For lack of swell in Abreojos, we headed down south to Cerritos where we just had a waist to chest session and we are about to go out for another one in a few minutos.  We added images to our album, so enjoy….everything is well and there is some swell coming through.  We will let you know what’s going on later down the road.  Where we are has free internet for the cost of a beer (bummer…), so we will be in touch more often than lately. Stay in touch and stay stoked.

-The boys in the bus

Brian :: Jun.29.2007 :: Baja!, Photos :: No Comments »

Punta Abreojos, BAJA - Here at this beach, which translates to “Open Your Eyes,” we wait for swell, but have been hit with some waves. After setting up camp for the first time down here - tents, canopy, grill, and fire pit - we spend most of our time relaxing, fishing, attempting to catch lobsters, and escaping the heat of the blistering sun. The beach is long and desolate, but full of life as every morning we are greeted with the sightings of dolphins and seals.  The area in which we are camping is surrounded by about 10 American surfers/campers that seem to have the same easy lifestyle that we have come down here searching for.

We are currently sitting in a small…extremely small public library that surprisingly has internet, even though at the moment we only have 10 minutes left to write due to the fact that the señorita running the library has to take her kids home. The town of Punta Abreojos is small, but warming. Clearly we look like outsiders, but we are never greeted with anything less than an “hola” and a wave.

This morning we surfed for a bit over a rock-reef point break, which was small, but super fun. After getting to a computer to check the swell and such, we have decided to camp another night or so and then make our way south to the town of Todos Santos, where we hear is full of excitement and waves.

Sorry we have no pictures of videos for you yet due to the slow connection - we are in a town where the population is probably around 60 - give us a break. We are hoping for a better connection in Todos Santos, so be patient and good will come.

So we end our post here, leaving you with a quote from our newest commenter, Aaron, on the site:

“you must have confidence when you are only half sure”

Take care all, and adios!

Brian :: Jun.26.2007 :: Baja!, Uncategorized :: 3 Comments »

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 »