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

Pismo

Woke up to the sound of rain on our tent and little rivers everywhere. Packed our wet gear in the car or I should say it was more of a shove…the car is soooo full. Headed back up to Pismo where Hannah has a good friend that we could stay the night with. Luckily he and his wife allowed us to leave some stuff with them. We have an insane amount of gear(we both had flippers...when the hell are we going to find time to snorkel and where). With a little time to kill we hit up a charity shop, as Hannah would say, and found some killer gear to fill the car. I scored a yellow down jacket, that if lost in a crowd anyone would confuse me for a traffic guard or something of the sort. Had to have it. Hannah scored an amazing vintage Navy uniform. Classic. She will be doing some stitching on it so be sure and watch out for that one. Rain up the wazoo today…kind of nice. Spent much of the day hanging out in a restaurant looking at the surf and watching the rain. Hannah had a brilliant idea of stacking the chairs so that you could see the surf properly. Now you know why I like her. She thinks out of the box. Ran around for a bit getting thoroughly drenched and enjoyed the deserted beach and rainy weather. Not much surf in Pismo…except some nice big chop. Heavy surf is coming in. Swell up north is 10-12fl. Excited. Looked into picking up a fish or a shorter board….think my 8’10 might be a little big for the steep waves I am going to be getting in. Headed to Santa Cruz tomorrow.

Hannah's Arrival

Quick session in the morning in Morro Bay. Small, but needed to get in the water. Had to head back onto town to find a much needed shower. It has been a long four days of surfing and my hair had now become a wig. Seriously, I do believe that if you shaved it off it would stay together in its dreaded state and maybe if you are lucky, tell you a story. I found that the RV park was my best bet. Score! Wow, feel like a girl again. Had to drive back to Santa Barbara to pick up Hannah from the train so I had a few hours on the road and a few to hang out. Found the library in town and worked on the header for the website. Met another stranger and had a nice chat about the trip and other interesting stuff. Its nice to know that people are so excited to help and to open up their lives and help us out whenever they can. Restored faith in humanity. 10 points for the world.

Hannah came in exhausted and excited to start the trip, so good to see her. Finally after not knowing if it was going to work we are able to pull it off. Had a nice drink to mellow our nerves and a little bite. Decided that we needed to push on in order to set up camp outside of Santa Barbara at Refugio Bay campground. It was late by the time we got there and had to set up in the dark. Poached the site fair and square and headed to the lifeguard hut to sit and have a drink before bed. Nice to have Hannah around!

For all of you who want to view more pictures of this event. I am posting a web site with all the ones that I deemed worthy of viewing. Check them out there nice!

Montana De Oro

Ok, so I was told to camp here by a friend and I am so stoked that I took the advice. What a gem of a place. Tucked in the bluffs and under eucalyptus trees I felt that LA had finally left me a bit, or was it the fact that I haven’t showered in a few days and i'm feeling a little more like a woods women. Like it! Come screaming into my campsite and hastily put up my tent and chuck in my sleeping bag so I can catch the evening glass of Hazards. Talked to a few surfy chaps about the break, I am sure sounding like the coolest girl on the planet(I try really hard). A short hike down a path and you emerge and see breaking on a kelpy bed head high waves waiting to be shredded. Double score. Pulling myself through the kelpy mess I make it out to the break and find just two other souls out yet again. Finding my bearings and enjoying a few rides I turned my back on the open ocean and before me is a beautiful rock face of rich red earth that is quite awesome. I turned around again I am left alone in unknown territory and again I hustled to get back to land. It was semi-hysterical because the kelp wraps around your board and body and you end up grabbing it to pull you through to the beach. What a sight to behold. Upon hiking back out I noticed someone had written on my car…evidently I had left an impression on the 20 year olds that I had met. Hysteria.

The site that I found was next to a group of fine gentleman that were on a surfy vacation themselves and they had all the fixings for their trip. I had a loaf of bread and some PB and J. Needless to say they felt sorry for me and I didn’t mind. I like traveling light and eating cheap on this trip, but good food is never turned down in my book. Good conversation and good people. We surfed Hazzards in the AM and they took a few shots of me in the water. Cheers guys for a good time! See you in So Cal!

Good news! Hannah will be joining the trip tomorrow. So I head back down to Santa Barbara and pick her up. Poor girl had a hell of a time leaving Venice and is excited to put it behind her.

Surf Beach

So not to worry, I swear I’m not turning into Oprah. I will not be answering questions about your love life or problems with your parents. Although from time to time you will be witnessing little points of interest in my head.

Surf beach was a brilliant find. Tucked away north of Gaviota is a local break I stumbled upon. Roll over the hill and all you can see is waves….an maybe one surfer in them. So glassy and beautiful little barrels on beach. Now that’s what I’m talking about. It happens so rarely in Southern Cali that days like this are stored in your memory forever. I take a brief minute to photo document some of these beauties and then suit up for my first cold water surf since last spring. I am one of two people in the water and I couldn’t be happier. Charles, my friend after about two minutes conversation, decides to inform me that these are sharky waters….not only sharky but tells me a local surfer, just two months prior, was nibbled…(I was thinking the seals were cute that were coming up to stare at me, turns out I was hanging out with shark food.) We talked for a bit as I talked myself through my moments hesitation of paddling hyper-speed to shore. He tells me not to worry the guy who got gnawed on is back out in the water. Ha. Not worried anymore. Caught some great shoulder high sets that came through and it was glorious, although I couldn’t help from keeping an eye on my toes and searching the water for fins. It was at the point that Charles paddled to shore that I felt very alone and after catching a few waves and trying to be stubborn I gave up and paddled franticly toward the sand. Charles did apologize for freaking me out and on our way back through town promised to be my shark buddy. I needed to be toughened up anyways, there are sharky waters ahead.

Getting Lost

Headed north out of SB passing the beautiful Gaviota cliffs and gettig sidetracked by the great mix a friend made for the trip. I missed my exit. I was trying to head to Surf Beach(looked promising via my iphone surfline assistance). So on my way and about 20 minutes passed the highway I was supposed to head west on, it downed on me that I was headed in the wrong direction. Having to take a different route to get back on track, I stumbled upon some beautiful moments and thought about how important it is to get lost from time to time. Having experienced some well spent time of (lost) in my life and taking the appropriate time to right myself again, I was left wondering weather or not I would have appreciated the feeling of finding myself again had I never lost or gotten lost. So I figure, to truly appreciate the beautiful moments in life you have to loose something from time to time and then gain something else back in an entirely different way.

Day 1

Sooooo not a great start, but I'll take it. Its all part of the adventure, right. So after a crazy scramble to leave home for a month I get a call from Hannah saying that she took a job for a couple of days(we are both freelance).....bummer. So after a moments hesitation I decide to head north anyway and meet a friend in Santa Barbara and Hannah would take a train/bus to meet me. Well, my trusty friend bailed last minute, so I was on my own. Surfed Rincon and that was a blast. Super small and fun maybe 2 feet tops. After debating about where I would sleep I decided well the beach looks pretty good to me. Parked south of SB with a bunch of RVs and thought at least I would have some people around me if some crazy person tried to kill me. So toting a few beers and my blankets I tuck myself in the rocks. Of course I thought this was totally legal. Feeling spoiled with a the waves crashing in front of me and a starlit sky above me I fell into a bliss of surfy dreams. Only to be awoken a few short hours later by flashlights and police telling me to pack up and head out. Apparently this is illegal....I hate laws. So I drove to the nearest town and crashed in my car with my legs in a z pattern for the rest of the night. Needless to say I was a bit stiff in the morning, but laughing at the episode and enjoying my brush with the fuss. There are no surfing photos to share due to the fact there was no surf, but here are some beautiful found items that I thought were important to share.