Here is a short video of some city fishing in a local creek near my house. Sometimes you can find bass in the most unlikely places! You just have to look for them! Go explore God’s great earth! God bless you and enjoy the video.
Tim Lumpkin
Legacy-Outdoors.net
YouTube: Legacy-outdoors
Instagram: @tlump10
The scenario is played out up and down the Texas coast every fall. It’s the reason Texas surfers get so excited when the fall and winter fronts start to roll through. Strong onshore flow builds disorganized wind swell. Then mild to strong offshore winds associated with a passing front clean up the waves and give it the ridable form we all desire. These are some of the thought processes the surfers go through with the passing of each front. How long and how strong will the onshore winds blow? What are the wave heights at the bouys? Where are the best sand bars? How fast will the front pass through the coast? How strong will the winds be? What direction is the swell coming from? How strong will the current be? What time will the wind switch? Where will the best conditions be for a long board or a short board? Where will the smallest crowd be, and how can I get there?
These are all questions Texas surfers ask themselves before they decide on when and where to go. Regardless of what one decides, one must remember that Mother Nature is in charge, and she always has a mind of her own. The ultimate goal is to score some fun waves with friends and to elevate the stoke meter for another session.
This rite of fall passage occurred twice this week. First on a Monday, with the front passing across the coast around noon with light offshore winds for about an hour followed by some stronger winds that went more northeast in the afternoon. Saturday the scenario was different. The front came through early in the morning with strong northerly winds gusting to 40 mph all day. In this situation, the less volume the board has makes it a bit easier to paddle into a wave. Once the board is up on the wave, the wind has less of a chance to get under the board to slow it down. The wind also hollows out the wave which gives the surfer a chance to get a coverup and make it out. This is a maneuver surfers love and travel the world to achieve.
I shot some video of the last frontal passage on Saturday “Somewhere In Texas” as the surfers fought the strong offshore winds. At times the 40 mph winds almost blew me over. As you will see in the video, the gusty winds made the more radical maneuvers a little difficult to complete. Just paddling into the waves was a challenge as is evident by the number of surfers who went over the falls. When first editing the footage, I was hesitant to put in wipe outs and incomplete maneuvers. I decided I wanted to give the viewer an idea of just how difficult these conditions can be, so I included a lot of raw footage. This made the video longer than most of my videos, but I feel it made it more realistic and entertaining.
I hope you enjoy the video. Feel free to leave a comment and subscribe.
Until we meet on the next swell, God bless you and have a Merry Christmas!
Tim Lumpkin
Blog: Legacy-outdoors.net
YouTube: Legacy-outdoors
Instagram: @tlump10
Facebook: Tim Lumpkin and Legacy-outdoors.net
The jets were screaming over our neighborhood during the pre-show tailgate preview on Friday. It was as if they were telling us to be sure and come see them for the real show on Saturday and Sunday. I didn’t realize it was that time of year. The weekend of the Wings Over Houston Air Show. I always look forward to the impressive power and maneuverability of the fighter planes and the historic preservation of the vintage aircraft.
Bomber
This year the precision of the Canadian Snowbird planes was impressive to watch. The speed of the Russian Mig jet was as always a spectacle.
Snowbirds
The C17 is a Massive beast.
I did not get tickets to the show so I set up at a nearby park and shot pics and video as the planes flew overhead.
The USAF Thunderbirds were the finale. Their precision high speed maneuvers stole the show as usual. I must say I really enjoyed the entire show and will be purchasing a ticket next year! I am amazed by the engineering feats accomplished that allow the U.S. to dominate any airspace. Even today with the F-35 you can see the continuing technological innovation.
If you have not seen this show before treat yourself next year. If you missed this year’s show, you can make yourself some popcorn and watch the video I put together on your smart tv. It lasts about 18 minutes and shows most of the planes that were in the show.
I hope you enjoy it! God bless you and thanks for reading my blog!
Tim Lumpkin
Legacy-outdoors.net
YouTube: Legacy-outdoors
Instagram: @tlump10
Two days after a front with north winds and flat surf was a recipe we had been looking for. Launching at daylight, we made our way around the jetties in search of trout and reds. The water was calm, and the waves were breaking softly on the first sandbar. Our mission was to find birds and bait, or both.
The birds were sitting on the shoreline, so we put our attention on the bait flipping near them. Shrimp and mullet were the secret sauce this day. It seemed the out going eddies attracted the most activity as we worked our way down the beach. The lack of other boats on this weekday morning made us feel as though we were fishing a secluded coastline. I love the miles of uninhabited shoreline. The smell of the salty surf air filled our souls with the anticipation of an explosion on our topwater offerings. It wasn’t long before we made contact with a keeper trout which was spooked into submission. We kept grinding with the top waters, but the action slowed enough to make us present our breakfast platter a little deeper. A cork and an artificial shrimp seemed to be the ticket. Thrown right up on the beach and popping them into submission became our weapons of choice. Reds, drum and sharks seemed to dominate the shallow waters of the first gut. One spinner shark went airborne with a triple twist before breaking my thirty pound leader. The Russian judge gave it a ten and I had to agree!
We worked our way back toward our beginning point later that afternoon, and the surf went extremely calm in the afternoon as you will see in the video. As we got closer to the jetties, some movement on the beach caught my eye. I got my camera out and took a look through my zoom lens and was surprised to see two white tail deer feeding on the grass at the base of the dunes. They didn’t seem to mind us as they meandered down the grass line. The birds were starting to fly, and they seemed more interested in our topwater lures than the real bait. We managed to inadvertently hook a couple of overly eager gulls. We loaded up our gear as the sun started to drift slowly toward the horizon and made our way back to civilization. It was a beautiful sunset and an awesome day on the water. We had plenty of scenic opportunities to place in the log book of our memories. (Ecclesiastes 3:11)
The varied beautiful beach scenes on this trip made me appreciate God’s great outdoors and all it has to offer. We even kept some fish for a fish fry for two families. I hope you can get outside and enjoy the cooler weather and catch some fish soon.
God bless you and thanks for reading my blog.
Enjoy the video!
Tim Lumpkin
Legacy-outdoors.net
Instagram: @tlump10
The good news is we got another long period hurricane swell and had a blast riding some fun waves. It was a Texas surfers’ treat with fairly clean conditions at the peak of the swell. The bad news is that the people impacted in Louisiana are struggling, as we all understand the aftermath of being hit by a category 4 hurricane. It’s hard to believe that they were impacted by seven storms last season and now they are dealing with another. Hopefully we can all give them help and pray that the recovery process goes well.
When deciding where to catch this swell, my first thought was to go to SPI. That would have been the right call, but the logistics of a six hour drive and overnight stay were not in the books for me. I would have to settle for somewhere closer. I kept an eye on the forecasts, and for a while it seemed that Galveston would get the best part of the swell with offshore winds at its peak. As the storm got closer and raced across the gulf, I knew the timing window for the swell would be critical. The wave height predictions started out with an overhead swell. Each day the forecast dropped and ended up being a waist to chest high event. I decided to go back to Surfside around noon on Sunday as the swell would be at its peak around four that afternoon. I knew it would be crowded, but I was able to find a parking spot on Beach Drive close to Crab Street about one pm. The winds were fairly strong out of the northeast which put a good chop on it. At the peak of the swell, the winds were forecast to go straight offshore. That did not happen, but the winds did lay down a bit when the bigger swells started to arrive.
I decided to wait until four to paddle out, so I set up my camera to shoot some video for a while. I usually get into the water on a clean hurricane swell too early and wear myself out before the best conditions arrive. I shot around three hours of video (and it took me approximately the same amount of time to pull the best clips from my camera). The swell continued to build as predicted and by four, I was itching to get into the water. My timing was perfect, and the paddle out was easy during one of the thirteen second lulls. As a large set approached, I set up on the outside and caught a large wave. I took a steep drop and began to bounce up and down on the chop. The board went into auto pilot, and I was left behind sitting down hard on the chest high face. After my leash got stretched to the max, I came up laughing and excited about the juice these waves were offering.
For the rest of the afternoon I caught a lot of fun waves that offered numerous tactical possibilities. Nose rides, closeout hits with air drops, and off the lips were the menu for the day. Did I mention juice? Yes, the speed and steepness was surprising on some waves, which is unusual for Surfside. Needless to say, I had a blast! At times I found myself in a crowd, but that is to be expected on a good swell. The nice thing about Surfside is that there is plenty of room to handle the crowd. All you have to do is paddle away from the cameras and you are usually in a more open area.
By sundown my fun meter had peaked, and I rode my last wave to the beach. The sunset cast a pink glow on the remaining waves as Poseidon slowed his pulse. It is amazing how quickly the swell began to fade as I drove away thanking God for the chance to ride on his creations again. The stoke meter from this session is still running high as I write this. I hope everyone got their fill, and remember those in our neighboring state in your prayers. Exodus 22:26
Thanks for reading my blog! God bless you!
Tim Lumpkin
Blog: Legacy-Outdoors.net
Instagram: @tlump10
YouTube: Legacy-Outdoors
On Friday, August 20th, 2021, Hurricane Grace was about to make landfall in Mexico as a category three hurricane with 120 MPH winds. The largest swells from the hurricane were making their way across the gulf toward the Texas coast at a steady pace. The swell peaked Saturday with bouy readings of nine to ten feet at eleven second intervals. Finally there would be a reprieve from the continuous summer doldrums. I arrived at Surfside beach just before daylight. As with any large, long period swell, there would be a lot of anticipation and hype. This scenario was no different. There were a lot of surfers lined up on the granite rocks listening to the sound of crashing waves trying to see the size of the swell in the dark. The Saturday morning daylight soon began to expose the surf conditions. What we witnessed was a long period swell that was coming from the south. The waves on the Quintana Beach side of the ship channel were breaking much further out with some well-overhead walls. The mystic “white whale” was pitching tons of water on the end of the south jetty. There was a lot of water moving on that side. I watched several people attempt to paddle the channel in an effort to get to the larger waves. You will see in the video, a surfer rounding the end of the south jetty heading towards the bigger surf.
Most people, even those with a lot of experience, opted for the cleaner, smaller waves on the protected side of the north jetty. I started out surfing in front of Crab Street with only a few people out. I caught some really fun waist to chest-high waves with some nice workable walls. It didn’t take long for the crowd to fill in the lineup. It soon became a challenging slalom course to weave through all the surfers in front of me. That was ok with me. I just paddled down to a nice sandbar further down the beach. The further I went from the jetty, the larger the sets became. It was much less crowded also. The early morning waves were not only bigger, but also cleaner as the wind wasn’t blowing as hard as it did later in the morning. Guess you could say the early bird got the worm. After three hours of fun waves, I got out of the water, ate a snack and shot a little video.
The same scenario repeated itself on Sunday. Arriving early again was the ticket. The surf was a little smaller but much cleaner for the first three hours of daylight. There were still some chest-high sets rolling through with some clean workable faces. It was what all surfers hope for in Texas. This was evident by the amount of people that were entering the water as the morning wore on. I surfed for four hours that morning, and the wind really picked up during the last hour. Around eleven I got out and drove down the beach to shoot some more video. The combination of strong winds and an outgoing tide made for some not so perfect conditions. As you will see in the video, the surfers were doing the best they could with the declining conditions. Most of the footage I put in the video was from around noon on Sunday.
Being a surfer in Texas means patiently waiting for the next swell. As I am writing this blog post, there are predictions of another possible hurricane swell coming into the gulf this coming weekend. We usually hope and pray to be on the dry side and not to be impacted by a direct hit or to be on the dirty side. As Texas surfers, we learn to be content with what we can get, be it micro, short period swell or overhead, long period swell. All I know is I am very grateful for two days of fun surf on the Texas coast. I thank the maker of the swells we ride – the creator of heaven and earth. [Isaiah 40:28] I hope everyone had a good time and got the opportunity to make it to the coast for some fun in the sun!
See you on the next swell. Thanks for reading my blog, and enjoy the video.
Tim Lumpkin
Instagram: @tlump10
Blog: Legacy-Outdoors.net
YouTube: Legacy-Outdoors
The past few weeks have been prime summertime conditions for night time jetty fishing and morning surf fishing. However, the relentless winds of early June and early July made it difficult to fish in either place. I have learned that a southwest wind is not conducive to good water color at the Texas City Dike on the channel side. With the wind blowing at a moderate speed from the south though, I took a chance and went for it. I arrived in time for a rising tide and stained water with six to eight inches of visibility. Another thing I’ve learned about night fishing is that the best bite occurs when the lights have been on for at least an hour. This gives the bait time to congregate in the light. So after an hour, I had a lot of freshly hatched shad filling up the edges of the light. As usual the trout were not far behind. The action was slow at first. When the tide started moving better, the bite was nonstop. From 2 a.m. to 4:30 a.m., I caught and released over fifty speckled trout all on artificial lures. I kept five small fish and the rest were released to fight another day. The largest one was twenty-two inches and looked to be full of eggs. The most effective lure was a Down South four and a half inch swim bait in the purple reign color. They seemed to hit anything that imitated a shad. In the video you will see trout approaching the shad near the rocks early. Then later you will see the trout pushing them off the rocks into the light and busting into the schools in a feeding frenzy. It was really cool to see and even more fun to catch and release them.
The next week I had a light south southwest wind which I have learned is good for night fishing the gulf side of the Surfside Jetty. The gulf side is protected from this wind direction and allows for some cleaner water. As long as the tide is coming in while the lights are up, I have had some success. I set up my lights at midnight and planned to fish the incoming tide. The tide would be high at 5:30 in the morning. After an hour, the bait started to slowly trickle into the bright lights. A few shad, some glass minnows and a lot of shrimp and finger mullet were the attracted menu for the evening. Again, the bite was slow until about 2:30 a.m. From then until 5:15 a.m., the bite was stupid good! I was using a Down South Super Model swim bait in the white ice color on an eighth-ounce jig head. Keeping the bait high in the water column was the ticket. An erratic retrieve seemed to be the best. It mimicked the stop and start of the minnows and mullet. I pinched the barb down on the jig head so I could shake the trout off at the base of the rocks. This allowed for a better survival rate upon release. One of the better trout I caught that night was another twenty-two inch fish. You will see the strike and see I used the net to land it for a photo opportunity. That night I kept five smaller fish for my friend who is having a fish fry. I think the smaller fish taste better and the larger fish are our brood stock that we should all let go. This is especially necessary after the freeze and fish kills we had last winter. I think the release them over twenty-inch movement has gained a lot of momentum up and down the Texas coast. I hope it will pay off in the future of our fishery.
The next week I went back to the Surfside Jetty for another nighttime adventure. The winds were even lighter out of the south southwest, and I planned to fish the incoming tide and move to the surf that morning for some wade fishing. The tide was dead low at around midnight and the next high was forecast for nine-thirty that morning. At midnight I set my lights up on the gulf side which was still, glassy and trout green. To my amazement, there was not a single bit of bait showing up in my lights. We were on the back side of a full moon which usually is not a good situation for fishing. The tide was dead slack and the only fish hitting my lure were the ribbon fish on just about every cast. Around three a.m., I noticed the other lights on the jetty were shut down and gone. There was only one light set up near the end, and it was on the channel side. I assumed that side would be holding dirty water from all the runoff coming out of the inter coastal waterway. The southwest wind would also make the water more off color. I stopped for a moment and watched the person fishing that side bring in a nice size trout and then another. I grabbed my tripod with my lights still going and carried them to the channel side of the jetty. To my surprise, as soon as the lights hit the water, I saw mullet and shrimp scattering. After five minutes, I began to see and hear the familiar sound of trout sucking down the shrimp and baitfish. In my first ten casts, I caught four trout, and the action continued until my generator ran out of gas. The final count was around twenty five to thirty trout in the last few hours of darkness.
As the darkness began to fade, I loaded up my gear and headed back to my truck. The light glow on the horizon gave way to a beautiful sunrise and dead slick surf conditions. I made my way to the beach entrance and started looking for birds and bait along the shoreline. I drove for about two miles before I saw what I was looking for. The gulls were having a feast on the large shrimp being pushed all the way to the beach by schools of hungry trout. I hopped out of my truck, tied on a trusty topwater lure and stood in ankle deep water casting to the feeding frenzy. My lure hit the water, and after two twitches, it got smashed and the game was on. This scenario happened over and over until the school moved through. Every surf fisherman dreams of this type of set up which usually doesn’t happen very often. When it does happen, it makes it that much sweeter. After a while the action slowed down, so I loaded up and went on the search for more bird and bait action. After driving another mile or so, the scene repeated itself. With each stop heading north, the fish seemed to move further out from shore. The fish moved from the first gut to the second gut as the morning wore on. I also noticed at each stop there was a presence of small black tip sharks lurking near the schools of trout. In the third gut the porpoises were pushing the trout back toward the shore in my direction. That was in my favor and kept the action close. The numbers of shrimp in the surf was amazing, but they seemed to have no chance of survival against the schools of trout. This awesome scenario came to an end as a menacing storm moved down the beach from Galveston in the east. With five small fish in the cooler I loaded up and took the fish to my friend for his fish fry.
The next morning I loaded up the truck and headed back to the beach at Surfside to repeat the previous day’s fun fishing. This time I took my Go Pro to document the action. As I waited for first light on the beach, I could see and hear more wave action that the previous day. The wind was stronger, and the waves were breaking stomach high on the first sandbar. There was a slight chop on the water until mid morning, and then it got semi glassy. As I drove the beach, I noticed no one was catching anything. Not even the anglers using live bait. I was getting close to San Luis pass before I saw the birds working bait beyond the second sandbar. I stopped the truck, grabbed my rod and waded in. As I reached the second gut, I cast my topwater lure as far as I could attempting to reach the bait being pushed to the surface. As long as I got it close to the bait I got a strike. No one was stringing fish that day due to the sharks. I slowly walked each keeper fish to the shore and let them ride the surf to the beach. There were a lot more smaller fish in the schools this morning as I chased the fast moving schools south down the beach. I was playing leap frog in my truck with several other anglers as we tried to keep up with the accelerated pace of the feeding fish. By eight a.m., I had caught five small keepers for my friend’s fish fry. I continued to catch and release more fish as we continued our game of leap frog. As the sun grew higher, the action slowed and the fish seemed to be more lethargic with their bellies full. Another morning of fun surf fishing was in the books.
I love this time of year when the winds lay down and the surf gets right. A night time jetty trip followed by a morning wade in the surf does the soul good. Every time I set up my lights at night or get the opportunity to wade the surf, it is a new learning experience. It seems the situations I encounter always make me either adjust to the situation or figure out another plan to be successful. I think that is what I enjoy most about fishing. Whether it be from a kayak, on the shore from a jetty, or wading the bay or surf, the challenge of figuring out where or how to catch fish makes the game that much more fun. When I was coaching (for 38 years) we had to be able to adjust and adapt to overcome the opponent. Fishing gives me a similar challenge with many variables such as wind, tides, water temperature, water depth, bait, sunlight, and so on.
Life is like that too. Just when I think things are going the way I want them to, life throws me a curve ball. I have to adapt and adjust to cope with what life deals. It is not always easy to figure out. The best book of knowledge I can recommend with the answers to all that life can hand you is the Bible. If there is something you are dealing with and don’t know how to handle it, pick up this book and read the examples of how Jesus dealt with his time on this earth. Read how God’s love for us and his grace gives us hope no matter what our circumstances are. Ephesians 2:8-9 says, “For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith – and this is not from yourselves, it is a gift of God – not by works, so that no one can boast.” Take some time to pick it up and read. Proverbs is a great place to start. I love this book as it is filled with wisdom that helps us in our daily lives.
I hope you enjoyed my recollection of my fishing experiences these past few weeks. I have put together a video of images from my last few trips. Enjoy it and feel free to share any of my lessons learned with a friend who likes the outdoors as much as you do.
Thanks for reading my blog and God bless you!
Tim Lumpkin
Legacy-Outdoors.net
Instagram: @tlump10
YouTube Channel: Legacy-outdoors
As we continue on a blessed journey through life, we become more aware of the many cycles of life that surround us. For me from a human stand point, I have experienced the birth of a my grandchildren and the death of a parent. I can’t help but be excited for all the wonderful things in life we get to experience as we go through this cycle. Knowing that God has plans for each and every one of us makes it that much more exciting. In nature there are thousands of plant and animal life cycles to be observed every day. Nature can provide some amazing opportunities to see some impressive paintings only God can display.
As a retired elementary school teacher, my wife provides some creative opportunities for our older grandchild. Pulling from annals of lesson plans, she chose the life cycle of the butterfly since it presented itself in our own kitchen garden. Her classes used to draw and journal about the stages of the butterfly. Starting with the egg and continuing with the larvae or caterpillar stage, next comes the pupae or chrysalis followed by the emergence of the adult butterfly. It all climaxes with the release of the butterflies back into the wild.
Our back yard has become a haven for butterflies as we have a lot of plants that attract and host butterfly life cycles. The Passion Vine on our fence, which is a host to the Gulf Fritillery butterfly, is attracting new prospects every day. You can see the yellow eggs deposited by the adults and easily harvest the larvae to feed and observe. The fennel plant in her kitchen herb garden was recently covered with many swallowtail larvae that devoured the plant in a couple of days. She transferred them to a container and fed them well until the chrysalides began to form. What a great science lesson for a young child to watch and wait as the caterpillars journeyed on through the stages of becoming adult butterflies.
I decided to document the cycle with my camera and to preserve the amazing reaction of a young child, my granddaughter, as we set them free after they emerged from their chrysalides. I have to admit, my wife and I were having just as much fun as our granddaughter watching and waiting for the colorful butterflies to emerge.
Ecclesiastes 3:1 says, “There is a time for everything, and a season for everything under the heavens.”
Take some time and identify those cycles of life that are surrounding you today. Stop and enjoy the beauty they provide. Appreciate the precious moments you have. Many will pass you by if you let them.
God bless you and thanks for reading my blog!
Enjoy the video and feel free to share it with others. If you would like some more information on how you can harvest and feed the caterpillars on their journey to becoming a butterfly, you can contact me through my word press e-mail.
Sincerely,
Tim Lumpkin
Instagram: @tlump10
Youtube: Legacy-outdoors
Blog: Legacy-Outdoors.net
Last year was a tough year for everyone. Adjustments to the realities of Covid 19 forced us to make some drastic changes in our lifestyles. One of these changes involved finding creative ways to exercise away from the gym and crowds. For me the answer was a twenty year old bike restoration. New tires and tubes, along with a little WD-40 and some lights, was all it took, and I was up and riding. It started with slow casual rides of about 5 miles. It has evolved to ten and fifteen mile rides lasting an hour to an hour and a half. I have enjoyed finding new places to ride around the city. One of my favorite places to ride is a park near the house. It has a wide circular path in a habitat restoration area. The City of Houston has planted trees and foliage all around this pathway. This spring the wildflowers have bloomed on both sides of the path. Along with the flowers and plants, there are many different species of animals and reptiles crossing the path. As I ride on the circular path, I keep saying to myself that I need to bring my camera and get some shots of the many varieties of colorful foliage and wildlife before they disappear with the sweltering summer heat.
Well, I finally took the time to take a few photos and video clips of the beautiful scenery nature provides me with during my daily bike rides. My grandmother and my mom have both passed away. They both are responsible for my interest in the beauty of flowers and greenery that is all around us. They both put to action the phrase “stop and smell the roses”. My wife has always loved the beauty of a colorful flower bed and a field of wild flowers. We both are enjoying her bountiful results of planting and gardening around our house.
As I ride around the circular path each day, I enjoy seeing new blooms and new creatures. The ever changing landscape makes me appreciate the simple beauty God has put on earth for our enjoyment. Sometimes we get so busy in our daily lives that we miss the beauty God has put all around us. Not only in the flowers and natural surroundings, but also in each other. Everyone and everything has a uniqueness all to itself. No one thing around us is exactly the same. That difference makes the world such an interesting place to be, and we can celebrate it daily. The diversity and variety of God’s creations provides us a daily kaleidoscope for our enjoyment. Take the time to get outside and enjoy all the beauty God has placed in the most unlikely places in your world. Look for the good and colorful aspects in your life and celebrate the uniqueness of all that is around you. 1 Peter 3:3-4 says, ” Your beauty should not come from outward adornment, such as elaborate hairstyles and wearing of gold jewelry or fine clothes. Rather it should that of your inner self, the unfading beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is of great worth in God’s sight.” I hope as you go through your day you can see the inner beauty of all those around you. Slow down, and smell the roses.
I made a short video as I always do with the photos and video I shot that day. I hope you enjoy it. God bless you and thanks for reading my blog.
Tim Lumpkin
Blog: Legacy-Outdoors.net
Instagram: @tlump10
On Thursday, May 20th, 2021, I checked the surf cams as I frequently do. There was a low pressure system moving into the Gulf from Mexico. I thought there might be a chance for some longer period swell. To my surprise, the winds were slightly offshore. They were mostly from the west and light. On the cams, there was definitely a better quality wave rolling in than there was the previous day. I watched several surfers catch some good waves on the cams and decided to make the trip to test the waters.
When I arrived, the parking lot at the jetty park was full. Fisherman were lined up on the jetty, and surfers were partaking of the fun waves rolling in. I found a spot close to the front granite wall to park and changed into my board shorts and rash guard. I grabbed my board and made my barefoot journey across the gravel parking lot. On the way, I saw a gentleman named Tom who was shooting video of the surfers for his YouTube channel Tex Dirtsurfer. I introduced myself, and he invited me to shoot some video later from the top of his truck top camper. He has a tarp cover made with pvc that provides shade and a great vantage point for shooting video. Check out his videos if you get a chance. He puts a lot of clips of many different surfers of all levels on his channel. When I got to the grassy hill which lead to the beach, I heard someone holler “coach”. I turned and looked wondering who would be calling me coach. I have been retired a few years and was two hours away from the town where I retired. I turned and saw Ron, a real estate acquaintance I have surfed with many times over the years. It was good to catch up and see some familiar faces from the Meacom’s Pier crew from Bolivar Peninsula.
The water was a warm 75 degrees and the wind was a steady 15 mph from the southwest. There was plenty of white water to paddle through as the waves were waist plus on sets. The nice thing about a longer period swell is the fact that there are usually lulls between the sets. That makes for an easier paddle when going out. Once I made my way out into the line up, I saw a lot of familiar faces. I thought to myself, does anyone work anymore? There were probably around 50 plus people tucked into the best spot next to the jetty. After an hour or so, the wind seemed to back down a bit in the early afternoon. That made for some longer, clean rides on some workable waves. After another hour of full on fun, the wind started to turn straight on shore and strengthen. This caused the waves to lose some of their form. I caught one more wave and rode it to the beach. After changing clothes and securing my board, I decided to shoot some video of the action in the water. I set up on the granite rocks at the base of the jetty park and got some straight on shots. I then moved to the jetty to shoot some video from an angle. I shot 150 short video clips of various surfers. When I got home, I deleted all but 33 to make a video. Out of those 33 clips, I narrowed it down to an 8 minute video including scenic footage.
I am truly blessed to have a wife that allows me to pursue the sport of surfing and is patient with me as I spend time writing about my outdoor experiences. By the way, she is my editor-in-chief who reads and corrects my thousands of spelling and grammatical errors. As a follower of Christ, I have a story, as many of you do, to the saving power of God. My intention when I started this blog was to share God’s wonderful creations around us. I will share my story some day of how I was one step away from death and how he saved me.
I hope you have a chance to get outdoors soon and enjoy God’s creations.
God bless you, and thanks for reading and subscribing to my blog. Enjoy the video!
Tim Lumpkin
Instagram: @tlump10
Facebook: Tim Lumpkin
Blog: Legacy-Outdoors.net
Legacy Outdoors 