Encinitas, CALIFORNIA - After 8 hours in the bus from the Grand Canyon, we arrived in the unbelievable surf-town of Encinitas. Staying with our new found friend Tony and his great family, we were shown the mecca of the modern surf world. This included a town which was flooded with surf shops, local pros, and world-wide surf idols such as Rob Machado, and Taylor Knox. With Tony’s expertise of Southern Cali, and the Baja Peninsula, we were fed information and shown the in’s and out’s of Encinitas. We saw famous breaks such as Swami’s, Cardiff, and Trestles - which in fact we surfed yesterday. Along with that, we visited the local taco stands, which were delicious, Encinitas surfboards - the local surfshop, which we bought most of our surf supplies for Baja and exchanged travel tips and stickers.

- At night we crashed in Tony’s garage on two cots. When we first arrived at our sleeping quarters, we were shown “The Bomb.” ”The Bomb” is basically a trophy posted with the names of great surfers riding great waves. Each year, one surfer in the area gets their name on this actual sized bomb depending on what wave they catch around the world. The rule concerning this underground honor is that the wave, wherever it is, must be viewed by three surfers, the other rules are that their are no rules.

We leave Encinitas tomorrow, on the first day of summer with smiles on our faces and anticipation for whats to come. We would like to publicly give a thanks to Tony and his family for showing us a good time and opening up their home to us.

-If most of you do not know Internet access and twitter capability is quite limited in Baja so you’ll hear from us when you hear from us. Wish us luck and we will keep you posted

Brian :: Jun.20.2007 :: Oregon to California, Photos :: 2 Comments »

Hola all,

Brian and I are going to depart for Baja tomorrow at approximately 8 a.m. We are currently in Encinitas California. We arrived here 3 days ago after a long and spontaneous hike to the bottom of the Grand Canyon. Heres a short version of how we managed to get ourselves into a dilemma that we will most likely never be repeated.

So lets paint you a picture…It was Saturday; and after Brian and I arrived at the big hole in the middle of Arizona, we knew we wanted to hike to the bottom of this thing and camp out to enjoy the real open outdoors. When we found out about the office in which a permits were granted to stay overnight in the canyon, we quickly made our way in that direction to retrieve the sheet of paper giving us freedom and access to the whole canyon. Once we arrived at the office, we walked up to the window where a middle-aged ranger was standing awaiting permit requests. We were told that these permits where reserved 4 months in advance, but we had to give it a shot! So when we talked it over with the ranger, he surprised us with the unexpected answer of “yes, you can get a permit…most people don’t really hike this time of year because it’s too hot.” Once we heard that we were extremely excited - not caring about the scorching heat and tiresome hike. We packed our bags, threw our shoes on, and got on the bus to make our way to the top of the South Kaibab trail (our descent trail). Halfway through the bus ride, Brian and I realize we forgot the flashlights which were highly needed because by the time we would arrive at the bottom, it would be pitch black out. We ran back, got the flashlights, and once again made our way to the top of the trial.

The trail was a 7 mile hike, but Brian and I didn’t care. After about 4 hours - half being in the light, and half being in the dark - we arrived at the bottom; this was all after being encountered by bats, darkness, and struggling hikers. When we arrived at the bottom, we found a campsite and slept for the night, with no sleeping bags, pillows, or tents - the ranger recommended against them, so we did without them - even though they were desperately needed.
We woke up in the morning and made our way to Ribbon Falls - this beautiful waterfall that was placed halfway between the North Rim of the canyon and the bottom - which was a 6 mile hike from our campsite. (pictures are displayed in the album). The hike to the falls was a rough, strenuous one, but it had to be done to prove to ourselves that we could do it. So with very little water and energy, we made it to the falls to be relieved with a cooling oasis to relax, re-energize, and eat beans!

We made the hike back to the campsite, which was another 6 miles. Once we reached our original campsite, we trekked up another 4.7 miles to a halfway campground between the South Rim and the bottom which housed us for the night. That night was probably the worst night sleep we’ve had since we left for our journey. The wind was howling and the temperature was dropping steadily, so after a couple hours of turning and trying to force ourselves to sleep, the inevitable was in front of us - it was cold, and we needed shelter. The only warm place in sight was a bathroom that was shielded from the wind and mildly heated. We then put our heads to the concrete, and slept until 5 a.m. when it was time to hike the remaining 5 miles to the top.

The hike in the morning was quite difficult, and was definitely the hardest of the previous hikes we’ve made. With blazing heat and frequent stops to break and breath, we made it to the top out of breath and very accomplished. We took numerous photos and had a great time. When we returned to El Wanderer, we quickly hopped in, started her up, and made our way to Encinitas, California.

Brian :: Jun.20.2007 :: Oregon to California :: No Comments »

At the moment we are in a coffee shop in Ventura County. The swell is looking dismal, so we plan to depart for the Grand Canyon shortly.  We will camp there, enjoy the sites, and pray for surf upon our return.

Yesterday, we surfed waist to chest beach break at Carmel beach in the Monterey County.

When we return from the Canyon we are hoping for some surf in San Diego County before making our long awaited journey across the border.

Till next time…..

-The boys in the bus

Brian :: Jun.15.2007 :: Oregon to California :: 5 Comments »

San Mateo, CALIFORNIA - We left Fort Bragg, California yesterday morning and made our way to San Francisco.  After seeing the sites and people of downtown San Fran, Anthony and I realized it was time to get on the road and get to some surf.  With a stroke of luck and perfect timing, we received a call from our new found friend Mark. We arrived at his casa where him and his family treated us with the utmost of warmth and hospitality.  Along with giving us a place to eat, and sleep, he also provided us with an outstanding forecast of the nearby surf.  After our first time getting wet, we returned to their home with great excitement, only to be welcomed by more stories and smiles from his family.  After dinner, him and his wife Cindy shared some incredible photos and tales of their 6 month trip through the South Pacific, which just got Ant and me more psyched to get back in the water.

Now, it is time to depart this great family and start once again to make our way down the coast in search of perfect surf.  We leave here, and plan to travel towards Santa Cruz and possibly more south, where we hear they are getting some nice days.

Thanks again to Mark, Cindy, and their wonderful family for making us feel more than welcome in their lovely neighborhood, and home.

Brian :: Jun.14.2007 :: Oregon to California :: No Comments »

Fort Bragg, CALIFORNIA - Along our journey so far, we’ve encountered different situations, problems, and people. With every one of these encounters, we’ve always tried to do the right thing. After sleeping in a Safeway last night, we decided to check the surf this morning at a local surf spot. Unfortunately, after we left the beach, we got into a slight pickle. The two rear tires of our bus were completely immobile in about a 2-foot ditch. With the bumper resting on the ground, there was no way for us to get out. Shortly, we figured out that the road we were on was in fact part of a state park and was illegal to drive on. When we discovered this valid information, we realized that we needed to get out or we would have to pay a big fine.

So we tried everything we could to bail ourselves out, by means on jacking, wood plank friction, anything we could think off. Soon enough a park ranger showed up with a concerned, puzzling look on his face - and just when we thought nothing could get worse, he issued us a citation for driving in the park. We began to think why stuff like this happens to us when we were soo good the whole way here. After chatting with the park ranger for a bit, who was friendly, and a surfer at one time in his life, the stressfulness of the situation was relieved.

Proceeding this, we were encountered by a man named Ron. He showed up out of nowhere with nothing but good news. He explained to us that he checked our site and situation and would be more than happy to offer up his home for internet use, showers, food, and a place to sleep. So here we sit in his living room writing this post telling all who read that everything happens for a reason and with every bad there is good. Here a link to his website: www.blabberon.com - which is a descriptive website about the town of Fort Bragg, and some information about his life as well.

[UPDATE: Check out Ron’s post about our meeting!]

With his extreme hospitality, and his allowance of the internet for our use, we finally have a chance to post previous photos, and videos from our journey over the past 5 days. This includes Mount Rushmore, Yellowstone National Park, Redwood National Forest, and more! We hope you enjoy…

Old Faithful!

Brian :: Jun.12.2007 :: Oregon to California, Video :: 1 Comment »