Click for pics Tamarindo. Costa Rica. My new favorite place in the world. I recently got back from a 12-day surf safari where I stayed at Witch’s Rock Surf Camp. Normally I would write a large entry on all of my adventures and thoughts. But this trip is beyond words. For once, I find it difficult to write about my experience there. In fact I would go so far to say that the experience transcends the written word. Much like seeing the Grand Canyon for the first time or being in love (corny, yes, but to hell with it).
What did I do on the trip? Surf. Surf my guts out. Surf till my arms, back, elbows, and shoulders groaned with pain. Surfed till my armpits were rubbed raw. Surfed till my lips blistered and my skin darkened and my eyes became dazed red pits of dryed-out sun-burned shells. Surfed, gloriously surfed.
Continue reading ‘Costa Rica Surf Trip ‘10′
Click for pics With no plans on the horizon, Alex, Amber, and I loaded up the truck and headed north up the 5 late Friday evening to Santa Cruz. It’s a boring drive, filled with traffic, cows, dust, heat, and plenty of gas station scenery. Hence our night time departure. We arrived safe and sound after arguing metaphysics through the well-known theoretical model of Schrodinger’s Cat (for those keeping track, Alex disagrees that the cat can be both alive and dead).
The next morning we headed out in search of waves and found none. So to make lemonade from lemons we hit up Scott’s Valley skatepark. Alex and I ripped around while Amber sat on the Dad bench. Someone asked her which ones were hers, to which she replied “the two 30 year olds”. If you’re in the area check the park out. It had good flow, good pools, and the concrete was poured nicely. All escaped uninjured.
Continue reading ‘Cruisin’ Santa Cruz’
Click for pics This past weekend Alex, Page, and I drove out to my favorite camping spot in the Mojave Desert (and no, I cannot divulge it’s secret location). Before we left we stocked up on an interesting assortment of camp food: kippered herring, Spam with bacon, water, beans, chips, jerky, hot dogs, etc. We forgot some of the more important items: hot chocolate, cigars, Levi Garrett, marshmallows. As a side note: Spam with bacon may just be the ultimate camp food. If you’re going camping, buy a lot! The weather was great although it got a little cold at night. No beasts of nature attacked us and we didn’t suffer any injuries from plants or insects. Page was having a blast being a desert camp dog. She would follow us around and chase lizards. She also was enjoying digging in the dirt and getting nice and dusty. Ahh, the life of a dog! During the day we took some hiking treks around and also did some stone balancing (note: here is where the Levi or cigars would have come in handy). Another good trip on the books!
Start: Las Vegas, CA 10:25am
End: San Diego, CA 4:54pm
Miles: 350
Total trip miles: 2,899
Summary:
Well, the trip came to and end. And what a trip it was! Traveling by motorcycle is infinitely different than travel by car and I learned many valuable lessons about motorcycle touring.
But the most important lessons I learned aren’t ones which can be listed in order or are so matter-of-fact. These are the lessons one can only learn when in soltitude and faced with challenges. Personal lessons about who we are and what’s important. It’s the people in our lives and who we are which give satisfaction and meaning. We are not defined by our jobs, education level, net worth, or clothes on our backs. I realized how important people are to me, without them we’re simply cruising along in landscapes in scenery. The future may be uncertain, and things may change around us, but the firm bedrock of the soul, if discovered and nurtured properly, will weather anything and stay as solid and everlasting as the granite mountains of the Rockies. I hope to be able to take this spirit of adventure I used during this motorcycle trip and apply it to other areas of my life, to use the same courage to challenge myself personally and try to grow as a person by facing down my fears in other areas. Thanks to all who have supported me in the past few weeks, the small and big things mean more than you may know.
Start: Salina, UT 9:38am
End: Las Vegas, NV 3:24pm
Miles: 390
Money won: $31.25
Summary:
Today was a pretty chill day (pun intended). Leaving Salina the tempature was about 30 degrees and it didn’t get above 50 until about an hour outside of Vegas. I had some coffee with some Harley guys I kept seeing since Denver and we talked about our near death experiences the day before in the snowstorm. Drove through some cool canyons then got in to Vegas where I got a cheap room at the Luxor. After a great skate session at one of my favorite skateparks, I walked to watch the Bellagio then played some slots where I came out ahead $31.25. It always feels bad when you put another casino out of business 
Tomorrow…back to San Diego where the bike gets a good bath and tune up.
Start: Cheyenne, WY 6:24am
End: Salina, UT 6:36pm
Miles: 590
Altitude: 10,000+
Summary:
Wow, what a day. I decided last night to forego Salt Lake City due to a big winter storm system moving in to the area. Instead I planned to drop back south to Denver then cut West through the Rockies in the hopes of beating the weather. Mother Nature had other ideas. In exchange for the breathtaking scenery, the weather challenged both man and machine. First rain and storms in the mountain passes of Summit County which left me covered in mud, to the 50 mph wind I would battle across the high plains of western CO that would try for 3 hours to peel me off the road, and finally to the bone chilling cold of the Utah mountain ranges where I found myself descending from a 10,000 foot summit 50 miles away from an exit in a whiteout snowstorm. I learned the true definition of courage today and felt the triumph of overcoming challenge. The ride was beautiful and I had some amazing experiences on the bike. I figured the only way to end a day like this is with some good ‘ole Mormon fried chicken and mashed potatoes. Tomorrow…Vegas. I go to sleep tonight grateful to have arrived safely and glad to be alive. Tell me you can have that type of experience in a car…
