish.

P.S. No real pictures to attach as of yet. Amongst my frantic packing for Channel Islands, I argued with my alter ego that the camera case would not be brought along. So without a camera, I’ve relinquished responsibility of photo documenting to Lulu and Pat. Standby.  (photo obviously inserted now.  thanks for the patience.)

One should never go on a fishing/surfing trip with expectations, but in fact, I have to admit that I did have some lurking in back of my mind before heading to Yakutat. Expectations like: catching the biggest fish of my life, a solid swell at an Alaskan point break, a boat load (literally) of halibut, and of course, getting a close encounter with a grizzly bear (I think 15 yards is close enough, don’t you?). Anyway, not to disappoint, Alaska stepped up and gave me all of these things and more. After it was all said and done, I couldn’t believe that trips like these work out so magically. It almost seemed like someone scripted some of the scenes. Remember that evening session at Point Carrew, Pat?

Check out the following link for more photos: www.jonclaxton.com/travel/Yakutat

Looking for a great ocean fishing guide? Ask for John… (http://www.yakutatlodging.com/) Waves? (www.icywaves.com) Drinking? (You’re on your own)

Well, I guess I was being a little ambitious by mentioning that I would have a new blog posted in the next couple of days. Truth be told, I’ve been spazzing out on Alaska recently. Looks like two good swells are stacking up during the week that we’ll be there; I can’t believe our luck! Needless to say, the bags are already packed. My mind is already there, I just need to get my body checked in to Alaska Airlines on Friday morning. Here is a photo taken by Scott Dickerson that seems to be etched into my imagination: I mean, isn’t this the way surf trips are supposed to go?

So, for those of you who I work with, please do not read any further; for I have skipped out on work today to participate in some scientific research within the Piedras Blancas Marine Protected Area (and, please, don’t mind the tecates we brought aboard; this is some real research going on folks):

Anyway, today was awesome. Instead of working, our day consisted of steaming for about 2.5 hours up the coast and doing some good old hook and line survey techniques within the Piedras Blancas Marine Protected Area. In total we brought aboard 208 fish, which were tagged, measured and documented, before being released back out into the ocean. Pretty successful, but Lulu mentioned that there have been days were 400+ fish were brought aboard. Whoa! But I gotta say, the highlight of my day was collecting the 5 bucks from Aaron and Travis after I reeled in the monster of the day. Aw yeah…..