In Niagara Falls at the Imax sometime go see Niagara Miracles, Mythes, and Magic. If you can tell me where you saw me in this film then you win a beer. If you are below drinking age then you win a soda.

"http://www.cliftonhill.com/niagara_falls_history/niagara_falls_history_daredevils/"


Better thing to do on a burning hot and flat day is to ride the jet boat through the lower Niagara River rapids. The boat goes into the giant whirlpool area. The ride is thrilling and breath taking and wet. Wear a swim suit.

http://www.illusiongenius.com/WTC.html

I got my copy of Surfing's Greatest Misadventures in the mail today to help ease time over the flat period. I also got a book called 'West of Jesus' that I randomly selected from amazon so I could get free shipping, it's very recent so I doubt anyone on the forum has read it let alone heard of it. Both books are longer than I had anticipated so they should provide ample reading material for a less than avid reader.

Ryan's pics of NJ are also soothing during these flat days.

Hope you enjoy reading SGM.

On that note, you mentioned a book by Izzy Paskowitz a while back on the forum, have you read it and is it a good read?

Doctor Paskowitz is probably his Dad. His latest book is exceptional and I don't have enough superlatives in my vocabulary bag to do the book justice.

I can get his phone number for you in Hawaii. He will autograph the book. It's in loose leaf form but the content might save your life and keep you riding into your 80's-90's...

Is that the number you're referring to?

Adam,
A great nonfiction book to read is "In Search of Captain Zero". It's about a surfer who drives from Montauk, Long Island, NY to Central America in search for his ex-pat drug-smuggling friend. It details his chaotic past and journey during that long drive down. I read it in two sittings. I plan on reading "Surfing's Greatest Misadventures" soon this summer.

Another great read is: "Tom Blake, The Uncommon Journey of a Pioneer Waterman" It's pricey, but beautifuly laid out. Highly worth it.

Both these books will motivate you to paddle across Lake Ontario and back again on a flat day; recommend getting a permit first to do it.

Ryan's read list is another must. Tom Blake and Allan Weisbecker are to surf writing as Hemmingway and Vonnegut are to non surfing. They all rank as tops in literature in my opinion with Homer and Mark Twain too.

Hemmingway, Vonnegut, and Homer would have written about surfing if they had been surfers. Mark Twain mentions surfing but he never did it justice. These writers scored big in other genres.

Don't forget to read, "Eddie Would Go by Stuart Holmes Coleman." This book is also a must for surfers to read.

Surfing's Greatest Misadventures has made the LA Times best non fiction list. I'm currently reading, "Night."

Here we are:

1 An Inconvenient Truth by Al Gore (Rodale: $21.95) The former vice president cites the evidence for global warming.

2 Night by Elie Wiesel (Hill & Wang: $9) A teenager's harrowing year spent in four concentration camps.

3 The Devil in the White City by Erik Larson (Vintage: $14.95) A serial killer haunts the 1893 Chicago World's Fair.

4 Surfing's Greatest Misadventures by Paul Diamond (Casagrande Press: $15.95) Harrowing tales from surfers.

5 Barkley: A Dog's Journey by Al Martinez (Angel City Press: $14.95) A beloved spaniel's last trip with his owners.

6 The Glass Castle by Jeannette Walls (Scribner: $14) A memoir of breaking away from dysfunctional parents.

7 The Tipping Point by Malcolm Gladwell ( Back Bay: $14.95) How fads, trends and ideas behave like viruses in a society.

8 Rich Dad, Poor Dad by Robert T. Kiyosaki with Sharon L. Lechter (TechPress/Warner: $16.95) Fiscal parenting.

9 The Four Agreements by Don Miguel Ruiz (Amber-Allen: $12.95) A code of conduct based on Toltec wisdom.

Ryan,

I'll make a list of those books. Turns out reading is a lot easier/more fun when it's about surfing. I read through 50 pages of 'West of Jesus' in an hour this evening, and had to stop when my family arrived back from California. The start made me tempted to seal it up and give it back, but it quickly unravels into an amusing, attention consuming read. I plan to finish this one soon, get through SGM and start on the ones you mentioned. I recently read my first Hemmingway novel and I loved it, so I'll have to squeeze in some Hemmingway after a couple surf novels.

Magilla that's awesome your book is on the top ten list, strange considering it's about surfing..?

Has a surfer paddled across any of the Great Lakes yet? I don't think I'll be doing that anytime soon, if I paddle out 200 m I'm happy. I'm all set for a surf though, with some Santa Monica beach sand rubbed into the nose of my board with warm water wax from California.

Adam I don't think that many crossings of the lakes have been made on surfboards. In the current political climate I highly advise you to inform the local U.S. Immigration and local police if you consider a marathon paddle across any of the lakes. I say this in a tone that you should not ignore.

Thanks for the high five.

The beverage challenge still is out there.