SUPing the Big Sur River

We spent Memorial Day Weekend camping in Big Sur at Andrew Molera State Park which is home to one of the most popular surf spots in the area. The beach is situated at the mouth of the Big Sur River about 1/2 mile from the parking lot and 1/4 mile from our camp site. I wasn't looking forward to carrying a board down the trail so I decided to SUP the river.

There were some portages on the river but some really good moments standing up.

The surf wasn's great and the wind was howling just past the shielding cliffs that make this a popular surf spot. The waves were breaking in about 2ft and allowed for 2 very quick turns. Despite the less than incredible surf paddling the river was an incredible experience and catching a couple waves was a bonus.

Waddell Waves, Redwoods & Waterfalls

You could spend a lifetime driving a VW bus up and down highway 1 finding different waves to ride each day, many people have. There must be 100 hidden secrets between Pacifica and Santa Cruz alone. A couple weeks ago we checked out the American Windsurfing Tour (AWT) at the legendary Waddell Creek. All of the pros came from Maui and the spectacle of talent on the water was amazing.

Just across the street from the wind and waves of the ocean, Waddell Creek winds its way past the largest Redwoods south of the Golden Gate.

Follow the river far enough and you will find a 90ft waterfall.

Everyday is a good day

There have been so many good days recently I haven't had a chance to even think about the session from the day before. It all started 2 weeks ago (4/17) when there were 20+ knot days at 3rd ave every day until the weekend when the wind backed off just enough to make for some good racing at St. Francis where there was a fleet of 22 J105's. Don't get me wrong there were 25 knot puffs but I was thankful there weren't any 30+ puffs. During the 2 days of racing I finally made some sense of the crazy currents and wind around Crissy. Since then there has barely enough time for wetsuits to dry before the next good day.

The American Windsurfing Tour is also hosting a competition at Waddell. There is sure to be some awesome action and fun events there starting tomorrow (5/2). Here is some action from last year.