Surfboard coffins packed and ready to go.  Head to airport in a couple hours. Happy Easter everyone!

Just saw Mike's first post.  Reminded me our start last year and a Rob Gilley article in Surfer (Nov. 9, 2011) that I quoted before we left.  Here's the basis of the article called "Mortal Compass".  Not sure what it means that we are going back for more. I know we are not pros, nor hellmen...so we must be the third.  Or maybe just old and feeble of mind. Hope the Mentawai Shamen bring us great waves and safe passage.

..."Double black diamond mountains should only be attempted by pros, hellmen, and masochists.  Why this isn't common knowledge isn't perfectly clear, but to be honest, the surf media is at least partly to blame.  Because of visual one-upmanship, the surf magazines have created a misleading reality by constantly publishing photos of big, hollow, razor-sharp, shallow reef waves and promoting them as dream locations.  Unfortunately for normal surfers - for mortals like you and I - they're anything but.  The problem is that surf photos don't come with a rating system or a disclaimer.  The truth is that many of the "sick' waves you see in the magazines are only sick in the sense that  they would make you puke if one broke in front of you"  

Mike Ryan here......About a year ago, Duane had already been injured surfing the Mentawis, and  he was nursing an injury so severe I don't even like to think about it..  I was surfing by myself at 4 Bobs (the kiddie wave of the area) and I got stuck at the top of a wave on a take offnand as I fell face first down the wave I saw I was falling into   what looked like 18 inches of water.  Images of a reconstructed face so damaged by coral cuts that small children ran away in the grocery store ran through my mind in the instant it took to hit the water.  Somehow I managed to avoid the bottom.  But it was that moment I thought, 'This is crazy.  I'm NEVER coming back here.  It is way over my head"

So, I can place full blame on Duane for a second trip. :)  How could I say no after he has spent that last 12 months in rehab, nursing spinal and nerve damage.  His dedication and motivation to return is an inspiration.  

So today, we are packing, scrutinizing, planning and plotting.  I'll report more when we arrive in Bali....the first leg of the trip

Time is winding down.  Air temps in Central Florida were in low 40's when I woke up this morning... and there has been no surf for past week or two. Needless to say - I'm ready for Indo.  From this point forward, both Mike and I will be submitting blog posts, so we will identify ourselves.  Tommow and Saturday will be full-