Day 20, Monday had me off to the Apple Store to try to get a replacement for my iPhone, which had not gotten a cell phone signal since I entered the Lost Coast almost a week ago.  I had an appointment at 11:00.  They saw me promptly, and after a lecture from a twenty-something year old kid about how to manage my battery life, he gave me a new phone.  I then sat there for…

I headed north on PCH, and it felt really good to be on asphalt. PCH rejoined US 101 and it was like being on a superhighway. I finally reached Oregon. A herd of elk were trying to cross the road. A few miles in I saw a sign for a tourist trap promoting giant concrete dinosaurs. Now I am not one to ever stop at tourist traps. But someone had posted on my Instagram account…

I spent the entire day 18 looking for surf.  I was determined to get wet today, but the wind was not cooperating.  It was blowing steady out of the southwest, and everything here was beach breaks.  It was bad. The drive out to this jetty was a long dead end down a 9 mile peninsula.  It was all sand dunes.  At the very end there were a bunch of cars parked.  One had an empty…

I awoke early, before sunrise.  Stepped outside and gazed upward.  The sky was brimming with stars.  Counting the stars in this sky would be like counting the drops of water in the Pacific. Living in coastal Southern California, you have a tendency to forget about stars in the sky. Between the light pollution and the marine layer, we only glimpse a few here and there. That and the fact that we are constantly distracted by…

Another surf check, another day of onshore southwest wind and small waves.  LindaMar looked fun, but there were 100 people out and if I wanted to surf 2-3 foot waves with that many people I could have stayed home at San Onofre. I decided to take advantage of the light and the small swell to take some pictures of the houses at the south end of LindaMar Beach.  I’ve always found the setting their idyllic.…

Up early for a surf check today.  Wanted to surf Ocean Beach.  OB is my nemesis.  It scares the shit out of me.  It can be one of the heaviest spots on the west coast.  Its known for brutal paddle outs, strong currents, great white sharks, and giant double-overhead barrels.  For the most part, its way over my head. N594576357_879538_67773 southocenabeach But there are days when it OB is magic.  Picture perfect a-frames that barrel…

Monday morning had me jonesing to surf.  I had gotten a tip about a killer wave from Adam at www.ouropenroad.com, and wanted to check it out.  There was a south swell building and I was hopeful that the first real waves of my trip would appear. This is one of those beaches where if riding a horse on a beach is on your bucket list you can check it off,  that is if you don’t…

Awoke on Day 6.  Its Tuesday and I’m starting to rely on this blog to keep track of what I’ve done and what day it is, as its starting to blur together.  Made some coffee and checked email.  A local in a Suburu, still dripping in his wetsuit with a board in his car stopped alongside the bus.  I thought he was just going to say hi, as everybody I’ve met on the road so…

Tuesday started with a surf check. After checking everything from Pacifica south the Davenport Landing, we decided Davies would be the call.  I was looking forward to surfing with Greg and his crew.  They knew this spot well and would help me dial in that elusive left I couldn’t find yesterday. From left to right, Brian, Greg, Me and Colin, post session  On the way back we stopped at Lindamar Beach where Greg and Amy…

Bikers Breakfast Gas Prices Brakes Overheated Soup to Nuts Yoga Surfing Saturday I awoke to sunshine.  Made coffee, sat in the wonderful peace of the old-growth forest, and just was.  After packing up, I headed back to Gorda (which is really a gas station, a cafe, a lodge and a general store.  Decided that after 4 days I would dine out for breakfast.  The Whale Watcher Cafe is the definition of a tourist trap.  But their food…