The End....Thanks Y'alls for the support.

Especial Gracias to my friend Serena for taking the final image of me on the road.
And not getting mad when she finds out I stole it from her blog......Thanks Serena!
www.serenamitnikmiller.blogspot.com

day 61 to 65 and Home. Yeah.

With my digital camera broken and the surf blown out I decided to split. After three fun filled days in San Diego, I said goodbye to Rachel, Chris and the dogs. I had heard my pals up at Mollusk Surf Shop in Venice were having a party and there was a late season South swell filling in. A few restful days under my belt and it was time to party and get some hectic Malibu surfing on. I headed up to Los Angeles. Five days, one party, many waves and a new wetsuit later I was on my way Northward with designs on home. A brief stop over in Santa Cruz thenI rumbled my way up Highway 1 toward San Francisco .I studied the fields of brussel sprouts which roll out to the cliffs above the Pacific.. The cool ocean breeze brought a familiar salty freshness to the air in the van. Thoughts of the life I left behind two and a half months ago were flooding my mind intensely. I hadn't even arrived home, and here I was already planning a materials list for a renovation on my studio, calculating bills that needed attention, and thinking of reuniting with my friends. I felt ready and not ready at the same time. I rolled into town, parked the van outside of my house and sat in silence. My friend Jeff rang my phone. "I just got here", I said. "Cool" he replied. " Let's get a burrito".

And I was home.

day 60 to.....

Recovering from the drive on Chris and Rachel's boat . I've taken to drinking my coffee out of a mug in the shape of a stylized owl's head and falling asleep to the creaking of the dock lines. It doesn't take a lot to make me happy.

day 57 to 59...two and a half days across America

Left Florida at 7am on Monday....arrived in San Diego Wednesday at 3pm. Drove right to Mission Bay for my favorite local treat. Tuna Jerky. The only time I stopped was to sleep and get fuel...except when I got pulled over in Texas. Got off with a warning. Yes Sir Officer Sir...Thank you, Sir. Oh...and I did pull off an exit that said "DateLand" ..I figured I'd been alone in the van a while so why not...it was different than I thought....

first drive west in two months





















climbed up the mast and screamed for joy

day 54 to 56

Visiting with my Brother and his family was great but Florida was getting to me. I got to see my Brother play hockey. I reluctantly went to Wal-Mart a couple times and couldn't go back again. My nephew even drew me a picture of Wal-Mart. I think it's the place aside from home he goes to most. I was ready to be in California again. I'm not one to be very wishy-washy in my decision making and I don't like to waste time. So after careful consideration and calculation, I chose to drop the hammer. Just get to CA as fast as I could. No sight seeing through the South or Southwest. Just get to the boat in San Diego. Then recover and surf. I set to planning my escape route.

planning at the game....
planning in the van....

Enchanted Vagabonds

I just finished Enchanted Vagabonds. I've carried it over ten thousand miles on my trip and I couldn't think of a more appropriate time to wrap it up. An epic adventure book on a relatively somewhat epic-ish adventure. I was introduced to this book while in Australia visiting Tom Wegener, who in tern was introduced to it by our mutual friend Thomas . As the story goes (and I may be messing this up) Thomas was inspired by this book as a kid (or something) and told Tom about it. Tom got a copy read it and was also very taken by the story. Understand that both of these men are fine craftsmen and aquatic adventurers in their own right. So, a story about a couple who rather than wallow in the mire of the Great Depression , opt to build a 16 foot boat and sail, row, and tow it from San Diego all the way to the Panama Canal living by their own skill and wit, was very intriguing. I thought so too. Ginger and Dana Lamb left from Dana Point California in 1933 and arrived at the Panama Canal in 1936 surviving multiple bouts of malaria, hostile gun fire, thieves, pirates, countless storms, cold and hungry nights, etc. For a year prior to their departure they trained. At the firing range with their pistols and in the kitchen, eating hard kernal corn and legumes to acclimate their bodies to the subsistence living they would have to endure on the voyage.The Lambs, who had known each other since childhood, and had dreamed of adventure ever since, saw this as a perfect time to make such a voyage. Take your chances in the unknown or take your chances in Depression era California. They chose the adventure. I'm glad they did. Take a minute to read the passage from the final page of the book. I thought it quite right. (note: in the fourth image below, the Lambs pose next to a shack made from wooden whiskey crates. I love it.)

day 53

Leaving the fun of Miami was hard but I was ready to get on the road to go see my Brother and his family on the Gulf Coast. Besides, the surf was supposed to come up in the Naples to Venice area. After a dreary drive across Alligator Alley, I landed at the Naples pier. Waist hight sets dumped on the beach and there were about 7 to 10 people out. It was pretty much shit but I wanted to say I surfed on the Gulf Coast... I looked at it for ten minutes then decided to head north. Several false "check it's" later I pulled off on Connecticut St. in Fort Meyers. There I found some knee to thigh high peelers rolling in and a little channel splitting left and right peaks. The wind was light offshore and it spit the chocolaty water back toward the Gulf in the most beautiful fashion. STOKED!! I grabbed my log and went out, trunking it for a two hour solo session with an audience of four disbelieving retirees.

Day 48 to 52

Fun in Miami.... After getting stuck in a huge traffic jam just outside of town. I made my way down to Miami Beach. Dumped the van in some neighborhood and lit out on my bike to get in the ocean and explore South Beach. Post glorious swim I rang my new friend Blain to pine for more info on the Miami hotspots (thrift stores and record shops..etc). To my surprise, she and her friend Mirti were on South Beach just a couple blocks away! Sweet! We hung up and all met up for some fun. Eating followed swimming which was followed again by more swimming under the near full moon. There was much speculation as to the proximity of bull sharks near to where we were splashing about. We put the odds in our favor and just had a blast. Blain had to catch a super early flight the next morning but that didn't stop us from having some drinks and rolling bones for dimes. High rollers. I got taken for about $5 since I provided all the dimes and lost every round. Not to worry, I'll get a chance to win my dough back at some point. I'm sure I'll see these two again.

Day 45 to 47

Woke up in back of a hotel parking lot and made a b-line to the Avalon Pier around 8am. I found some waist to chest high peelers moving through and one guy out. No coffee. No food. Just put on some trunks and a wetsut vest and hit it. Came in ate breakfast and made some coffee then hit it again. Didn't even take any pictures. Just surfed. By 1PM there were seven really happy local folks having a great time in the unusually warm water. I got out and watched them frolic for a while then hit the road south. I planned to surf in Hatteras but the crowd to wave ratio was wrong even though the shape was right. I motored on. Caught a ferry to Okracoke Island...then another to Cedar Island. Slept on Cedar Island then at dawn lit out for the I95 south. Through the Carolinas and Georgia the air was thick and muggy. I called Blain who was down in the Keys at this point chipping the rust off her fishing skills. She said she had some pals in St. Augustine who I should hook up with and I wanted to line it up before rolling into town. Between gasps of excitment and one hang up due to a four foot Tarpon that was swiming around her baited line, she assured me she had friends at a spot called the Cafe 11 in St. Augustine who would help me out. With the appropriate info penned down I landed at Cafe 11 around 8pm. I explained my situation to the waitress..how I was just passing through, and was friends with some of her friends etc... and she told me I could park out back for the night. I devoured Mahi wrap and I crawled in back of the van for the night. I could have suffucated the air was so thick in there! I wanted a battery powered fan bad. I finally manged to sweat myself to sleep around 4am. Maybe I just passed out from dehydration...I don't know. Thanks to the folks at Cafe 11.

Day 43 and 44

A week in California did for me everything I needed and then some. I was ready to get back on the road but was still trying to line up some riders for the rest of the trip. On a whim, some friends from SF told me about this girl they knew in Brooklyn who surfed, was "rad" and was looking to get to Florida for some RnR. "Great!", I said. "Lets make it happen". Next thing I knew I was fresh off a red eye from SF and ringing the door bell of some strangers flat in Brooklyn. Circumstances lined up nicely. Two days, a couple new friends, and several late nights later, I was primed for the road but still minus my rider. Blain, who's flat I invaded so early that morning was in fact looking to get to Florida, but had already booked a flight. So as it was, I remained a solo traveler. I'd had a great time in New York regardless. Third visit in a month and at least the memories were with me for the long haul. The morning I left New York, Blain and I found ourselves on an ill fated shopping excursion en route to her office with a less than perfect nights sleep under our belts. Feeling kinda slow and empty handed we arrived to the corner where I'd leave her. After a brief goodbye double parked between the change in traffic lights, she went toward work and I went toward New Jersey.

Day 41 and 42......Goin Home!!!!

Times up! Packed one bag. Left the van.

Day 37 to 40

The ferry ride from Yarmouth, NS to Portland, Maine although pricey, was totally worth it. It's a super fast and stable craft with plenty of legroom and decent drink prices. The ferry dumped me off around 11pm and I parked for the night in Portland. The next day I headed south to Ogunquit. The sun was out and the weather unseasonably fine. Nearly seventy eight degrees! There was a little swell in the water and I found some really fun longboard waves at the river mouth. I surfed alone for two hours...Ate two or three peanut butter and jelly sandwiches then surfed some more. Damn, I needed that! This was a real treat since I hit bottom up in Nova Scotia. Also, a nice primer for surfing back home next week! I can't wait to get home...