Tuesday and Wednesday

Tuesday morning’s plan was to surf El Cap but it was high tide and not surfable yet so I rode Refugio instead. It’s another point break just a bit north that’s a really soft breaking wave and as it comes inside gets a little bit faster. There were only a handful of people riding it, the sun was shining, and it was a really fun session. As the tide let out more I was starting to trip up on the kelp so I went in. I started talking to a couple that was just getting out of the water. I told them about my lake surfing experience and what not. They suggested that I surf El Cap because it was starting to work as the tide goes out. It’s a much faster wave. I ate some food and then made my way over there. I ended up surfing El Cap for a while. There were more people in the water and it was more competitive scratching for the set waves that came through. I was able to get a few fun ones though. As I got out of the water the same people that I met over at Refugio were out walking their dogs. The introduced themselves as Joel and Rebecca. We talked for a bit and they ended up offering me a spot to set up my tent and park my car over by their campsite. I ended up meeting up with them later on to set up camp, but I managed to sneak in one more session before the sunset at El Cap. Joel and Rebecca were great. They ended up letting me chill in their camper and gave me a few burritos for dinner. They were there for 5 days at this point just relaxing and surfing everyday. They had their 3 dogs and cat along with them in the camper. Hilarious!

Joel was a diesel mechanic and also sells systems so you can run an engine on vegetable oil. The huge motor home that they were traveling in doesn’t cost them a penny for fuel. It’s running on vegetable oil that they pick up for free from a nearby resort.

On Wednesday morning I awoke in my tent to the sound of rain. I had coffee with Joel and Rebecca and we chatted some more.

I ended up having another mellow session at Refugio before I decided to head north. I drove up to Morro Bay and met up with, ex lake surfer, Dieter. We surfed for a bit. The swell was definitely bigger up there and the winds had just switched from off to onshore so it got kinda chunky and choppy pretty quick. Dieter had to get to work and I needed to start driving so we didn’t stay in long. Thanks Dieter for the heads up on some good grub at “Tacos de Mexico”. That burrito was kick a$$!!!

I scarfed down that burrito and headed for Highway 1 from Cambria to Monterrey. I’ve driven this stretch of coastal road before and it is sooo much fun. I got to see the sun set on some of the most rugged coastline I have ever seen. It can be a white knuckle ride through some sections with really tight turns and huge cliffs dropping into the ocean.

I made my way onto normal highways and then onto the interstate and stopped just west of Sacramento for the night. My goal is to get to Salt Lake City by Thursday night….

Monday...

Checked some spots this morning...the best crowd to wave quality ratio in my favor was Lorraine's again. I surfed there all day and took a nap on the beach in between sessions. Definitely getting my wave count up. Got some really good ones today!!! Going to check El Cap in the morning again...hopefully there will be less people on it...

Satruday and Sunday

Surfed two sessions at Rincon on Saturday. Conditions were better earlier but more crowded. I managed to weasel my way through the crowd and got what was probably the longest ride I have ever had. Later in the day it got choppy, but there were less people so there were more rides.
The rest of the day Chris and I hung around the town of Carpinteria. We ended up sleeping in our cars in hotel parking lots. The negative side of that is, well, sleeping in your car. The positive is you don't have to pay for a room and you get a hot and free continental breakfast. Hilarious!

Sunday morning we went to Rincon. That place is amazing! The swell had grown and it was clean. I sat in the lineup for almost two hours and didn't get a single wave. It was super crowded, but I was able to get some good pics. There were also several dolphins out in the lineup. It's nice when they're around. In the afternoon I started driving north and checking spots. I ended up surfing a spot that I think is called Lorraine's. There were only 3-5 other people in the lineup and I was able to redeem myself. It was a bit uncomfortable paddling out after seeing a the carcass of a sea lion on the beach with a big chunk missing from it's neck. I scored several waves that were head high give or take and ohhh soooo glassy. I ended on a really good note with a wave that was about 100yd ride and almost started pitching over top my head. Steep and fast....sooo gooood!!!! The Pacific has a lot more power behind it's waves than the lakes.

Tomorrow I plan to find one of the many sheltered points in the Santa Barbara area. The crowds should be down as we move into the work week...

Christmas day in Cali

No surf for me today, but I did have a few good meals and some gifts. Reports from a friend saying that he surfed Rincon today. He got two of the best rides of his life...I'm headed to Rincon early tomorrow morning to check it out.

Wednesday and Thursday.....

After rushing to get to LA area on Wednesday I went straight to the beach. LA TRAFFIC IS CRAZY!!! The Pacific Coastal Highway didn't disappoint though as I came out of a tunnel onto the coast. I went to Malibu and found very small waves. I surfed anyways and then drove back through LA to meet up with the family at the hotel.
Thursday morning I left the hotel at 4:50am so I could beat the traffic and get back to the coast. I drove past Huntington and surfed Newport beach further south (very small conditions, but nice peeling waves and warm weather). I like that area, it's a bit more laid back than LA. I did some exploring and got to see "The Wedge". I've seen videos of this wave going off, but today it was about as flat as a lake. I met up with Chris, the previously mentioned lakesurfer that I ran into while driving in the southwest. We ended up getting a late afternoon session in at Newport Beach. No plans of surfing tomorrow, just going to hang out with the family for Christmas. Swell is small right now but should start picking up....Saturday should be fun-sized waves!!!!!

Time to Leave Phoenix...

Tuesday was my last full day in Phoenix. We slept in a little and then met up with Sheila for lunch. After that we stopped by a VW store to get some parts for the bus that Will is working on and get some questions answered on some problems he was running into with his rebuilds. We drove through downtown Phoenix and killed some time because it had started to rain. Our plan was to hit up some more skateparks but had to wait it out so that the parks could dry up. Well it's Wednesday morning now and time to get on the road and head for LA!!!

Day 2 and 3

I spent all day on Sunday driving. Started just east of Oklahoma City at about 9 am and made it to Phoenix after midnight. It was a Loooong day. Funny thing happened. It was getting to be around sunset and I was just east of Albuquerque. I stopped at a rest stop because the sun was getting low and it was getting hard to see the road. I was hanging out for a while and shot a few photos. As I'm walking back to the car I notice a Honda Element that had Illinois plates. I was putting my camera back into my car and as I turn around and look through the window of the Element I see a surfboard hanging from the interior of the car. The driver was just getting out of his car so I went up to him and asked him, "Are you a lake surfer?" He said, "yes!" Anyways we talked for a while and it turns out he's on his way out to California on a solo trip. He's headed to the Grand Canyon and I'm headed to Phoenix so we exchanged numbers and we will probably meet up in California. Kind of a "needle in the haystack kind of thing". What are the chances of that happening?

So now it's Monday and I am staying with Will and Sheila at their awesome pad. Will and I spent most of the day skateboarding just a few of the dozens of skateparks in the area. We ate a killer lunch at a mexican restaurant, checked out a local skateshop, got hooked up with some gear, and skated some more. I also got to see some of the Volkswagen projects Will has been working on.

Tomorrow is looking like some more skating, photo-taking, and maybe a motorcycle museum. Right now it's time for some dinner!

Out West...roadtrip to Cali and various other places 2009

I'll be on the road the next two weeks surfing, shooting photos, and spending time with family and friends along the way. Today was my first day. All driving and no stops to see or do anything. No big deal most of Illinois and Missouri along the Interstate don't seem to exciting this time of year. St. Louis might be worth stopping for. It was my first time driving through there(snapshot above). I stopped for the night just east of Oklahoma City, OK. Tomorrow I'll be on I-40 headed west. I'll pass through Amarillo and Albuquerque. I would like to make it to Phoenix by tomorrow night. I'm meeting up with a friend from high school. Above are a few snapshots from the day.