We had reviewed the weather for the day’s ride and decided to start in the afternoon on August 13, stop in Santa Ynez and cycle to Santa Barbara the next morning. There has been a drastic change in the terrain from Northern to Southern California. I was surprised to find how extremely flat the road was, which made riding with a tailwind amazingly simple.

Flat roads leading us to Santa Ynez

Although there were a few hills to climb, this type of riding is nothing like climbing a mountain pass or getting a rhythm of the rolling hills earlier on our trek. We pedaled and cruised at speeds upwards of 20 miles an hour. At one point, Dan and I hit 33 miles per hour on flat ground! Our group had a consistent view of a cloud of smoke caused by a raging fire farther inland, just over the ridges between SLO and Santa Barbara.

We stayed with some of Dan’s family friends in Santa Ynez, in a gorgeous house with a pool and a cozy bed to sleep. I would again like to thank our hosts for their generosity and kindness at letting five smelly guys sleep in their home. Thanks Cyndy!

We left Santa Ynez early, our stomachs full from a delicious breakfast in Cyndy’s house. Although we only had 30 miles to Santa Barbara, there was a mountain pass between us and our destination. It felt great to ride San Marcos Pass, which was a consistent incline for nearly 15 miles. Dan whipped me into shape early in this trip and I have since become a “monster” on the bike.

I arrived in Santa Barbara with some good news via a voicemail. Katherine Perry from the Santa Barbara Independent was going to meet with us in the afternoon to do an interview for the local paper. Elliott met and signed the Santa Barbara Surf School, Fly Above All Paragliding and Circling Hawk Paragliding.

Will met with Eagle Paragliding, Santa Barbara Adventure Company and Captain Jack’s Santa Barbara Tours and signed all three of the outfitters. We had quite a bit of success in SB and our living accommodations were out of this world.

Jane Gottlieb and David Obst house at the top of the Rivera neighborhood.

In the evening, we biked up Mission Drive, up a long winding hill to a ridge in the Riviera neighborhood and stopped in front of a purple fence. As the gate slid open, we were greeted by five barking dogs and a smiling couple. They stood on steps that led up to a house that looked like it had been painted by a pack of wild Easter bunnies. The garage was lime green and bright pink. The window frames were sunshine yellow while the rest of the house continued in the same motif. Colors from across the spectrum were symmetrically painted onto different parts of the structure. I could barely comprehend living in a home of such colors, but the longer I stared, the more I got used to the idea.

David Obst and Jane Gottlieb had been living in Santa Barbara for years. They each have had successful careers in writing and photography respectively. Jane’s inspiration for the house came from her art, which was displayed throughout the inside of the house. Photos of lawnbowlers and vintage cars, splashed with hues of green, yellow and blue. She had spent years traveling around the world, and growing up in Berkley in the Sixties, was inspired by the age of love, peace and revolution.

Dave is a writer and journalist who won a Pulitzer Prize in 1969 for his work in the Pentagon Papers investigation. He is also the producer of the movie “Revenge of the Nerds,” and helped with the movie on Woodward and Bernstein. Amazing people, amazing experiences and just as hospitable as all of our hosts throughout this trip.

We had stepped into another world of bright colors, trippy sculptures and a scenic view of the ocean.

The Santa Barbara Mission.

Brendan Mulholland, Dan’s childhood friend, joined us in Monterey for the final leg of our trip to Mexico. He had just finished Alaska fishing season and was preparing to disappear in South America for an extended period of time. Needless to say, I finally had a photography buddy to explore Santa Barbara.

Our first full day in town we spent the afternoon at the famous Mission and rose gardens in Santa Barbara. The afternoon sunlight was a golden-orange, which was absolutely gorgeous to shoot in. The rows of different colored roses outside the mission glowed brightly and the mission’s spires cast some interesting shadows all around.

Brendan and I then made a trip to El Presidio, an old fort in the middle of Santa Barbara and then explored Stearn’s Wharf. I enjoyed blending in the a crowd and having hayday with my camera. Check out all the photos in our “Rad Photos” section.

Well the truth is that I wrote that paragraph upwards of a week ago and I’ve probably had a least 50 similar moments since then.  I just so happened to be in front of my computer when it struck me that the series of events taking place around me should be captured in words.

The Central Coast of California has to be one of the most captivating and yet best-kept secrets in global travel.  The Mediterranean climate and access to pristine natural resources has attracted everyone from world-class surfers, kayakers, and paragliders, to world-class observers like John Steinbeck who wrote Cannery Row while living in the Wharf District of Monterey.

One particular character who deserves mentioning in this Central Coast short story is Hugh Murphy of Surf the Sky Paragliding. I had arranged to meet him around lunch on a high dune on the southeastern stretch of Monterey Bay to check out his outfit, learn a bit about the sport, and talk to him about what we’ve been up to at SWAE.  Elliott and I had gotten up around 6:00 a.m. to catch some amazing head-high waves off Pebble Beach and needless to say I was already in a very good mood before biking back out towards the beach.

As I helped Hugh set up several of his wings and listened to him explain the idiosyncrasies of human flight, the correlations between his passion and surfing became readily apparent.

Both involve tapping into nature’s raw energy and riding that line between bliss and absolute destruction.  After he had got all of his students into the air, Hugh asked me if I wanted to get out and see what it was all about.  As we strapped in and the wing’s airfoil lifted towards the sky, I could almost hear Pink Floyd’s “Learning to Fly” playing in the background.

It’s hard to explain the feeling of lifting off the ground, watching the cliff pass behind you, and riding those invisible currents that move like the hand of God over the waters.  It was amazing, serene, and one of the most powerful feelings I’ve ever experienced. Others have described this moment of taking to the skies much more eloquently and it is with the sentiments of DaVinci that I’ll leave you:

“When once you have tasted flight, you will forever walk the earth with your eyes turned skyward, for there you have been, and there you will always want to be.”

A view of the Venetians from our spot at Mr. Toot's Coffee Shop in Santa Cruz.

Although the sun had not joined us on our trip through Northern California, it was front and center as we settled into the laid back atmosphere of Santa Cruz. We spent our first night in a quaint home with a young group of people caught in post-college limbo. A surfer, an artist, a Wisconsonian and a cook let us sleep in their back yard and the next day, SWAE went to work.

Kyle Thiermann, our surfer host, had recently taken a six-week trip to a small town in Chile, where an American coal-mining plant is being proposed. Kyle spent his time speaking with locals about the impact of such a plant and what we in the U.S. can do to help prevent this from happening. Not only is Kyle an awesome surfer, he is incredibly passionate about supporting local industry and business, just like SWAE. Check out the video of his trip at www.claimyourchange.org.

Phone calls, research and meetings. While the sun hit the surf all day on Friday, Will, Elliott and Alex hit the streets to meet with outfitters. Will met and signed Venture Quest Sea Kayaking.

Since he has joined the trip, Alex has worked hard to sink into the pattern of finding outfitters and contacting them. In Half Moon Bay, just outside Santa Cruz, Alex met Chris Manchester and signed his outfit, Half Moon Bay Kayaks. In Santa Cruz, he was able to sign Pacific Yacht and Sailing.

Elliott and Will teach Ed Guzman, our host and surf instructor, how to slack line at his home near Manresa State Beach.

Elliott has had some great meetings since he joined up with SWAE in San Francisco. He got to go hang gliding in San Francisco and in Santa Cruz, met with two legendary surfers in Richard Schmidt and Ed Guzman, who are both owners of two of the largest surf outfits in Monterey Bay. The Richard Schmidt Surf School and Club-Ed Surf Camps are both well-established surf schools in the area. Elliott was able to line up an evening of dinner and videos with Ed, which gave us an opportunity to crash with his surf camp in Manresa State Beach AND take lessons from him in the morning.

There is no shortage of passion for the water in Santa Cruz. The stories Ed told us throughout Thursday night only reaffirmed this fact. Ed has spent time surfing some of the largest waves in California, just north of Santa Cruz in Half Moon Bay, as well as 50-foot swells in Ghost Tree, just outside of Monterey. Ed can talk surfing 24/7 and loves not only to talk about his experiences, but is adamant about helping people get into the water to learn the sport.

The crew get wetsuits as we get ready to surf with Ed, Friday morning at Manresa State Beach.

I am not a surfer by any means. On Friday morning, Ed thrust a wetsuit into my hands, handed me a board and was almost to the point of pushing into the water along Manresa Beach. This was my first time ever holding a surfboard. It felt oddly foreign in my hands, but I’m not one to shy away from an opportunity to learn something new. The waves were small, but surf-able and Ed and his staff are excellent teachers.

After some pointers on the beach, I was in the water, paddling out with Dan, Will, Alex and Elliott to make my first attempt at standing up on a surfboard. Ed spotted a reasonably sized wave and urged me to start paddling.

I stroked my left hand through the water, then my right, then both at the same time and with a little nudge from Ed, I was being jettisoned along the wave. I slid from my stomach to my feet and was surprised to find myself actually surfing and not eating salt water. It was a great feeling and after a few hours in the water, I was truly enjoying the surfing atmosphere with Ed and the SWAE crew.

Ed Guzman preps Alex and Elliott with fiber glass surfboards before we head into the water.

Santa Cruz is beautiful. A cozy town where the beach is one of its prime attractions. The beach, combined with blue skies and sun, make for a relaxed atmosphere where anyone is welcomed.

Although we only spent two days in town, I was inspired by the sights and sounds we were able to experience while we were there.

Saturday morning, we rode 30 miles down Highway 1, to Monterey, where SWAE will spend the next two days taking care of business. More to come as the adventure continues to unfold!

6 weeks since Dan, Will and Elliot set out from the Canadian border. 7 mountain passes have been conquered. 28 blog posts. 2 states and 1,000+ miles of riding total. Over 50 outfitters signed to SWAE. And countless photos.

What a journey so far. By the end of the day, we would be nearly halfway through this adventure.

Will and Dan share some bagels and peanut butter before our ride into California.

It was 8 a.m. and I began to pack up with the sound of a tractor rumbling through the fields behind me. The sun was already beginning to heat everything around me and I could tell it was going to be another scorcher of a day. We rode down to a gas station in Wilderville and ate bagels and peanut butter, before we set off for our last ride in Oregon.

Highway 199 was hot. As we rode, a mixture of smells filled my nostrils. Hot concrete, skunk cabbage, road kill, car fumes and whatever else carried in the wind. Although it was difficult to cope with the heat, we were fortunate enough to ride through several small towns along the highway, which meant we could cool down in some shade. A gas station attendant told us it would be 105 degrees during the day.

Our dread turned into relief as more trees began to lean over the road, providing a decent amount of cover from the heat as we continued to ride south. Forty miles into the ride, we came across a sign which read “Oregon Thanks You, Come Back Soon.” About a mile later we were greeted by a sign which read “Welcome to California.”

Two states down, one to go.

Dan and I let out a shout. We had officially crossed into California. We had 40 miles to go before we were in Crescent City. I was inspired by the fact we had made it into California. You have to remember, I had never done a tour like this in my life and to ride through two states was a great victory for me.

Big hills rose up on either side of the Redwood Highway as we rode into California. The afternoon sun shined down on trees which freckled the hills and a creek flowed below the road. The shoulder was only six inches wide in some places, but the scenery was so gorgeous I barely noticed cars and trucks whizzing by me at 50 miles per hour.

Before the region was explored, there were over 20 million acres of Redwood Forests. Today, there are only 40,000. These forests are part of the reason we ride. Our hope is to preserve the natural wonders of the world. These forests were old. They were ancient and have been in the region for thousands of years. Granted they are a valuable resource, logging has put a strain on much of this natural habitat.

As we rode into Jedediah Smith Redwoods State Park, the majesty of these forests left me speechless . A bug flew into my mouth as I stared up, jaw hanging, at the trees reaching up into the sky, blotting out the sun. To our relief, the trees enveloped the road in shade and the temperature dropped significantly as we entered the forest.

Our first introduction to California Redwoods.

Although these trees were big, I knew there were bigger ones to come. But for now, this was an amazing precursor to what we had in store for the remainder of our trip. Trees loomed high, some rising over 80 feet in the air. It was all I could do to crane my neck to view the canopy above. It was a tremendous experience to be among natural lands that had withstood countless eras throughout history.

Dan, Will and I rode out of the Redwood forest with 10 miles to go on the days ride. We were making good time, even with the head winds on Highway 101. We pressed hard along the shoulder of the highway, each taking turns drafting behind each other. I led the pack for the last four miles as we entered Crescent City.

I learned a valuable lesson after the day’s ride and that was to respect your elders. Those trees own this land, we’re simply sharing it.

During a conversation that I had the other with a potential outfitter, I was being watched by the godfather himself, Mr. Epstein. After the call, Epstein stated that although the info about SWAE that I was plugging to this guy was great, the tone in my voice as I spilled it all, well, it sucked. I was just spewing info, not sounding passionate, talking dryly. Perhaps it was due to the fact that I knew the man himself was listening, or because we are a start-up company, and this is my first week of attempting to get meetings with outfitters, and subsequently sign them (which by the way we have been doing… killin’ it).  We are excited, and passionate guys, especially about what we are doing with SWAE. So when we are talking with potential outfitters, and even emailing them, our language has to be just as excited as we are… Good advice, because my next calls went extremely well, and scheduled meetings with 3 more outfitters (see them on “people along the way”) and signed them all on the spot. 

We are coming into these companies who have been operating for 20 some-odd years and completly changing the way they do business in under an hour. So it should come as no surprise that when we do this they offer us rad things. For example,  yesterday when we signed Outdoor Odysseys sea kayaking (www.outdoorodysseys.com)  one of National Geo’s best adventure companies of 08′, the owner (Clark- awesome guy) let us use his newly built eco-office to take showers.  Will also went sea kayaking, and after Epstein signed a rad sailing company (www.sanjuanclassicdaysailing.com) they took us out on their boat, let us sleep in their beautiful house in the woods, and fed us breakfast… 

All of these amazing experiences, and we are only 9 days into the trip. It feels like all we have been doing is first, connecting with people, and then we innovate their business… Not the other way around. I am beginning to understand why business isn’t just business, business is people.