Thanks ya'll

To everyone that helped us out in one way or another. Weather it was offering us a place to stay, cooking us dinner, storing our stuff while we were away, writing down places to check out, giving us a mixed cd that we loved, or sending us love and good wishes. For Hannah’s and my family for kind words and love from across states and oceans. To all the new friends don’t forget us and stay in touch. And for all of you who want to visit we have a place in Venice to crash at. Thank you, thank you, and thank you again, for making this trip so special. Both Hannah and I traveled quite a bit with other people and we both said that this was the best trip that we have ever been on. Happy that you are in our memories of this time. xoxo H+N

Last but not least list

1) Things left on top of the car. Mug, pistachios, toothpaste and brush, bag of sweaters, water bottle, bag of cosmetics (never recovered).

2) Number of times forgot to strap the boards on. 2000 (always caught before it was too late)

3) Times almost peed pants. 439 (some from laugher)

4) Friends gained: 126

5) Countries people thought Hannah was from. Spain, Brazil, France, India

6) Times woke up and didn’t know where we were. 12

7) Weird or interesting encounters with animals. 3

1. Bird Name: ekklepinki , coloring-pink and white with black spots (heard but never seen, very rare) Call: Loud 6am in the morning squawk. Predator: girls with big sticks. Place of residence: Outside happily sleeping campers tents

2. Raccoon nicknamed-night fingers. Grabbed my bread in Montana De Oro, There was crackle of paper and then silence. I assume he acquired the fixing earlier for an amazing sandwich.

3. Seal-with roaster like call at 7:00 at night.

8) Number of times almost lost Hannah. 8 she has a terrible sense of direction.

9) Music loved and listened to on the trip:

• Kings of Convenience-Bought at Amoeba in search of something mellow and surfy.
• Swell Season- found on the road good sound
• Bon Iver, Driving though the mountains from Sonoma.
• Shena O’Conner, random, but a silly good time.
• Edward Sharp and the Magnetic Zeros, there was lots of singing and dancing to this.
• Port O’Brian-love
• MiikeSnow- great beats
• Explosions in the sky- driving through redwoods at night felt like we were floating
• Cat Power: nothing needs to be said she’s amazing
• Ray LaMontane love… Song: Empty made me cry…so beautiful.
• Heartless Bustards-great voice/lyrics

10) Hours spent searching for missing items in car. 11

11) Smells lingering in car- 3 main ones (wet wetsuit, dirty girls, rotten food)

12) Number of laughs shared: 3679

homeward bound

So this ends the tour for the most part. Hannah and I woke up fairly early the next morning. Me a little more slowly with a bid of a cross look on my face due to the rather large headache that was right in between my eyebrows. Hannah was feeling better and ready to get going so with eyes half closed we packed and left a Halsey behind. We were both thoroughly amazed that she woke up that morning to say good-bye to us. So of course we went over the events of the night before and both agreed that a good time was had.

The road was somewhat uneventful, but after a few hours of shuteye I came back and we were laughing and making jokes while killing time. Beautiful area we had to go through, bummer. I was very excited to get back, one because there was a house boat that I was looking into renting in the Marina and I also had to work the next day and needed to get my head in the right place to start a job. Reality sucks….Hannah was itching as well as she was excited to see her boyfriend and cook up some work. Crazy how quickly your mind switches from travel mode to life mode. I was focused, but tripping out at the same time at being back, but not having a perminent place to live. Anyways, we were both in the same mode. We did have a really lovely chat about how special the trip was to both of us. After traveling with other people and on all sorts of adventures I have to say that this is the best trip that I have ever taken. Memories will not be forgotten and I am sure that we will both look back on this time and wish we were somewhere in Portland, Santa Cruz, Big Sur or San Francisco. I think the reason I have been putting off writing the last few days was because I didn’t want it to be over, but life goes on. Miss the road already!

The City

So we did it. This is our final destination and then home. So with a bit of sluggishness we headed to San Francisco. Excited because all I heard the whole trip is how amazing Halsey (Hannah’s cousin) is and that we are going to have so much fun (she knows how to party). We found her place located, little did we know, right off Valencia, a edgy part of the city, and met her and a few of her roommates Andreas and Josh. Halsey cooked us up a great dinner and we all sat down to a proper meal and got acquainted. Halsey had to work that night so we took the opportunity to crash early and get some rest.

Woke up the next day nice and refreshed, not so much for Hannah as she was feeling a bit under the weather, but I was feeling strong so far. Hannah was leaving early to spend time with her cousins that live in Sacramento and I was left alone to explore and wander aimlessly.

The feel of the city is creative, murals down alleys, little restaurants and shops hidden from the main strip. White Walls Gallery was show casing stencil artists and here are a few artist from all different galleries that are amazing: Chris Stain, Adam 5100, Ramblin Worker, Jane Hambleton. One of my last stops on my journey was this place called Little Otsu. They specialize in zines, paper products, calenders and gifts. I bought a calendar from a cut out artist that I love Nikki McClure. Her work truly inspires me. Last stop amazing cookie place, Anthony’s, to spoil my new friends. Got to sample them all first before walking away with a ½ dz. Yum. Back to the apartment and hung out while Halsey and Andreas worked on their Halloween costumes. Hannah called and said that had the flu and wasn’t able to make the trip back. Bummer, poor girl, I know how much she wanted to be a part of everything.

Halsey let me tag along with her to work where a heavy metal band was playing that night. Stoked, haven’t been to one since I was 16 where I was the awkward teenager waiting to get body passed in a crowd of 15. Everyone and I mean everyone was wearing black. Me, I was in plaid with red jeans. I had such a good time observing and this was good stuff, plus the music wasn’t too bad. Halsey was able to leave work early and so we went another bar. Early Halloween costumes were roaming around bringing some extra humor to the night. Met a bunch of people, fun was had. Good night. Good day.

Woke up and wanted to surf so badly but Hannah had my car and I know it would be impossible to take my long board on the trolley. Would have been a good story, although I am sure my board would acquire a few more dents. Josh and I headed out on bikes down to Haight Street to get some music at Amoeba. Stopped at a pizza place right next to Amoeba grabbed a slice of potato, and something else pizza that was bomb! Got a great picture of the girl behind the counter. I asked if she had barbeque sauce on her face, looked possible.

Amoeba we fun and I was there for a while, because for some reason I get totally overwhelmed. Found a bunch of new music and it was much needed. Yay! Hannah had just gotten back and was feeling a bit better, so we peddled back to meet her. I guess while I was out having fun the night before she was turning her insides out, sucks. So with what energy she could muster she and I walked around to see some shops. Her will is strong. It was fun being with her, I missed her a lot. We have become separated at the hip. Found the Curiosity Shop and enjoyed the little notes they had for us.

Back at the house the festivities were starting, costumes were being put on and faces were being painted. Hannah had to crash as her symptoms where coming back . My costume partner wasn’t going to be able to join us. Bummer. So I put on my trusty flannel, cowboy boots and drew on a mustache and there you have it….I was a lumberjack. One of the party patrons didn’t have a costume, so I painted him black and darkness began. That whole night he hid in alleys and appeared out of nowhere. It was pretty hysterical. Haley’s costume was awesome and was getting a fair share of attention. As we walked to the bar she was greeting children and families. Pictures were taken, autographs were signed....she totally won in my book. All night you could hear little robot sounds coming from the crowd. Andreas also had an impressive costume that he had been working on forever. Look at the face of his twin, amazing.

Onward to the party all the while pausing as people had to pee and pictures had to be taken. The party was a blast. I thought someone was going to get seriously hurt as there was a rock band playing, moshpit and an outdoor fire all in the same vicinity…luckily someone had some sense and put it out after costumes were getting dangerously close. Halsey may have almost fallen in once. There were lots of other bearded ladies at the party so we bonded and immediately started talking about styling and shape. I caught a glimpse of Halsey out of the corner of my eye doing robotic moves towards the door and I took the clue to follow. The crowd was not condusive to big costumes and many of the larger costumes were getting smashed…Andreas’s arms were getting broken off. And so we hailed a cab…you should have seen Halsey try to get into the cab with here entire outfit on…took her a good few minutes to figure that it wasn’t going to work. Got to the Parkside where Rattler was playing. Rad! You know its going to be a good show when the roadies are putting garbage bags over the speakers so they don’t get wet from beer flinging and spraying. Met more bearded ladies in the front row and we danced all night. Got completely soaked with beer and hand so much fun. Halsey won the contest and was able to claim her prize of a beer bong on stage. Good girl. So proud. And on that note and with a teetering robot we pilled into yet another cab this time headed home. What a Halloween San Francisco… love ya.

Bolinas

The ride to Bolinas was fairly uneventful. Got to experience Humboldt counties finest at the super market in a town called Weed. We decided after a discussion about what people do in Weed is that they smoke pot, grow pot, get married and or knock someone up, have kids who smoke pot, grow pot and so on and so forth the cycle continues. Weird place. Did find a phone booth that brought us some enjoyment though. Found my twin. Hannah also did a spontaneous coffee tasting of the fine brews that Weed had to offer. The one that was warm won.

Exhausted and hungry we landed just outside of Mirror Beach and found a restaurant on the side of the road that was done serving food, but offered us some bread with our wine. Perfect. Talked to the bartender to see if he had any ideas on where to stay the night, as it was still a 40 minute drive to Mt Tem and we were pretty tired. We got two offers on places to crash from other bar patrons that overheard our conversation and were more then willing to help. I was a little on edge as we were the only women in the bar and the offers that were given were as follows. One rolly polly, weirdy beardy was in the leather business and offered us his leather warehouse to stay in. When asked if it was safe he said that he would give us a key to the padlock and I was thinking, ok so you have a spare…scary. I envisioned leather straps and leather smell, no thanks. The other offer was from a video game programmer with a guesthouse that he never uses. Sorry guy, video gamers scare me too. Needless to say that was our cue to leave and so we curved our way to Mt. Tem in the dark and found and camping spot. There was one other tent and unfortunately for them we woke them at our 1:00am poach. We couldn’t help it, for some reason we were giggling as Hannah tried to quietly blow up her air mattress with the electric blower. So loud. I am sure if the next tent had weapons they would of definitely used them on us. There was some sadness the next morning as we realized this was our last poach and last camp of the trip. We will miss it very much.

We took our breakfast to the overlook of Mirror Beach and enjoyed the sights from above. Very beautiful and so close to San Francisco truly amazed site. Small farms and quaint community’s very Topanga actually, but right on the ocean.

There was a fascination with Bolinas the whole trip for Hannah because a friend of her fathers lives there and works writing books about building unique structures around the world. Check out one of his books its called "Shelter", very cool stuff. So we were trying to meet him and she wanted to pick his brain about some ideas that she has. Unfortunately he had to do a book signing but we wanted to see the town anyways. About 45 minutes west of San Francisco, Bolinas is known for being sort of a hippy hotspot and let me tell you it was. Crazy town people that I think are still tripping from the 60’s were walking the streets. Character haven, loved it. Asking our fellow coffee owner what the deal was with a few of the strange wanderers he informed us on the following. Jane, a women that stood maybe about 4’1/2” feet tall, with a questionable brown tar like substance smeared like war paint on her face and equipped with a strange hat woven of newspaper and burlap, had multiple personalities and apparently is minted. Crazy millionaires make me happy. There is more to tell about Jane, but it would take about a page more and you might get tired. There was also another chap who we thought might have an ear piece in his ear because he was loudly talking…turns out as our friend put it, he’s just crazy.

As for the town, quite and eccentric for sure, cool people and very local friendly. Apparently they even hide the towns signs so that tourist pass by. The town comes equipped with a book store that when you want to pay for a book you put in what you think it would be worth and a cloths donation which works on the same honor system. Saw Jane a few more times that day as we walked around, could have swore she had her eyes on us. Nice little surf spot out front and because I was going stir crazy I headed out to get wet in about 1-2ft waves while Hannah explored more of the town. Hannah found a shrine and left a sweet little message thanking for safe travels. Thank you whoever grants wishes, we are very thankful indeed.

Push to Portland

Another spontaneous decision was made in the morning. Hannah said, “lets go to Portland today”. Ok, lets. Plus, it was rainy and who wants to camp in the rain? After not showering again for a few days we were ok with calling the quits on camping and getting a hotel. We arrived in Eugene at 3:00am equipped with sore asses and double vision from our 11hours drive on HWY1 and the 5. We were fried. Allowing ourselves to sleep in till 9:00, we pushed on to Portland landing around 1:00. So stoked that we were going to be staying in a hotel again because it was super cold. Found a great deal right in the city and the hotel even had a kitchen. Thrifty girls we are, we cooked up a killer lunch and hit the town to see what it had to offer.

One of the first stops we came to was a chocolate shop that had amazing hot chocolate and we were given a proper tasting. Love all this food tasting. Hannah found a chocolate saffron body oil that smells amazing….don’t eat us we are not food. While there we were given some pointers on what areas in Portland we should see and some restaurants to go to. We wanted to see if there was any music in town that night and more small boutique crafty shop. One of the highlights was a paper store that was of a fine quality…everything was beautiful. From the stamps to the fonts everything was done to perfection. We could have both spent some time and or money in there for sure, but there was so much more to see.

Really like this city, very earthy and rich in color and history. A lot like Milwaukee (back home for me) I can totally get why people from my home city moved here. A hippy, yet urban city with lots of beardy men (a good thing, love a good beard), and everyone bikes. Walked past galleries and hip restaurants, over bridges and down alleys on a meander, as well as in search of a restaurant called the Barrel and Flask, which was written up and we were told, delicious. After some searching, we walked in and out after realizing that it was very much like any restaurant back in Venice. On the way we had past a hidden little dive bar called "The Slammer" that looked very promising. We sat down after being so cold from our walk and ordered a bottle of beer for $3.00….yes, please. After about 10 minutes of enjoying our beers a boisterous lady plops down on the seat next to us and asked us how we found the place. Lizzy, come to find out owns the place and has worked at the place for 35 years. What a character. They got a kick out of Hannah’s accent were asking a million questions about where she was from and how she got here. It was a blast. I love places where you make instant friends. Leaving before Lizzy got us thoroughly hammered, we walked back over the bridge and headed down whatever street to get to our hotel. To make it fun we were taking rights and lefts everywhere. Very cold and in need of something to warm our freezing body’s we saw some hipsters hanging out in front of a bar Valentines. The place was small with nice ambience and great art. Everyone was listening to the piano player as we walked in so it was silent with sound only of the slamming of keys and the occasional cough. Ordered a nice whiskey for the both of us and sat down and enjoyed the music and the people, a very eclectic crowd. Three bands played and they were all pianist and drums. It was pretty magical in there. Feeling like a fly on the wall I nestled into the bench to sit and observe.

And that was the end of Portland pretty much. We raided the continental breakfast the next morning. The Mark Spencer Hotel didn’t even know what hit them and with a gentle throbbing in our head from the ginger whiskey (would not recommend), we made our way to Bolinas.

KOA Oh Yeah

That night we drove up the Dry Creek Valley in the town of Healdsdale to a campground called KOA. Buzzed we headed off with talk that there was a hot tub. Sold! Yeah...we need a bit of a wash too. I know I keep saying it, but the countryside is so perfect its almost as if someone created a fake town and set the barns perfectly in the correct light as well as leaving just enough gap in the wood to see that sliver of light shines through the boards. Perfection. Lines of rolling vines lay out at every turn as we wrapped ourselves up the mountain. We were not disappointed about the hot tub. Moonlit night and perfect temp we were happy campers. More wine and it was goodnight for me. As Hannah called me “Superwoman marshmallow” because I couldn't move from the fire to save my life. So comfortable. The next morning we took full advantage of the amenities...shower, laundry, hot tub and the pool, which was unbelievably cold. Spend a good percentage of the day waiting for clothes to dry, lounging in the sun, writing and sketching. It was nice to just sit and do nothing for a while. After days of on the move, relaxation was in order.

We needed to get back to the coast again, so the next point of interest was Mendocino, which was about 3 hours west, but couldn't’t leave the Dry Creek Valley without another tasting. We wondered into The Dry Creek Winery. Not sure if you picked up on this but we do like to take things a little slow from time to time. Thus it was of no surprise to us that we closed the place and were able to weasel our way into yet another free tasting. I don’t know if we have poor written on our foreheads, but we are enjoying the perks. So after another sunset on the lawn we headed through the mountains and broke camp late in the evening on the Mendocino shore.

Perched on top of the cliffs is a quiet little town almost reminding me of the east coast. Cape cod style houses mixed in with Victorians. Decided that we would have breakfast on the cliffs. So that we did, dragging our new stove out for a test and frying a few eggs in the park. Brilliant! After of course in need of a run we both headed our separate ways and took our own tour of the city and sites. Meeting up later we found that there was a break right on the edge of town and I was in the water almost immediately. Very choppy because of the late afternoon winds, but it was beautiful being surrounded by cliffs on the edge of the river. The water is so turquoise it’s unreal and cold enough to leave you with an ice cream headache. Hannah continued on her hunt for berries and came back with found items and painted berry lips. The night ended with dinner in the same park we had breakfast. Cooking noodles as the sun faded into the night. Back at the campsite Hannah couldn't’t find her cosmetics and we figured out that they were left on the roof as we drove away….bummer. So we set out on a mission to retrieve them. After a few laps discovered not the cosmetics, but an entire bag of cashmere sweaters that were also on the roof. It was pretty comical. No luck on finding the cosmetics, but at least Hannah will be able to keep her skeleton warm.

The Process of the Poach

So here’s the deal. We have now been on the road for almost three weeks and of these nights on the road we have paid for 8. Excluding the nights we have been put up by friends we have “poached” 10 campgrounds. This mean that we arrive late after the attendant of the campsite leave for home we set up camp in the dark. We have timed ourselves in this process and it takes us about 15 minutes. Come the next morning our eyes flutter and after a few confusing moments of figuring out where we are an immediate rhythm sets in. Hannah and I make our morning rushes for a pee and then the process resumes, blankets are folded military style while one of us breaks down the tent. Other campers I am sure believe we are on the lame after some sort of heist. We have laughed that we will be doing this at home in our sleep. Sitting on the edge of the bed in the morning with our folded linens ready to go. The good thing is we have yet to be caught. Living on the edge!

Sonoma

After a few hours we were all set to go and pointed our nose toward Sonoma, a last minute decision. Yay…wine, cheese, trees, vineyards, tastings, did I say wine. Yummy. The ride to Sonoma is amazing first the golden gate bridge a breathtaking sculpture marking the rise of the industrial revolution (my favorite era), followed by miles of vineyards and open space. Oh and by the way…there is a break right under the bridge. I’m all over it on the way back through. We were having way too much fun being dorks amidst the tourists and that continued for the rest of the day. Found a huge Salvation Army on the way and stopped in to see if we couldn’t walk way with our Halloween costumes that we would be sporting in San Francisco on the way back. You will have to wait to view the finished product. The pictures are just a taste.

We were a bit late in the day so had to work on finding a place to camp for the night. We decided after not finding a campsite close to the town of Sonoma that we would find the perfect open field and squat for the night and open that lovely bottle of wine under the stars. Love that Han has the same idea of fun as me. Found the perfect field up in the hills. Jumped a short fence and tucked ourselves in amidst the bushes. Spent the night staring up at the stars and sipping one of the best wines that I have ever tasted. A spicy Syrah with a sweet finish. The guys told us upon given it that if fit our personalities well. Maybe he was right. We told a lot of stories that night of growing up and all sorts of funny situations that we had found ourselves in. It was a special night for sure.

Hannah dead in her bed that next morning was awakened by the zip of the zipper and my gasp for air at the sight of pure beauty before me. The view would put any boutique hotel to shame. There was instantaneous scrambling for cameras. Feeling as though we were 6 again as we jumped through the grasses trying to remain semi hidden from the houses that we had overlooked the night before. The photo shoot that followed summed up how we felt at that moment. Suddenly realizing that we may overstay our welcome we quickly shoved our things in there appropriate positions and headed towards town to find the farmers market and see if there was a nice tasting that we could be a part of.

The farmers market proved a score as, always, grabbing fruit, olives, bread, and some nice cheeses for our picnic lunch that would be consumed on the grass at the vineyard. The vineyard that was suggested to us was open for appt only so we settled on the next tasting down the street, which was Endeavor. There we were treated with an exceptional tour mainly because the manager who was serving us didn’t want to be in the same room as the bachlorette party that was next to us. Score for us again. Little did he know he was going to be riddled with questions and now fully schooled in the art and trade of wine we are available for any questions you may have. Thank you...call us with questions. We enjoyed ourselves fully with a nice glass of wine enjoyed with our savories we closed the place. The manager Mike ended up treating us to a few empty wine boxes (we wanted to put food in them) our glasses of wine and a free tasting. I could get used to this kind treatment Thanks Matthew! Love you, Sonoma!

Shutter Bug

So some tears were shed a few days ago in Sonoma when I turned on my camera and the screen was blank... after some desperate attempts at troubleshooting I still couldn't’t bring it back to life. This to me is a hard blow due to the fact that my camera becomes and extension of my eye and my form of creativity. The frame that I set in the lens becomes a moment frozen in time and is documented forever in my memory. With a spin of the lens and a change of focal point a personality captured or a spot of dew caught before it dries and fades. Hannah has been so kind as to lend me hers and we will share the remainder of the trip, but part of me is in morning for my friend…she will be missed.

Half Moon Bay

Leaving Santa Cruz took a lot of work. We had to repack the car at least 8 times and I think that at one point I realize that Hannah had packed herself into the ca…so everything out again. Stress was high so by the time we left we had about 1 hour of daylight leaving us without exercise for the day and lots of tension about where we were going to be staying and if there was enough time to go for a run. All the stress of all this leading to a sizable fight about a difference of opinion and also a few things that I cannot divulge. Comments were said some flinging of mud, but all in all it was hugs and apologies by the next morning. We had found a beautiful squatting campsite overlooking the ocean. All was right in the world once the sun came up over the cliffs and we were on our merry way. Small ranches and berry u pick farms scattered openly along the cliffs and lazy cattle grazing slowly across the land. The excitement of our spat was beginning to leave us and laughter and music rang throughout the car yet again. I do have to say that although we have not known each other long (4 months) we get along very well which is amazing. So like every relationship it takes a bit of time to realize what buttons are going to set off a small explosion. Fair enough I think.

Anyways, Half Moon Bay. Made a phone call to see if my friend Brett would let us crash at his house that night and turns out that it was no can do, but he was going to ride Mavericks that afternoon. Which if you don’t know it is one if not the biggest breaks in the world. Super heavy wave that can get as big as 40ft and it is tremendously scary. The swell was bringing the waves in at about 15-20ft that day which is nothing to scoff at.

Its funny a wave. You look at a wave that is even head high and think, that’s not that big, but until you realize the power and are staring it in the face that’s when you respect it in all its glory. Unless I loss my mind you will never see me ride Mavericks, because surely it would be my last.

So we roll into this sleepy little marina town, not much going on just about 40 south of San Francisco. There is a nice break right off the 1 and Hannah and I quickly jump in the water. We both needed a good paddle and a few waves for sanity sake nothing clears the mind better. Brett happened to see the car and met us in the waves which was nice and had a good time splashing around and chatting about Venice and how much different it is without me…yeah right. Hannah had to head back because unlike me in a 4:3 she only has a 3:2 suit and was pretty chilly in these waters. So on a mission to get warm and to add to her already growing number of sweaters that she wears a night (8) to be exact. She found a nice thrift store and scored some heavy knitwear from Norway and beyond. Score for her.

Mavericks looks somewhat uneventful due to the fact that the wave breaks a mile offshore, to even approach the line-up it’s a 45min paddle. Up close and even with my camera lens you can see how big it is in proportion. Guys look like toothpicks riding a giant wave. Got some good pictures, but you will have to wait for my camera to get fixed to understand. Crazy stuff. Brett was excited to try out his new gun (big wave board) 10’6”. So off he dashed gun in hand leaving us with Bandit, which was a treat, and we all ran around on the beach until sunset. Had a few beers in town and called it a night. Found a great little campsite to run and gun again. Tired and perfectly content.

Woke and broke camp in about 10 minutes. Found a wonderful diner in town where the conversation of the locals was of a new manure product and techniques on spreading it. Love these people, reminds me a lot of home. Had an old favorite of mine that includes fresh berries and waffles and I couldn’t resist the bacon. Great morning. Also found this amazing place that had the perfect cook stove…we have not yet had a hot meal of our own since leaving Venice. We seemed to have spent hours in this place finding weird things and entertaining ourselves. Finally got back on track and headed for yet another surf, but remembering just in time that Hannah had broken a fin the day before and we needed to find a replacement. Stopped at a surf shop called Mavericks and found in the parking lot (it was pretty industrial around there) two men making wine. In about 3 minutes of conversation I had already grabbed the crank and was helping press the wine from the berries. Wonderful men these two. Hannah and I learned all about the process and terminologies of wine making and got to sample Cabernet that they had been perfecting for years Amazing, Such cool guys the name of the wine is TJ and is out for production for the first time this year. Look for them they are doing amazing things with wine. Heather our new friend at Mavs finally got to the surf shop to opened up. She sorted Han out by finding a used fin around and we were on the surfing path with well wishes from our new friends and a nice bottle given as a gift, pretty nice one at that, its worth about $100. Had so much fun in the water, long rides and almost got barreled I think, but no one was there so I can claim it for sure.

http://gallery.me.com/naomistrauss#100082

The Unaffected

Staying here has reaffirmed my outlook on how life should be lived openly and sharing should be of second nature. You know what important is up here, check the surf and make friends. Life can be as simple as you make it. After living in LA for 4 years now I tended to get accustomed to grumpy complicated people. I am so happy to be involved in the surf and friend community that doesn’t encompass that style of living. Looking through the keyhole of someone else’s lifestyle and day to day you get to to appreciate what you have. It has been refreshing to meet people like Mel and others who don't maybe have the worry of a zero balance or how to make that last dollar stretch, but realize the importance of friendship and helping. I feel fortunate to be able to experience this with friends who give, and maybe don’t have but are willing to share and give what they can. How special to help others and give whenever possible. Thank you friends for all your love and support!

Santa Cruz

Cruising down the coast to Carmel to get one last surf in before headed to Santa Cruz. Fun heavy beach break again. Thumped on for sure. What am I doing riding a long board in these sets? Need to get on a shorter board. More laughing and more goofy photos with Hannah. Having so much fun together. Blessed with a good companion. Made a phone call to my good friend Evin who lived in Santa Cruz for a spell and gave the number of an old housemate who still lives there. Score….The nicest people and the most open people that I have ever met. Role up to their DW and were so excited about the place. They had left the door open for us…big mistake. We photographed the whole house and then went for surf 2 blocks away one of the best breaks here. What a pleasure….Our friend Darren who works selling fish at the farmers market brought some fresh fish home for tacos and all sorts of people showed up to enjoy the nightly meal at Darren and Phil’s house. Turns out that we are staying in a place that has the most amazing sense of community that I have ever happened upon. Canning and fishing gear is being swapped constantly and smiles on everyone’s faces with a story to share. Everyone seems to know the bartering system well and give what they have and take whatever they need. Just today Mel of Newman’s Own showed up to give a surfboard to a friend who just down the block had just got hers stolen. Even next morning Bill the next-door neighbor who is also one of the chefs of these feasts called us over for bacon and eggs. Spoiled rotten.

The boys were off work this morning so we took some time to get away from all the madness of a busy break and headed north to the creek. Maybe not be best day to try one of Darren’s short boards. (He shapes as well as chefs) So scary…..After being spoiled on an 8’10” grabbing a 6’2” made a big difference. Paddling out was so scary. Head high and coming in fast my paddling skills seemed to move the board about two inches every tenth paddle. My eyes were as big as saucers by the time I made it to the line up. Sometimes I can be a bit overconfident, but no one can say I don’t put myself out there. Sitting on my board an accomplished surfer paddles up to me and tells me to sit further on by board. I guess that by the nose sticking out of the water it informs the elephant seals that you are challenging them. Like I didn’t have enough to worry about… I can laugh now, but at the time I was looking at the rocky face and the pounding waves trying to see the easiest way to paddle in and not get crushed by and incoming set. One of the guys that was surfing with us, Deayes an amazing surfer, but prefers to ride a short foam board, had the courtesy to let me swap boards. I was breathing a little easier after the change, or at least my lip wasn’t quivering and I believe that my eyes had returned to there normal size, but my session was basically done. I let the boys do the ripping for me. One the way home had to stop at and organic strawberry farm and do the jam tasting that they have set up. Yumm. After some apple cider had to get warm and spent a large period of the day trying to make that happen. Lots of jumping jacks.

Made a kick ass dinner for the boys to show our appreciation for them putting us up. Salmon and dill Alfredo over fettuccini, homemade pizza, and salad followed by bacon chocolate. Yum number two for the day.

Thanks boys for letting us stay and showing us the love! Xo to Darren, Phil, Bill, Deayes, Efain, Miguel. To all of those I may have missed, you will not be forgotten. We will be visiting again.

more photos...http://gallery.me.com/naomistrauss#100081

Big Sur with Love

After two soggy nights in Pismo it was time to get the out. Excited to move on and get further away from LA. The stress was still hanging out in my forehead region from the traffic and fast pace of living. Have to retrain myself how to relax. It had also been a few days that I had been in the water and I needed a fix, bad. It’s funny how much it affects my spirit. Anyways, roll out early or semi early and start our way up the rainy coast. OMG, amazing. Feeling very spoiled that I get to enjoy all of this beautiful coast. After what seemed like an eternity after making many photo brakes we made it up to Big Sur. Not really knowing where to surf and every wave we came across looking very heavy and threatening we passed on the surfing again. Out of time and needing a place to stay we ended up at a sweet little campsite right next to the river. With a little time to spare before the sun went down we headed to Pheifter Beach to see the sun set. Amazing place that one. Key hole rock was amazing…learned later that people surf this break. Looked pretty mean to us. Out of hummus and veggies we needed a beer and some Bar Food after eating roughage for the last two days. Found the spot and was served up nicely at Fernwood Grill. More great people and more people ready to hook us up. Just the nicest people you can meet everywhere. I was amazed at how friendly and willing to talk everyone was.

Had a good sleep and woke up to the river and beauty all around. Headed down to Big Sur Bakery. My place for sure….the most amazing food and a restaurant that really utilizes what is around it. Organic small farm produce and free range grass fed meat. Everything made with a touch of love. Want to go back for dinner for sure. Happened upon meeting the entire community that morning and again was given endless opportunities to either camp on there land or put us up with a room. Hannah even was given a Jade stone from Jade Beach as a gift. Wow again. We knew we would be staying at least two more nights because the place is so special. Headed north to a nice little beach break we heard about that was just past Carmel. Very itchy to surf again. At least head high and one of only two long boarders out there…I need to get a smaller board. Hannah and I were getting worked out there. Finally my leash just snapped and well to be perfectly honest I had had enough and was satisfied with a few short rides. Headed back up north one more hike before bed and a few beers again. Happy girls.

Last morning in Big Sur and free breakfast at Nepenthe through a friendly chef that Hannah met. So beautiful. Plans on stopping on the way back down south to go to the hot springs at 1:00 in the morning (a local thing) at Estalin. A teaching ground for yoga, meditation, and other scholars of the eastern philosophies. Sounds relaxing to me. Good-by Big Sur…..Love you and see you soon. To all of those we met, we will be back again. xo

more photos...http://gallery.me.com/naomistrauss#100074