We didn't make it too far after that midnight departure (about 70 miles), but we were on the road officially. Next morning, our first stop was O'Neill in Santa Cruz to grab our new wetsuits. We hooked up with our great friend Angel (recently back in the Golden state after a stint with Lone Star), and she became our incredibly enthusiastic send-off party.
With a collective of nine years residence in Santa Cruz, it's pretty familiar territory for us. We've surfed the breaks (world-famous) and biked the hills and skated the town. It's likely that we'll call Santa Cruz home again some day. So we headed up the coast, found a spot near Crystal Springs Reservoir to spend the night, and gorged on a celabratory taco feast.
Crystal Springs is right where 280 meets Highway 92, the artery that feeds Half Moon Bay. There's a single-track that laces the edge of the reservoir, but as we're still working out the kinks, our attempt to bike it was short-lived due to lack of a tire pump...to be remedied shortly. Morning brought misty rain and a pair of deer grazing outside. Hard to believe we were only minutes from Silicon Valley.
We decided to postpone the snowboarding adventures (which once they start won't stop till the snow melts!) and spend a few days on the coast. In part to spend a few more days with our friends, and in part to kill time so we can take on the largest organized skating event in the world...Friday Night Skate San Francisco.
Killing time proved more exciting that we had ever anticipated. We headed up through Marin county and out onto the winding and gorgeous Highway 1. Low and behold, we found a windsurf spot! Brant rigged up and blasted around Tomales Bay for a while, and we chatted with a few locals. Then up to Bodega Bay at Marshall Gulch for the night, where the angry surf fights with the cliffs. Tonight, we skate!
