I did a little trip up the coast last week that I thought I would share. Over a 5 day period I drove from SD to Santa Cruz and back surfing with a buddy as we traveled up the coast.
First day we hit Malibu and then Ventura for some small longboard surf before camping at Gaviota. Word of warning Gaviota gets windy and dirty. We woke up in the morning covered in about a ¼ inch of silt from the wind blowing it in the tent all night and decided to hit the road instead of spend on more night there. I will not camp here again.
Second day we drove towards Lompoc and Jalama beach where we had heard there could be good surf. What a beautiful drive and a great camp area. I had no idea there was a campground on the beach and was surprised to find that they had lots of open camp spots for $25. The surf was shoulder to head high with offshore winds and it was a no brainer that we would spend the day and night. Jalama is one place I am going back to in the near future.
Third day we hit the road for Big Sur stopping in Pismo for a surf session at the pier and a lunch. From Pismo we headed up to Hwy 1 and the beautiful drive along the coast to our next camp reservation at Limekiln campground. Limekiln is a great campground with views of the Pacific backed by a forest of redwoods with hiking trails up to the kilns. If you can get them reserve spots number 1 or 2 which are above the other campers, are very private and have fantastic views of the pacific. The nearest surf spot is Sand dollar beach about 5 miles away. It had some fun surf but the water was COLD and there were some currents you need to pay attention to.
Fourth day using Limekiln as a base camp we headed north to Santa Cruz to surf a break I have always wanted to surf, Steamers. After a 2 hour drive we arrived only to find the surf completely flat with not one surfer in the water. Oh well, you know what they say when you get lemons. We hit the surf museum at Steamers and then hit the road for Monterrey and another surf spot called Spanish Cove. Fortunately it was breaking shoulder high and we got a session in before lunch. If you are in Carmel for lunch hit up Clint Eastwoods pub the Hog’s Breath, decent food and probably the only place in Carmel you can grab a $10 lunch.
Fifth day left Limekiln and drove straight home. I’m really glad I replaced my radiator and thermostat since we cut across the 46 to the 5 and up the grapevine. Temperatures outside were 100+ coming up the grapevine and my temps reached 211 degrees with intake temps up to 135. Nothing like turning on your heater while its 100 degrees out to try and cool down the rig.
Overall it was a great trip and I will be heading back again soon to grab some of the waves we missed.
Here are a few pics of our Jalama camp and the wave.
First day we hit Malibu and then Ventura for some small longboard surf before camping at Gaviota. Word of warning Gaviota gets windy and dirty. We woke up in the morning covered in about a ¼ inch of silt from the wind blowing it in the tent all night and decided to hit the road instead of spend on more night there. I will not camp here again.
Second day we drove towards Lompoc and Jalama beach where we had heard there could be good surf. What a beautiful drive and a great camp area. I had no idea there was a campground on the beach and was surprised to find that they had lots of open camp spots for $25. The surf was shoulder to head high with offshore winds and it was a no brainer that we would spend the day and night. Jalama is one place I am going back to in the near future.
Third day we hit the road for Big Sur stopping in Pismo for a surf session at the pier and a lunch. From Pismo we headed up to Hwy 1 and the beautiful drive along the coast to our next camp reservation at Limekiln campground. Limekiln is a great campground with views of the Pacific backed by a forest of redwoods with hiking trails up to the kilns. If you can get them reserve spots number 1 or 2 which are above the other campers, are very private and have fantastic views of the pacific. The nearest surf spot is Sand dollar beach about 5 miles away. It had some fun surf but the water was COLD and there were some currents you need to pay attention to.
Fourth day using Limekiln as a base camp we headed north to Santa Cruz to surf a break I have always wanted to surf, Steamers. After a 2 hour drive we arrived only to find the surf completely flat with not one surfer in the water. Oh well, you know what they say when you get lemons. We hit the surf museum at Steamers and then hit the road for Monterrey and another surf spot called Spanish Cove. Fortunately it was breaking shoulder high and we got a session in before lunch. If you are in Carmel for lunch hit up Clint Eastwoods pub the Hog’s Breath, decent food and probably the only place in Carmel you can grab a $10 lunch.
Fifth day left Limekiln and drove straight home. I’m really glad I replaced my radiator and thermostat since we cut across the 46 to the 5 and up the grapevine. Temperatures outside were 100+ coming up the grapevine and my temps reached 211 degrees with intake temps up to 135. Nothing like turning on your heater while its 100 degrees out to try and cool down the rig.
Overall it was a great trip and I will be heading back again soon to grab some of the waves we missed.
Here are a few pics of our Jalama camp and the wave.
that was very tasty after a morning session. From talking to a few of the campers who go on a regular basis it is becoming more and more popular so reservations are a must. We just happened to luck out on a week day morning and they had several spots open that filled up by night.
